Land Grantin': Clemson hires Michigan State president, he gets peek under the hood and stays at Michigan State

[615dawg]

Clemson did everything right in this search. They went after a big time sitting president and got him. After accepting the position and actually having a press conference/meet and greet with students and alumni, the Michigan State president decided to stay in East Lansing. Clemson insiders are LIVID and of course blaming Dr. Guskiewicz instead of looking in the mirror. Dr. Guskiewicz was the Chancellor at UNC Chapel Hill and Michigan State hired him away. He is one of the best college presidents in the country.

It's tough, but Clemson is in massive debt and overextended in athletics. They are in the worst shape of any Power 4 school. It is a mess. Tuition revenue is down multiple years in a row. They are going to make a desperate move for the SEC to try to save themselves.

I am not a big Keenum fan, but we are in decent financial shape. Things are going to get tougher with the enrollment cliff now in full swing, but our debt is manageable.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

 

[RocketDawg]

UNC Chancellor --> Michigan State President --> Clemson President: seems like continuous steps downward. He must've come to his senses.

 

[patdog]

Strange story. With his UNC background he should have known what Clemson is before he ever accepted the job. And I agree, Clemson’s best days athletically at least are behind them.

 

[615dawg]

Strange story. With his UNC background he should have known what Clemson is before he ever accepted the job. And I agree, Clemson’s best days athletically at least are behind them.

Yes. He definitely knew of Clemson's issues but they may be worse than what's out there.

I think Clemson will go hard after Dr. Suresh Garimella at Arizona. He was at Purdue and Vermont before Arizona and his game is turning places into online degree factories. The South really doesn't have one like Purdue or the Arizona schools.

 

[Perd Hapley]

Yes. He definitely knew of Clemson's issues but they may be worse than what's out there.

I think Clemson will go hard after Dr. Suresh Garimella at Arizona. He was at Purdue and Vermont before Arizona and his game is turning places into online degree factories. The South really doesn't have one like Purdue or the Arizona schools.

Disagree. I think they make another run at Stansbury….could probably get him this time***

 

[She Mate Me]

Clemson just hasn’t been the same since we lured Rick Ray to Starkville.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

How is Clemp any different than other colleges? That extra 20M from the SEC can’t mean THAT much.

They have a spending problem ie leadership. They have plenty of alumni to bail them out.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

They have a spending problem ie leadership. They have plenty of alumni to bail them out.

$1.15 billion in debt

Bulldawg77 would say No 17ing Way would he give if he were a Clempsun alum

 

[BTCMoonBoy]

Soon to be all universities…..the gig is up. Turns out if you flood the market with unlimited money then grifters and crooks and communists will find a way to spend it. Too many scholarships loans and foreign money.

grok say:


Key Trends Since 1990


• Tuition has increased much faster than overall prices: College tuition and fees have grown at average annual rates often in the 5–8% range historically (higher in earlier decades), compared to general CPI inflation of around 2–3% annually on average.


• From the early 1980s to mid-2000s, tuition inflation was particularly rapid (~7% per year). It moderated afterward but still exceeded CPI.


• Public 4-year in-state tuition (the most common benchmark) saw strong nominal growth, with real (inflation-adjusted) increases of over 100–200%+ in many periods depending on the exact timeframe and data source.

 

[She Mate Me]

I guess l was among the last graduating classes to get a bargain in higher ed.

Still shocking to me how cheap it was to get a degree from MSU if you finished up around the early 90’s or before.

 

[Lowdog]

Ever since NIL was announced and the real NIL was revealed I have wondered when the universities were going to say this is bat poop crazy and either drop down or out. There are several universities, Clemson is not the only one, in very bad financial shape in their athletic departments.

The way things are presently in college athletics is NOT stainable for a lot of universities.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

Ever since NIL was announced and the real NIL was revealed I have wondered when the universities were going to say this is bat poop crazy and either drop down or out. There are several universities, Clemson is not the only one, in very bad financial shape in their athletic departments.

The way things are presently in college athletics is NOT stainable for a lot of universities.

What we're talking about at Clemson is a bigger deal than just the new strain on athletic departments. This isn't just grappling with 20M that is mainly paid for by TV - everybody is dealing with that in a way.

But seems like they have problems on the academic side too.

 

[johnson86-1]

I am not a big Keenum fan, but we are in decent financial shape. Things are going to get tougher with the enrollment cliff now in full swing, but our debt is manageable.

We have a big advantage in that we're already a relative bargain. All these small private colleges without a very defined niche are going to bear the brunt of it. I think our only exposure to pain is if more prestigious universities start cutting their prices to keep enrollment up, or even increase enrollment to try to get some more economies of scale to make up for the drop in tuition rates, although dorms, parking, etc. puts some limit on how much they can do that before it makes them less desirable, even if students will accept classes that are significantly larger.

 

[615dawg]

What we're talking about at Clemson is a bigger deal than just the new strain on athletic departments. This isn't just grappling with 20M that is mainly paid for by TV - everybody is dealing with that in a way.

But seems like they have problems on the academic side too.

They have over a billion in debt counting on an Alabama-type mass influx of in-state students that never came after they won the national championship. Then their football team took a step back.

Alabama has gone from 21,835 students in 2005 to 42,360 in 2025.

Clemson has grown from about 24,000 to 29,000. So they have decent growth but not enough to support the debt they have accumulated.

What's interesting is South Carolina went from 25,000 to 40,000+ in the same time period. The SEC effect is real.

 

[stateu1]

I guess l was among the last graduating classes to get a bargain in higher ed.

Still shocking to me how cheap it was to get a degree from MSU if you finished up around the early 90’s or before.

It really still is. I have 2 recent grad sons who will make up their tuition in the first year of employment. Granted, I cash flowed it, but the numbers work.

 

[615dawg]

It really still is. I have 2 recent grad sons who will make up their tuition in the first year of employment. Granted, I cash flowed it, but the numbers work.

All the Mississippi schools have intense value in higher education. We win on value, which is something families are starting to consider more. Which is why we need to start winning in football.

 

[She Mate Me]

It really still is. I have 2 recent grad sons who will make up their tuition in the first year of employment. Granted, I cash flowed it, but the numbers work.

it’s still a bargain compared to a ton of other schools, but it has inflated at an unsustainable rate it seems. I could be wrong for sure.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

They have over a billion in debt counting on an Alabama-type mass influx of in-state students that never came after they won the national championship. Then their football team took a step back.

Alabama has gone from 21,835 students in 2005 to 42,360 in 2025.

Clemson has grown from about 24,000 to 29,000. So they have decent growth but not enough to support the debt they have accumulated.

What's interesting is South Carolina went from 25,000 to 40,000+ in the same time period. The SEC effect is real.

It's surprising to me, since they (Clemson) had done so well before that national championship. I believe I read they had successfully recruited the NYC metro for many years and had damn near gotten AAU status. Guess they got a little lax.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

It's surprising to me, since they (Clemson) had done so well before that national championship. I believe I read they had successfully recruited the NYC metro for many years and had damn near gotten AAU status. Guess they got a little lax.

Clemson’s ex-prez Clements is known for promoting new buildings & construction

He did the same when he was at West Virginia

 

[gtowndawg]

All the Mississippi schools have intense value in higher education. We win on value, which is something families are starting to consider more. Which is why we need to start winning in football.

As I have said on here before, a ton from the Memphis area go to State now. We personally know about 40 kids going to State this fall (from a varity of schools in Memphis). At some point, we need to give them another reason to come other than we are cheaper than other SEC schools.

Edited: I didn't make my point very clear there. We need to be good in football so all this new blood coming to our school has a bond built (good football) so they become strong State families over the generations. We have a chance to built something special, but do we have leadership to take advantage? I don't know.

 

[DoggieDaddy13]

The way things are presently in college athletics is NOT stainable for a lot of universities.

Oh, contraire mon frere, it is very "STAINABLE" - there are tread marks everywhere and plenty more stains to come.

They will turn it all into a world of poop. And the fans will be there spooning it up because - what else are we going to do.

Bread and Circus.

This is the way.

 

[Podgy]

Does Clemson not have billionaires who are huge sports fans and don't mind throwing tens of millions their way?

 

[00Dawg]

it’s still a bargain compared to a ton of other schools, but it has inflated at an unsustainable rate it seems. I could be wrong for sure.

I painfully had to make the decision to send my eldest elsewhere for an education degree. Even after scholarships, out of state tuition at State had her degree cost at roughly $80k.
Trying to plan now to get the youngest to Starkville in 4 years, and of course last month he suddenly started talking about other schools for the first time.
I only half-jokingly threatened that I might leave whatever I have to the first grandchild to graduate from State…

 

[OG Goat Holder]

I painfully had to make the decision to send my eldest elsewhere for an education degree. Even after scholarships, out of state tuition at State had her degree cost at roughly $80k.
Trying to plan now to get the youngest to Starkville in 4 years, and of course last month he suddenly started talking about other schools for the first time.
I only half-jokingly threatened that I might leave whatever I have to the first grandchild to graduate from State…

What was cheaper than MSU? Like Southern Miss or something?

 

[Choctaw Dawg]

They have over a billion in debt counting on an Alabama-type mass influx of in-state students that never came after they won the national championship. Then their football team took a step back.

Alabama has gone from 21,835 students in 2005 to 42,360 in 2025.

Clemson has grown from about 24,000 to 29,000. So they have decent growth but not enough to support the debt they have accumulated.

What's interesting is South Carolina went from 25,000 to 40,000+ in the same time period. The SEC effect is real.

Saban is up there with the greatest realtors this country has ever seen. His salary at Bama was never enough for what he did there.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

What was cheaper than MSU? Like Southern Miss or something?

In Mississippi?

Likely Ole Miss. They’ve long been more generous with scholarships than State

Southern Miss makes decent offers too

But I wouldn’t be surprised if 00’s eldest stayed in state…

 

[RocketDawg]

They have over a billion in debt counting on an Alabama-type mass influx of in-state students that never came after they won the national championship. Then their football team took a step back.

Alabama has gone from 21,835 students in 2005 to 42,360 in 2025.

Clemson has grown from about 24,000 to 29,000. So they have decent growth but not enough to support the debt they have accumulated.

What's interesting is South Carolina went from 25,000 to 40,000+ in the same time period. The SEC effect is real.

Well over half the students at Alabama-Tuscaloosa are from out of state. I suppose that's the Saban effect. I wonder if it's sustainable under DeBoar.

 

[RocketDawg]

it’s still a bargain compared to a ton of other schools, but it has inflated at an unsustainable rate it seems. I could be wrong for sure.

My last semester at State was just under $1000, which is at least inflated to $10,000 now. That included tuition and dorm in Suttle (it was new at the time and essentially the height of luxury). Books and food were extra.

Tuition now is about $11,000 but that's for the whole year. It doesn't include living accommodation, but the cost seems very similar with inflation, maybe even less. My last semester was in 1970.

 

[vhdawg]

My last semester at State was just under $1000, which is at least inflated to $10,000 now. That included tuition and dorm in Suttle (it was new at the time and essentially the height of luxury). Books and food were extra.

My first semester at State was $1200 in the fall of 1996, I know this because the PTK scholarship I got for about $50 at Hinds covered that much and covered 100% of full-time tuition when I started. It had crept up a couple hundred dollars by the time I finished in 1999, but that number is etched in my brain.

 

[615dawg]

Well over half the students at Alabama-Tuscaloosa are from out of state. I suppose that's the Saban effect. I wonder if it's sustainable under DeBoar.

That's the point. Clemson went a billion+ in debt thinking that would happen to them and it didn't.

I drove through Alabama's campus recently. Goodness, what Saban did for that place.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

That's the point. Clemson went a billion+ in debt thinking that would happen to them and it didn't.

I drove through Alabama's campus recently. Goodness, what Saban did for that place.

It’s weird because Dabo seemed to have the same staying power as Saban. And Clemson is a better location. Maybe a better school too? It’s puzzling. NIL changed the game for everybody, not just Clemson.

 

[00Dawg]

What was cheaper than MSU? Like Southern Miss or something?

Jax State. We’re in Alabama.
We’ve started exploring all sorts of options for the youngest at this point, including military. Hopefully he gets that magic 34 (or whatever the marks is in 4 years) on the ACT, but we have to plan otherwise.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

It’s weird because Dabo seemed to have the same staying power as Saban. And Clemson is a better location.

Clemson is not a great town… it’s too far away from I-85.

Fantastic general area but ultimately it’s the Starkville of the ACC.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

Clemson is not a great town… it’s too far away from I-85.

Fantastic general area but ultimately it’s the Starkville of the ACC.

Disagree, 30 minutes from Greenville, which is growing like crazy. Direct access to Atlanta. Beautiful area. Very close to mountains, also in a state that is thriving.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Disagree, 30 minutes from Greenville, which is growing like crazy. Direct access to Atlanta. Beautiful area. Very close to mountains, also in a state that is thriving.

I’ll give you the area; Clemson, the town though… I’ve been there a couple times. It’s about ten miles from the interstate

 

[OG Goat Holder]

I’ll give you the area; Clemson, the town though… I’ve been there a couple times. It’s about ten miles from the interstate

MSU is 60 miles, maybe more, from an interstate. I get what you’re saying but think we may have the worst situation logistically in the P4.

 

[HotMop]

Jax State. We’re in Alabama.
We’ve started exploring all sorts of options for the youngest at this point, including military. Hopefully he gets that magic 34 (or whatever the marks is in 4 years) on the ACT, but we have to plan otherwise.

Did you not get out of state waived?

 

[HotMop]

MSU is 60 miles, maybe more, from an interstate. I get what you’re saying but think we may have the worst situation logistically in the P4.

That would be Texas Tech, even with an interstate.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

That would be Texas Tech, even with an interstate.

State of TX is different than the state of MS. Get real.

Lubbock is on I-27. Try again.