I can double confirm this.
Hereâs my fully speculative take: we missed a major fundraiser target recently so the pressure ramps up and Gross âtakes a step back to spend time with familyâ and the next day Hill is out.
This is a for profit business these days and corporate America firings happen all the time regardless of timing or optics. If we missed a target, it was likely a last straw for Hill and I give credit to Gaber for moving fast
Yes, the timing of this is very strange but canât you not see whatâs really going on? The Chancellor at Chapel Hill called Gaber and said âwe both know you are going to end of doing this. You might have seen I got a little PR problem up here and can use a little distraction. Come on help a brother out give me a couple of weeks of distraction out of the limelightâ 
clt says this is what happens at AC level programs.
also, hello to the appy and eCu fans reading this. your obsession is adorable.
Gaber has lifted the school immensely, academically speaking, in a short time and I expect her to do the same with athletics. She gave Mike Hill a chance and he did not deliver. Maybe the extension came with the expectation of meeting certain benchmarks and Hill was woefully coming up short and Gaber had enough. The timing of it is strange though. I sense this was going to happen soon, but something accelerated it.
All that said, Iâm glad we are making a change. The Athletic Department needs a top down overhaul.
This.
If true, she is running things like a business and I applaud that. Hate that college athletics has become a business, but the fact is that is what it is so you might as well operate as one.
Yes, excellent take.
My big problem with the âhe just didnât meet the benchmarksâ thought process is that he got to keep his entire base salary through 2030.
That doesnât sound like a missed expectations firing.
College athletics have been a business for quite some time now.
I didnât say this was a new concept, but what is new is our Chancellor responding in a business-minded way. That is not something Phill would have done, so if itâs true, I find it refreshing.
That might be a contractual thing, but the timing of the dismissal and it being effective immediately, makes you wonder if thereâs more to this. The statement read that we need a new approach and change in strategic thought or something to that affect, so it makes me wonder if there was a conversation recently and maybe Hill was giving excuses instead of answers and Gaber was done.
But itâs done. I have faith in Gaber based on her achievements since becoming chancellor, so I see this as a positive. Hill is paid nicely and we can move on from the past 7 years. Now the next question. Whats to happen with Albin and fearne. Fearne is prob gone after this season. I think Albin stays on for next year and is given a shot to turn things around. But his leash got much shorter.
Sadly I think you are right about Albin and Fearne.
The new guy is going to have to raise money. Maybe that will keep him occupied for a while.
Absolutely agree
Agreed- timeline for Albin got a lot shorter after today.
At the end or the day, I hope the change leads to more wins and success. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, leaks out in the coming days and weeks about what brought on the change.
I dont agree about Fearne, mainly because I expect a very solid season for his team this year.
Im fairly optimistic about this season given the new roster and the weak schedule, but I do think this move gives him less margin for error. A new AD is going to want to come in and make his mark. If we have a mediocre season, Fearne could be a sacrificial lamb.
We need to give Albin 3 years to get this going. If a quality coach with a solid record comes in and is fired for not turning it around in 2 years we are going to have trouble getting another quality coach to sign on.
Gotta make the call. Can give him pay raise
I agree. I think any AD worth hiring will look at Albinâs resume and see that he deserves a chance to prove himself. Especially if the previous AD was restricting his ability to do his job.