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UNC Pembroke AD Dick Christy will step down at the end of the academic year after 13 years and transition to a new role as UNCP’s Deputy Chief of Staff/Special Asst. to the Chancellor. Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings: “Dick has built a championship culture at UNCP rooted in student-athlete success, academic excellence and integrity. The next athletics director will inherit a Braves program with strong competitive momentum, institutional support and a clear commitment to continued growth. … This search is about identifying a leader who understands the role athletics plays in student success and institutional impact. We are looking for someone who will support our coaches and student-athletes, steward our resources responsibly and help position Braves Athletics for continued success in the years ahead.” Coach4Aday will assist the Braves with their search for a new AD. (link)

Wayne State (MI) AD Erika Wallace joins the first episode of Warriors Weekly to discuss the connection between the university and Detroit and the long-term planning for athletics in this environment. Here are some of her most notable comments…

➤ On planning in the new era of athletics: “It's where we are. That's the piece where I'm in a lot of different groups with other athletic directors and I think that's the common thread that I keep hearing: the strategic plan of, like, 2032 that's going to change and we have to be ready to pivot. So it's really planning out six months to a year and seeing where we are at that point to see if we need to pivot from that. But the long-term strategic plans are very difficult right now in college athletics.”

➤ More from Wallace on building for long-term success: “A lot of times you can have one good season or there's one good season and then you have a lull. But what we're trying to do is build a culture that sustains the success that we have, which takes time. So that's what I keep reminding people: we've been going at this. Obviously Wayne State Athletics has been around since 1918, which is a very long time, but there's been a lot of shift in the last two and a half years and so things take time and you have to get buy-in. We live in this culture, especially in athletics right now, of these quick-fix mechanisms that we want, but there are certain things that come with that. One of those is support and revenue and if you don't have a lot of that, you do have to take your time and build.”

➤ As for the city itself, the transformation of Midtown Detroit has helped WSU combat misconceptions about the city. “When recruits come into town and they're coming with their parents and they're not used to Detroit or haven't been to Detroit in a while, once they get here, it's kind of eye-opening to what the city is. I think that's the exciting part about who we are, but also what we're becoming.” The city also provides a hotbed for recruiting for the Warriors’ new women’s soccer program. More. (link)

Sportico’s John Cairney and Rick Burton analyze the rise of AI and its sudden shift from operational support to a core competitive capability of recruiting operations. In the new world of college athletics where the transfer portal and NIL “have turned recruiting into a transactional, mobile and financially risky enterprise,” and coaches now resemble portfolio managers causing “athletic departments to increasingly rely on general managers and analytics staff … AI promises something every AD wants: fewer bad bets.” A recent Journal of Applied Sport Management piece describes “a recruiting ecosystem where AI tools increasingly shape how athletes are identified, evaluated and pursued,” while adding that “relying on human judgment alone is now inherently risky.” Cairney and Burton: “Athletic directors must decide not only how AI is used, but also who stands behind it when outcomes go wrong. Why? Because ethical aspiration without clear accountability is insufficient for those already under intense public scrutiny. … AI does not simplify leadership; it makes it harder. It raises the stakes, redistributes power and concentrates accountability. ADs must not only lead with better data, but also courageously own decisions made in partnership with machines.” More. (link)

Of note, The Field of 68 legal analyst Mitch Gilfillan notes that as the Patterson case unfolds in Nashville, the NCAA emailed all schools: “To the question about whether the Div. I Board would consider issuing a broader waiver if the court grants an injunction for the five student-athletes (Patterson case), there is no plan to do so. The NCAA's eligibility rules are legally defensible and provide opportunities for prospective student-athletes to compete at the Division I level.” (link)

Columbus State has launched the public phase of a $3.2M fundraising campaign and broken ground on its new 6K+ square-foot golf clubhouse to enhance its Key Golf Studio with a high-tech putting lab, two practice bays, players gym, team room and more. AD Justin Hay: “The stakes have never been higher when it comes to recruiting and retaining the world's top college golfers. We must offer the best student-athlete experience—and that means giving our golfers access to top-notch facilities and the means to winning conference and national titles. Once finished, this new clubhouse will be one of the top golf facilities at any level in the country, raising Columbus State Golf to new heights of excellence.” (link)

Deal Corner…
➤ USC Beaufort inks a multi-year deal with Novant Health to name the court at The Cove. (link)
➤ The PacWest partners with Teamworks on a five-year conference-wide deal to provide the league’s eight members with Teamworks Compliance and Recruiting starting in 2026-27. (link)

It’s Personnel…
➤ Central State elevates Asst. AD of External Operations Brad Kocher to Senior Assoc. AD for External Operations and Community Engagement. (link)
➤ UT Tyler Senior Assoc. AD for Internal Operations/Softball HC Mike Reed will step down from coaching to focus on his administrative role. AC Jason Miller will serve as the Patriots’ Interim HC for the upcoming season. (link)
➤ Wingate promotes Women’s Lacrosse HC/Asst. AD Abby Wiley to Assoc. AD/SWA, Business Manager Tracey Smith to Asst. AD for Budget Operations and GA Kaitlyn Propst to Acting AD for Compliance and Operations. Asst. AD of Compliance and Internal Operations Mario Paylor is no longer with the Bulldogs. (link)
➤ East Central elevates Asst. AD for Resource and Development Justin Graham to Assoc. AD and Coordinator of Athletic Operations and Outreach Sydney Dungen to Asst. AD for Marketing and Sports Information. (link)

Coaches.wire…
➤ Angelo State Women’s Soccer HC Travis McCorkle has resigned. (link)
➤ Lander Baseball HC Jason Burke departs for a scouting role with the Washington Nationals and will be succeeded by Assoc. HC Nick Popp. (link, link)
➤ New Mexico Highlands Women’s Volleyball HC Meg Grose signs a three-year contract extension. (link)
➤ Wheeling names Dean of Students/former Women’s Rugby HC Mike Geibel as its new Men’s Rugby HC. (link)
➤ This morning’s edition of Coaches.wire is ready for your review. (link)

The NCAA Women’s Volleyball Rules Committees met this week to propose a number of rule changes in the sport. In a desire to bring NCAA volleyball more in line with the international center line rule, the committees recommended a player's foot completely crossing the center line be ruled a fault, beginning with the 2026 season. DII and DIII have proposed increasing the number of substitutions per set from 15 to 18. Additionally, the committees proposed teams switch benches after the completion of the second set, while also suggesting that after the coin flip for the fifth set – where a team can choose to serve, receive or which side to compete on – the teams remain on their sides of the net the entire set. The committees also approved an experimental rule for conference games to allow the electronic transmission of live video to the bench area for coaching purposes only and approved other rules recommendations relating to topics that included video challenges, jewelry, misconduct sanctions and commercial logos on playing surfaces. More. (link)