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D1.jobs... New openings at Cal, Kansas, Maryland, North Alabama, Ole Miss, Rutgers, Towson, UC San Diego, USF, Utah and VCU below. 91% of DI departments have relied upon D1.jobs more than once. Click HERE to post your openings for tens of thousands of administrators to see.
D1.dossiers... Prairie View is now available, for those interested in leading the Panthers. Dossiers for eight other Athletic Director openings are also ready for you. $249 for an entire year of subscription. Hawaii is up next. (link)
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The NCAA has retained Endeavor to consult on its next round of media rights talks, per SBJ’s Smith, who notes negotiations with current rightsholder ESPN are expected to unfold late this year. Smith adds: “The NCAA will first negotiate with its incumbent, ESPN, and then go to the open marketplace if they don’t agree to terms. The NCAA, sources said, anticipates a sizable increase on these rights fees because it has been 12 years since these rights were negotiated.” (link)
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“It’s the evolution of sports and an investment and a belief, I know for us, that every sport matters. Yes, football and basketball are definitely the economic engines, but you can’t have such disparity in where your student-athletes train and live and learn. I think that’s what other ADs feel, too. These are our labs. If you have a law school, you want it to be the best law school. Athletic facilities are no different.” That’s Pittsburgh boss Lyke to SBJ’s Smith on an expected ground breaking this spring for the $240M Victory Heights project that will include a new multi-purpose arena, a performance center, plus lots more. HNTB handled the design, which features “a green roof open to the public with expansive views.” (link)
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Pittsburgh AD Lyke and former Florida AD Foley join What Drives Winning Founder Ledbetter for a conversation about leading when solutions are not in sight. Ledbetter posits that if ADs throughout the country were asked right now whether they enjoy their job, 80% would say they don’t, and Lyke acknowledges that the “challenges are tough. The landscape has changed. The game has changed. The recruiting world has changed. A lot has changed, but it doesn’t change the foundational enjoyment of connecting with young people and helping them reach their full potential or helping coaches have success.” Foley adds that the “fix isn’t apparent” for the problems facing college athletics. “I’m not saying it won’t be fixed, but that’s a really frustrating thing for all of us when we have a situation in our lives when we can’t control it and we don’t have the answers. And that’s the first time, I think, in my time in this business where I see that. So, I would say to you, Brett, they’re not having as much fun as they used to, but…they’re doing some of the stuff they got in the business to begin with.” Lots more. (link)
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C-Suite Considerations…
+ CollegeAD reports Oklahoma Assoc. AD for Strategic Initiatives Bailey is expected to follow new Mississippi State AD Selmon to Starkville as the Bulldogs new Deputy AD for Strategic Initiatives & Administration. (link)
+ Under Armour has added Endeavor Executive Chairman Whitesell to its Board of Directors. (link) |
Cal has parted ways with longtime Women’s Swimming & Diving HC McKeever after an internal investigation substantiated reports of bullying and discrimination. The Mercury News’ Reid reports that Cal attorneys found “by a preponderance of the evidence that Coach McKeever discriminated against certain student-athletes, in certain instances, on the basis of race, national origin and disability.” The report also noted that “Coach McKeever’s actions toward some, but not all, student-athletes in some instances was abuse and violated University policy.” In an open letter to Cal swimmers, Golden Bears AD Knowlton explains: “I was disturbed by what I learned in the course of reading through the report’s 482 pages that substantiate far too many allegations of unacceptable behavior. I want to apologize, on behalf of Cal Athletics, to every student-athlete who was subject to this conduct in the past, and I want to thank everyone who had the courage to come forward and share their story with the investigators.” (link)
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Duke announces the launch of its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Strategic Plan. Blue Devils AD King: “Duke Athletics took [the] charge from President Price and began the ambitious task of establishing a department-specific plan to implement meaningful, lasting change centered on diversity, equity, inclusion, and — a necessary element of our plan — belonging. The DEIB Strategic Plan that follows will be the Duke Athletics Department's roadmap to becoming a beacon of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, not just within the realm of college athletics, but for all organizations that share such lofty but essential values." Check it out. (link)
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D1.ticker/Connect’s Eargle sits down with Austin Peay Deputy AD for Student-Athlete Welfare/SWA Campbell, volleyball student-athlete Mead and softball student-athlete Herring to discuss LeadHer, the Governors’ comprehensive initiative to invest in women's athletics. The trio talk about LeadHer’s goals, what projects are on the horizon for the program, the initiative’s fundraising component, the impact of making connections with female leaders in the Clarksville community and more. The full conversation is now available on Connect. (link)
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Sportico’s analysis of 63 public FBS schools shows budgets have “expanded along with rising inflation, in some cases exceeding the inflation rate.” Additionally: “Topline athletics expenses among this cohort increased 7.3% in 2021-22 compared to 2018-19, with the average program upping its spending from $86.4M in 2018-19 to $92.7M in 2021-22. Generated revenue—which Sportico calculates by removing line items such as student fees and transfers from the institution—grew at a similar rate, from $74.2M in the last pre-COVID season to $80.6M in 2021-22 (an 8.5% jump).” Meanwhile, total pay for FB coaches has increased by 18.2% since before the pandemic while non-FB coaches’ pay is up 12.6%. FB coaches’ compensation and bonuses specifically from bowl games are up 37% on average, more than any other category reported. Severance payments, Novy-Williams, et al. also report, are up 31.6%. More. (link)
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Minnesota State Senator Miller (R-Winona) will introduce the Minnesota Sports Betting Act to legalize sports gambling in the state. The bill would allow Minnesota’s 11 tribes to provide sports betting on-site; provide each of Minnesota’s professional sports teams with the option to offer sports betting on-site at their stadium or arena; allow each tribe to acquire one primary mobile license and one partnership mobile license; allow major sporting events, such as the Super Bowl, PGA events, the Big Ten championship and others the opportunity to obtain temporary on-site licensing; and divide revenue as follows: 25% for tax relief for charities, 25% for mental health and problem gambling support, 25% for major sporting events, and 25% for grants to support youth sports throughout the state. (link)
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Varsity Brands has agreed to settle one of the three federal antitrust lawsuits that have been filed against the cheerleading company, Sportico’s Libit reports. The lawsuit accused Varsity and the U.S. All Star Federation, a Varsity-created governing body, of colluding on an “exclusionary scheme” that stifled competition and violated the Sherman Antitrust Act. Attorneys for Varsity informed the judge they are in the process of preparing a settlement agreement they will submit to the court. Varsity President Seely indicated that the decision to reach a settlement was motivated, in part, by the “momentum” that arose from the USOPC’s recognition of USA Cheer, the Varsity-backed national governing body, as well as the NCAA’s decision to grant STUNT emerging status at the DII level. (link)
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Also Noticed…
+ Saturday’s Kansas-Kentucky MBB game garnered 1.9M viewers, making it the second-most watched game across ESPN platforms this season. The Texas-Tennessee matchup drew 1.3M viewers, and the Arkansas-Baylor contest delivered 1.2M. (link)
+ With seven players apiece, Florida and Oklahoma have the highest number of former student-athletes in Super Bowl LVII, followed by Florida State (6) and Georgia, Michigan, Mississippi State and Nebraska (4). (link)
+ Syracuse has added Connecticut to its 2024 FB schedule, though a location has yet to be announced. (link)
+ ChatGPT creator OpenAI has released a free web-based tool designed to detect whether text was written by a human or a machine. OpenAI cautions the tool is imperfect and notes performance varies based on how similar the text being analyzed is to the types of writing on which OpenAI’s tool was trained. OpenAI also says it is looking into other approaches to help people distinguish AI-generated text, such as including watermarks in works produced by its AI systems. (link)
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Yesterday's Evening Standard... |
The NCAA is targeting the 2024-25 season when it comes to implementing any tournament expansion to 25% of DI, per D1.ticker/Connect’s Fischer, who reports a final decision by various sports committees is expected next January. Fischer also notes this timeline “aligns with the start of a new media deal for all non-MBB NCAA championships. While there is lots of focus on MBBT expanding, things are still lukewarm on that front. For other sports, it's different. The NCAA has also started the process of hiring a media consultant to help sell/package these new rights going to the market after the current ESPN deal is up. … One thing to keep in mind with regards to NCAA MBB Tournament expansion and why things are lukewarm beyond the sporting front: Turner pays 70% of the Men's March Madness contract. They are focused on costs right now and have a new NBA rights deal approaching in 2025.” (link, link)
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Outgoing Big Ten Commissioner Warren and other conference leaders will spend the next three days in Los Angeles to meet with officials from USC and UCLA to “listen, learn and collaborate on a variety of topics. The conference remains committed to assessing every area of integration to best serve our 14 (soon to be 16) world-class academic and athletic member institutions with more than 10,000 student-athletes.” (link)
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As the Pac-12 continues to sort out its media rights situation, The Mercury News’ Wilner observes that while the Big Ten set a “valuation North Star” for negotiations, the Big 12, by prioritizing “security over cash… undercut the Pac-12’s negotiating position.” Wilner: “ESPN, Fox, Amazon and the other media companies with varying degrees of interest in partnering with the Pac-12 could use the Big 12’s deal as the relevant comparison, thereby driving down the price.” Wilner goes on to submit it was unrealistic to expect the Pac-12 to finalize a deal in the early-to-mid fall, and he acknowledges Commissioner Kliavkoff was left with little choice but to wait as the UC Board of Regents considered UCLA’s fate. Now, however, as the process drags on, Wilner posits that “waiting creates a void, a standing invitation for the unknown to alter the trajectory of the negotiations and the future of the conference. Perhaps the marketplace will shift in favor of higher valuations… Or, maybe the economy will deteriorate. Maybe current bidders will grow weary of the Pac-12’s stance and either reduce their offers substantially or walk away altogether.” Either way, Wilner asserts the “market is set. … We expect the process to conclude by the middle of March. If that window comes and goes with no deal imminent, our outlook will take a turn for the worse.” (link)
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Southern AD Banks joins The Carlos Brown Show to discuss an array of topics, starting with what he views as one of the department’s weaknesses. Banks identifies technology as an area where the Jaguars could improve, particularly when it applies to ticketing. “I think this is one area of technology that lends you to do that. But when you start talking about that, then you start your internet access on campus, your bandwidth and all those things, and that goes under technology that needs to be addressed so it can be successful. You can have mobile tickets on your phone, but if you walk up to a game at homecoming and it’s packed and we don’t have the bandwidth and we can’t scan your tickets, then what good does that do for you and what good does that do for me when we get audited by the state and we don’t have those records.” Banks says the athletic department has had the money to implement mobile ticketing for three years “but to implement that is not on the athletic department totally.” He explains there’s still a process that involves IT, purchasing and university leadership, “and that bureaucracy can get tied up for a long period of time.” When it comes to facilities upgrades, Banks says funding continues to be an issue. “People asking about facility upgrades, then I ask them simply to be a season ticket holder and invest because the state doesn’t give us any dollars for athletic improvement.” Banks also believes the SWAC’s media rights deal will eventually result in the members getting checks upwards of $1M. Lots more in the full conversation. (link)
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Development Wins…
+ Providence gets its largest gift in history for a women’s program as Chicago Blackhawks owner Wirtz - whose daughter played Field Hockey for the Friars - has donated $1M to “establishes the Wirtz Family Fund for PC Field Hockey, which will support the team with travel, game costs, recruiting, professional development, supplies, summer tuition, and coaches' salaries, among other uses. It also establishes the Wirtz Family Scholarship Fund, which, as part of the college's permanent endowment, will enhance the scholarship allotment for the field hockey program in compliance with NCAA regulations.” (link)
+ ECU has received a leadership gift from the Minges family to support the Pirates Unite Campaign for Comprehensive Excellence. The Pirates have so far raised $15M of the campaign’s $60M goal. (link) |
Deals, Deals, Deals…
+ UTSA taps Playfly Sports to serve as the Roadrunners’ multimedia rights holder and sponsorship sales arm, effective September 1, 2023, in a deal assisted by LEONA. (link)
+ REVELxp has acquired Tailgate Express, a full-service tailgate solutions provider based in Lubbock, which has partnerships with Texas Tech, Houston, SMU and Abilene Christian. (link)
+ Wake Forest announces a new partnership with ASM Global, which will take over management and operation of Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Deacs AD Currie: “We are confident that their entertainment industry connections and reputation will help expand both the quantity and variety of concerts and special events to better serve the citizens of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County while attracting visitors from all over the region and country." (link)
+ Wichita State inks a multiyear agreement with Taymar Sales U. (link) |
Alabama operated at an $18.5M surplus during FY22 on revenues of $214.37M and expenses of $195.88M. The record revenue figure far surpasses the previous high of $189.3M set in FY20. The Crimson Tide FB program accounted for $130.87M of the department’s revenue against expenses of $78.5M for a surplus of $52.35M. Meanwhile, the MBB program brought in $8.15M in profit with revenue of $19.05M and expenses of $10.9M. Philanthropic contributions increased from $34.81M in 2021 to $52.33M in 2022. (link)
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A year after the launch of Hogs+, Arkansas WBB HC Neighbors tells the Wall Street Journal’s Higgins he’s noticed his players being recognized around campus more often, game attendance is higher and local businesses are expressing more interest in signing the student-athletes to NIL deals. “I’ll be out with our players and fans will say, ‘Hey, there’s that girl from Oklahoma.’ They don’t say what number she is or how she plays, they talk about their stuff that was only on Hogs+. That’s never happened before.” Higgins subsequently observes: “College sports are in an era in which every recruiting visit includes a photo shoot for social media and athletic departments employ graphic designers and hold weekly meetings to brainstorm memes. Hogs+ now gives Arkansas a home for new content it creates and the hope of generating new revenue.” Sport & Story, on whose platform Hogs+ runs, says Arkansas’ streamer, along with the streaming platforms at Oklahoma State, Mississippi State, LSU and South Carolina, have garnered 350K subscribers in the last 17 months. Meanwhile, Arkansas Assoc. AD for Communications Parkinson tells Higgins the vast majority of subscribers are under the age of 40 and hadn’t previously engaged with the Razorbacks’ fundraising efforts. “That kind of blew us away, because we anticipated it being a lot of preaching to the choir. The overwhelming majority was people we had no information on.” (link)
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Coaches Wire… + North Carolina has named recent student-athlete Matson, the most decorated player in UNC history, as its next Field Hockey HC. Matson is 22 years old. (link) + UMBC Men’s Soccer HC Caringi announces his retirement, effective April 1, capping a 32-year career leading the Retrievers. (link)
+ Rider Field Hockey HC Hussong announces her retirement after 23 years with the Broncs. (link)
+ Central Michigan FB HC McElwain has agreed to a contract extension, per FootballScoop’s Samuels, though the details have yet to be specified. (link)
+ Wisconsin will pay former DC/Interim HC Leonhard up to $1M in installments between March 2023 and January 2024. (link) |
The Swarm Collective (Iowa) CEO Heinrichs last week remarked that the Heels4Life (North Carolina) collective was able to raise money to keep Tar Heels QB Maye from leaving with the help of the athletic department: “I talk to other leaders of collectives across the country and for example, I talked to the leader of the North Carolina collective. And I said, ‘You know, how is it going?’ And he says, ‘It’s going great.’ North Carolina has a quarterback that was looking at leaving and they — the athletic department — gave the head of the collective the donor list, the season ticket holder list and then also issued a statement saying, ‘Give to the NIL program. You know, call to arms. We need your help.’” Heels4Life CEO Boone tells On3’s Wittry: “What I can say is that our university and our boosters club, the Rams Club, have been tremendous partners in helping us identify the donors who have always been such a benefit to Carolina and helping us establish a kind of unified sense of trust with them that we’re all working on Carolina sports together and that NIL is a new form of that.” Boone did also explain that the collective hasn’t asked for, or received, specific lists of season ticket holders from the athletic department. (link)
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WorkLife’s Pickup outlines the case for “re-recruiting” current employees in 2023, citing the results from Microsoft’s global hybrid work survey, which found that two-thirds of employees would stay longer at their companies if it were easier to switch jobs internally. “Additionally, 76% of respondents would remain with their employer if they could benefit more from learning-and-development support... Without chances to develop, 68% of business decision-makers would not hang around. Worryingly, 55% of all employees reckoned the best way for them to learn or enhance skills would be to change employers.” Microsoft Product Marketing Leader Leigh-Bowler: “It’s a powerful message. There is a clear connection between learning and retention; if you prioritize learning and development support, employees will be more likely to stay with your company.” Stack Overflow CEO Chandrasekar adds: “The current macroeconomic climate, along with the pressing need for continued tech transformation, will serve as a forcing function that resets organizations’ approach to upskilling and skills development. Plus, it’s no longer possible to poach technical talent with high salaries.” Lots more. (link)
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Quick Hitters… + It’s gonna be a different vibe in Troy over the next few days. Check out the LA Coliseum’s NASCAR setup for this weekend’s race. (link)
+ Michigan State DB Crump has been sentenced to 12 months probation and 80 hours of community service for his role in the brouhaha inside the Michigan Stadium tunnel last year. Crump was originally charged with felony assault but pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges. (link) + Nevada sportsbooks brought in $8.7B in bets during 2022, and Action Network’s Rovell reports the bookmakers had a win rate of 5.12% ($446.7M). (link) |
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Interested in advertising a job opening in D1.ticker? Click here to submit your position. To view more recent job openings by discipline, click on the corresponding button below...
(NEW!) Executive Sr. Assoc. AD - Ethics, Compliance & Scholar-Athlete Success (UC San Diego / San Diego, CA): This is a vital position ensuring that UC San Diego maintains full compliance with NCAA rules and regulations relating to institutional control and eligibility, student eligibility. More details HERE.
(NEW!) Associate Athletic Director/Chief Financial Officer - (2300002K) (Towson University / Towson, MD): This position is responsible for all fiscal activities of the NCAA Division I Athletic Department, including budget planning, formulation, management, forecasting, and resource allocation. More details HERE.
(NEW!) Assistant Athletic Director - Compliance (Rutgers The State University of New Jersey / Piscataway, NJ): Supervise all aspects associated with Bylaw(s) 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, and 20 for a subset of sports, one of which will be the Football program, and liaison groups. More details HERE.
(NEW!) Assistant AD for Compliance (Virginia Commonwealth University / Richmond, VA): The Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance’s chief purpose is to manage and provide oversight of the VCU Athletics day-to-day compliance operations. More details HERE.
(NEW!) Senior Director of Development, Leadership Giving (University of California, Berkeley / Berkeley, CA): Responsible for developing and managing the Athletic Department’s relationships with its valued supporters and must ensure these relationships are nurtured and maintained. JOB ID 48321. More details HERE.
(NEW!) Director of Development (University of Maryland / College Park, MD): Reporting to the Associate Athletic Director for Major Gifts, the Director of Development is responsible for discovering, cultivating, soliciting, and closing major gifts. More details HERE.
(NEW!) Assistant Director of Business Operations (University of Utah / Salt Lake City, UT): The University of Utah is seeking applicants for the Assistant Director of Business Operations position to manage a variety of day-to-day business and finance duties for the Athletics Department. More details HERE.
(NEW!) Development Assistant (Ole Miss Athletics Foundation / Oxford, MS): The Development Assistant is a member of the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation staff and charged with the identification and solicitation of gifts primarily through the Annual Fund. More details HERE.
(NEW!) Graduate Assistant - Facilities & Events (Two Openings) (Kansas Athletics, Inc. / Lawrence, KS): Kansas Athletics Inc. has two open Graduate Assistant positions. Both positions will assist with event operations as well as facility maintenance. More details HERE.
(NEW!) Assistant Coach- Women's Soccer (University of South Florida / Tampa, FL): Assists the head coach with recruiting of players, structuring the academic environment, travel, and equipment inventory and maintenance. More details HERE.
(NEW!) Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach (University of North Alabama / Florence, AL): UNA is accepting applications for Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach. Responsible for assisting with programs for the University's 14 NCAA D1 sports teams. More details HERE. |
Job openings by discipline, posted in the past 30 days... |
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