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D1.jobs... New opportunities at Baylor, Brown, East Tennessee State, Florida, Minnesota, North Texas, Northeastern, Ohio State, UC San Diego & Washington State, below. 690 different schools, conferences and companies have posted their openings with D1.jobs. Click HERE to post your openings for tens of thousands of administrators to see.
D1.dossiers... The D1.dossier for the AD opening at Long Beach State is available for those interested in living on the West Coast. $249 for an entire year of subscription and access to all dossiers. South Carolina State is up next & will be ready by Friday. (link)
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LifeWallet CEO/prominent Miami (FL) supporter Ruiz says he plans to sue the NCAA within the next 10 business days. “The main gist of it is I’m not a booster. Therefore, the categorization of me as a booster is legally incorrect. There has already been an agreement in place. I think the university could petition them back to shorten the probation period.” On3’s Nakos: “The NCAA did not respond to a request for comment. A law expert told On3 the case would not fall under defamation but could call for a declaratory judgment, which resolves legal uncertainty between two parties. It is typically sought in the insurance realm.” Nakos also reports Ruiz will argue that he is not a Canes booster because his company struck deals with athletes. Furthermore, if the NCAA views him as a Hurricanes booster, Ruiz wonders how it would classify him if he approached athletes at Florida, Florida State, Georgia and Alabama with NIL deals. More from Nakos. (link)
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NCAA President Baker met with U.S. Congresswoman Trahan (D-MA) yesterday. Trahan: “My volleyball scholarship allowed me to be the first in my family to graduate from college. Today, I met with [Baker] in his new role as NCAA President to discuss how we can make college athletics work for those who matter most – athletes.” (link)
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Big 12 Commissioner Yormark took to the mic ahead of this week’s MBB tournament and emphasized that getting a media rights deal done early was “critical,” adding: “We live in such an unpredictable world and it was important to have some clarity and stabilize the conference. We’re in a very different place than we were three, four months ago. … In our new deal, Fox becomes a player in basketball. That just gives us another shot in the arm as it relates to more exposure, more marketing for our members." Yormark also says the league is focused on expansion and is exploring every possibility but notes any additions must be a “good cultural fit first and foremost. Obviously we look at geography. We want to be a truly national conference from a brand perspective and geographic footprint. … I like Gonzaga. Obviously a great program. My focus right now is to see what happens throughout our industry. There's a lot of moving parts. I continue to have conversations with Gonzaga." More. (link)
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As the Pac-12’s media rights negotiations continue behind closed doors, The Mercury News’ Wilner points out the league’s revenue stream through its partnership with data technology firm Tempus Ex Machina remains intact and “should not be ignored as a potential source of cash.” To figure out how the agreement might factor into media rights negotiations, Wilner talks with former ESPN EVP for Digital and Print Media Kosner, who explains this “type of data feed has value to basketball and football operations staffs, as well as conferences, betting companies, TV broadcasters and in-venue operations. These rights command escalating seven-figure annual sums – helpful but not game-changing.” Kosner believes the late national window for the Pac-12 will become increasingly valuable, calling it a “key differentiator,” especially as more and more states legalize sports betting and move to mobile betting.” Overall, Kosner estimates the impact of betting into the near future is a less than 10% factor. The “wild card here is in-play betting, which I believe will develop during the second half of this decade. That could be a game-changer for media rights, especially in light of cable’s demise and streaming’s ascendancy.” (link)
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Leadership & Ledgers…
+ Per CollegeAD, freshly minted Louisiana-Monroe AD Hartwell’s contract is for five years with a base salary of $150K for the first two years. Beginning with the third year, Hartwell’s base pay increases to $250K, and he will also receive $100K annually from the ULM Athletic Foundation, which will pay him $50K for meeting performance goals. Additionally, he will receive $9K in discretionary funds each year to use in the execution of his duties as AD. Should ULM let Hartwell go without cause, he would receive the lesser of the remainder of his base salary for the fiscal year or six months of base salary. The same structure applies if Hartwell leaves for the AD post at another institution. (link)
+ Texas Tech MBB HC Adams has stepped down. According to a release from the school, Red Raiders AD Hocutt determined that the racially insensitive comment that Adams made was “unintentional and an isolated incident,” after which Adams “immediately apologized to the team.” Stadium’s Goodman: “A significant number of the Texas Tech returning players had told the administration that they would not return if Mark Adams was the coach next season.” (link, link)
+ Kentucky MBB HC Calipari is the top earner among HCs at public institutions, according to USA Today’s recently published database, which reports Cal earns more than $8.5M per year with a buyout of $41.34M. Kansas HC Self is next at $5.96M, followed by Michigan State HC Izzo ($5.73M), Tennessee HC Barnes ($5.45M) and Auburn HC Pearl ($5.44M). Aside from Calipari’s, buyouts among the top-five coaches range from $5.4M (Self) to $23.8M (Barnes). Full list. (link)
+ Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Southland Conference championship and resultant NCAA berth earn MBB HC Lutz a $7,500 bonus, per USA Today’s Berkowitz, who tabs Lutz’s total at $20,750 for the season. (link) + Florida A&M names former standout NFL WR Ocho Cinco as Ambassador and Consultant. (link) |
Louisville AD Heird weighs in on the discussions about differential revenue distributions within the ACC, telling LEO Weekly’s Sullivan: “I would like to see a revenue model that rewards performance in every sport. Now, they’re not going to be weighted the same, but I absolutely think if you have the best cross country team in the country that you should be rewarded in some form or fashion for that. If that’s the road we’re going to go down, let’s go down it wholeheartedly with every sport.” Heird goes on to submit that “money buys a lot of things, but it doesn’t always buy wins and losses. And as long as we have the revenue we need to take care of our programs, then I think the ACC is going to be fine.” (link)
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Ad inventory for the NCAA MBB tournament is all but sold out, according to CBS Sports Sales EVP Bogusz and Warner Bros. Discovery EVP of Advertising Sales Diament. According to Sportico’s Crupi, Bogusz “confirmed that the first two rounds of the tourney have been just about picked clean, while a few units remain in the Sweet 16 telecasts. From there on in, CBS and WBD are effectively out-of-sale, although accommodations may be made for advertisers who are looking to add a few more units to their existing buys in the Final Four and championship game.” Bogusz also noted a fixed percentage of inventory is being held back as a hedge against having to make clients whole in the event the ratings don’t match the agreed-upon guarantees. “It seems this year that anyone can beat anyone, and in terms of who advances it may not be the blue bloods. So, depending on what happens with our ratings performance, we have to make sure everyone [meets their expectations].” (link)
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ACC Network broadcaster Durham joins calls for the ACC and Pac-12 to create an eight-team midseason hoops MTE as a way to generate both revenue and interest. “We can do anything to manipulate the schedule. We back college basketball up earlier in November every year, and we need to stop that because it gets lost in the heyday of football on the collegiate and professional level all the way through the second week of February. So, we need to find ways…to create compelling live events. I don’t see any reason why you can’t sit around a table and get people to understand once every four years you’re going to be involved in an MTE with eight teams…and you could do it around the country to feature the best four teams” in a given league. (link)
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Alabama FB HC Saban tells ESPN’s Smith that NIL “wasn’t supposed to be me going to give a speech to raise money from alumni so we can get enough money in our collective so we can pay players.” Instead, Saban would prefer an NFL-style system where players are employees and sign contracts with a particular team under a salary cap. “Pay the players, and they can become employees, which a lot of people in college -- that’s not what college football or amateur sports are supposed to be -- but I would rather see that than be where we are now, where nobody has a contract, you can leave whenever you want, and we can actually create an institution that can pay you to play for our school. I asked the question then and I’ll ask you now: is that what we want college football to become?” (link)
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DePaul AD Peevy endorses the launch of the Under the L collective, writing in an open letter to fans: “NIL has quickly become crucial to us in providing the best collegiate experience for our 215+ student-athletes across all fifteen of our sports. As the national NIL landscape continues to evolve, we must swiftly adapt to modernized rules, our student-athletes' expectations around NIL, and the reality that our athletics department's success relies heavily on us remaining competitive and forward-thinking in this space.” Peevy does point out that Under the L is a “separate entity and not part of DePaul University, any contributions are not tax-deductible…and any engagement with the collective will not increase or impact donor recognition with the University.” (link)
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The Red and Blue Collective in partnership with SANIL has launched to support the NIL endeavors of Duquesne student-athletes. Dukes AD Harper: “The new reality is that the existence of NIL opportunities is now a critical success factor for sports programs – no different than the importance of facilities, coaching, sports performance programs and academic success programs. While Duquesne student-athletes have received NIL opportunities over the course of the last two years, the need to create a larger, more sustainable NIL program has always been a focus.” (link)
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The Washington-focused Montlake Futures is launching the Women’s Fund, which will focus on creating NIL opportunities for female student-athletes. Montlake Executive Director/GM Armintrout: “UW female student-athletes have much to give when it comes to leveraging their NIL for charitable causes. We created this initiative to help educate our donor base that NIL can have a positive impact in our community, and is an important area of support for women’s sports programs.” (link)
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The Northwestern NIL Store powered by Campus Ink has officially opened. (link) |
Yesterday's Evening Standard... |
Sounds like you can eliminate Illinois AD Whitman from the list of potential candidates interested in becoming the next Big Ten Commissioner: “This is the only job I've ever aspired to have. [...] It's not something I've ever given a lot of thought to. There's a lot of important decisions that person will ultimately help determine. But being here and having a chance to be a part of this program is the most rewarding experience I've ever had in my life. [...] Finding a really sophisticated thinker and strong leader is incredibly important for us. I have all the confidence in the presidents that will do that and look forward to learning who our new leader will be.” (link)
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ACC Commissioner Phillips joins The OG and says of the league’s revenue situation: “I would just say to you we don’t have one area that kind of cures our ills, so to speak. So, this thing has to be four or five areas of emphasis. … I understand where we are compared to others, so we continue to address it.” Phillips also addresses the email that surfaced last week which included the Power 5’s “must-haves” in a congressional NIL solution, saying he was disappointed that it was leaked. “That was a confidential, privileged document.” Phillips acknowledges the NCAA’s track record in litigation is “dismal” and emphasizes the need to be able to operate in a less litigious environment, adding: “We need help from Congress and our elected officials and that’s where we have to come together and provide something on both sides that meets in the middle, somewhere that’s good for college athletics, good for student-athletes, so I look forward to more of those conversations. I’ve spent more time in the political world than I thought in this role…but it’s necessary. College athletics is worth fighting for.” (link)
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JohnCanzano.com hears from a source that yesterday’s Pac-12 CEO Group board meeting was productive. “‘Good progress’ on media deal and the 10 schools ‘remain committed to each other.’” (link) |
The Big East will begin talks about renewing its rights deal with Fox in the coming months, according to Commissioner Ackerman. (link) |
FBS attendance increased 5% to 41,840 fans per game last season, marking the second-highest uptick in history and biggest in 40 years, according to CBS’ Dodd. “Not since 1982, when attendance rose an average of 9,068 per game from 1981, has there been a larger increase. The 2021 season marked the lowest average attendance (39,848) since that same year (1981).” Dodd adds: “Why the 2022 gain is even more impressive: Since 1988, FBS membership has grown 26% from 104 to 131 schools. Those 27 newcomers are typically smaller stadiums that drag the average down.” Also: “Among the Group of Five, the embattled Conference USA had the largest gain up 11.9% to 19,346 per game. … The MAC had the largest decline of any FBS conference, down 18.3% to an FBS-low 14,261 per game.” More. (link)
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Wake Forest AD Currie notes the Deacs recorded “our highest student attendance for a season since 2008-09 (12,643) and almost all of our second semester games featured over 1,000 Screamin' Demons in the stands. Additionally, we averaged nearly 10,000 fans in attendance across our 10 home conference games, which marked the sixth-highest total in the ACC.” (link)
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Iowa has published its DEI action plan, which was finalized in January and published this week. The plan includes five core strategies of education; evaluation and assessment; infrastructure and sustainability; collaboration; and infusion of leadership. The plan also directs UI to create more conversation spaces about “actual cases to use as teachable moments for educating staff and students on inequities and cultural values”; establish DEI accountability in performance evaluations; use internal auditing processes to check for systemic inequalities in things like hiring and promotions; and enhance local and national relationships to foster an “improved presence in targeted diverse communities with our student athletes and coaches,” per The Gazette’s Miller. (link)
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It’s Personnel… + Teall Sports & Entertainment appoints former Big 12 Commissioner Bowlsby to its board of advisors. (link)
+ ESPN Chair Pitaro is “on the small list of executives” to potentially succeed Disney CEO Iger, according to Front Office Sports’ McCarthy. Crakes Media’s namesake tells McCarthy that given Iger’s public commitment to ESPN, Pitaro has to be on the shortlist of potential successors but adds: “That said, I can also see someone with a lot of direct entertainment production experience who has a some track record of managing businesses he doesn’t have direct experience with. Maybe [Pitaro] doesn’t get the gig this time — but maybe the next?” (link)
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Coaches Wire…
+ Legendary Syracuse MBB HC Boeheim will retire & be replaced by Orange AHC Autry. More to come on Boeheim’s remarkable career in tomorrow morning’s D1.ticker. (link)
+ Louisiana-Monroe WBB HC Williams has stepped down, effective immediately. (link)
+ McNeese State has parted ways with MBB HC Aiken, per Stadium’s Goodman, who reports former LSU HC Wade is in the mix to replace him. (link)
+ Army West Point and MBB HC Allen mutually agree to part ways after seven seasons. (link)
+ East Tennessee State Men’s Tennis HC Stiegwardt will step down at the end of the season. (link)
+ UC Santa Barbara Volleyball HC Welch announces her retirement. She will be replaced by Gauchos AHC Jones. (link) |
Alabama MBB student-athlete Miller speaks publicly for the first time about the fatal shooting that occurred in Tuscaloosa earlier this year: “I never lose sight of the fact that a family lost one of their loved ones that night. This whole situation is just really heartbreaking. Respectfully, that's all I'm going to be able to say on that." HC Oats adds: "He's taken this whole situation seriously from Day 1. It's a tough situation for all of us. It's just sad, to be honest with you. I never thought Brandon was flippant with any of it ever." (link)
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Kansas announces “transformation” renovations to Allen Fieldhouse, including reimagined concourses on all three levels, expanded donor space, additional chairback seating, new video boards and a new audio system, among several other features. Jayhawks AD Goff: “There is no arena in sport that provides the tradition and character of the Fieldhouse, and this project will go to great lengths to maintain that, while dramatically enhancing the fan experience.” Check out several renderings via a video tour inside. (link)
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Creighton and the College World Series are requesting $60M in funding from the state of Nebraska to finish a trio of projects, including the construction of a new complex of baseball and softball fields near Charles Schwab Field that would serve as practice fields for CWS teams, home fields for Bluejay baseball and softball teams, and community use. Creighton President Hendrickson remarked to the state’s Legislature’s Appropriations Committee that Creighton will match the $60M dollar-for-dollar if the Legislature fully funds the request. (link)
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In other facility news…how many toilets are in your hoops venue? Ever-excitable Los Angeles Clippers owner Ballmer is pretty jacked about one of the Intuit Dome’s features. “Toilets! 1,160 toilets and urinals! Three times the NBA average! … We do not want people waiting around. We want them back to their d*mn seats.” (link)
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The College Basketball Academy for women will debut this summer, and the revamped College Basketball Academy for men will also return for the first time since 2019. NCAA SVP of Basketball Gavitt: “The goal of these academies is to ensure that prospective student-athletes are informed of the value and overall experience collegiate basketball provides. Educating and engaging high school players, as well as their parents and guardians, about college basketball opportunities is a key goal. We believe the academies' life skills courses will benefit student-athletes as they continue their basketball and academic journeys, while the event also provides coaches with a structured evaluation opportunity." (link)
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Dick’s Sporting Goods is the newest corporate partner for the NCAA, per SBJ’s Smith, who notes the deal brokered by CBS Sports and Warner Bros. Discovery, the “two companies that manage NCAA marketing. That gives the NCAA 14 partners and three corporate champions.” (link)
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Adidas posted a Q4 operating loss of $763 million and will recommend a dividend of 70 euro cents per share at its May 11 annual general meeting, down from 3.30 euros per share in 2021 on the heels of its split with rapper West. Adidas is projecting a full-year operating loss of 700 million euros in 2023, marking its first annual loss for 31 years, and the company says underlying operating profit will be “around break-even level,” reflecting the loss of 1.2B euros in potential sales from unsold Yeezy stock. (link)
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Four Grambling State student-athletes, including three football players and one MBB player, were arrested after allegedly forcing their way into a dorm room and threatening the occupants with a pistol. Per HBCU Sports, a police affidavit indicated that the men “had been looking for someone they suspected had stolen money from them. During the alleged interaction with two unidentified residents, it was reported the group had beaten and later threatened them with a semiautomatic weapon.” The university says it is “currently investigating the matter and we will provide no further comment at this moment.” (link)
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(NEWEST!) Assistant Director of Creative Services (Northeastern University / Boston, MA): This position manages the creative look and feel for the department as the lead graphics designer, provides oversight of the department's visual identity and reinforces brand consistency. More details HERE.
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(NEW!) Assistant Director of Ticket Sales and Annual Giving (Baylor University / Waco, TX): The Assistant Director of Ticket Sales & Annual Giving plays a vital role in outbound sales for all Baylor Athletics ticketed sports, while contributing to fundraising efforts. apptrkr.com/3987678 More details HERE.
(NEW!) Assistant Director of Social Media & Digital Content - Creative Services (University Athletic Association, Inc. at the University of Florida / Gainesville, FL): Assists in leading UAA brand development through social media. Monitors UAA's social media community. Increases customer engagement. Assists assigned athletic programs with brand and voice. More details HERE.
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(NEW!) Head Coach, Volleyball (Brown University Athletics / Providence, RI): Responsible for leading, organizing and developing the varsity women’s volleyball program in support of the mission and core values of Brown Athletics and Recreation. More details HERE.
(NEW!) Head Volleyball Coach (East Tennessee State University / Johnson City, TN): ETSU is looking for a dynamic and driven individual to build on the championship history of its volleyball program. The head coach will develop all aspects of the volleyball program. Please send resume and cover letter directly to Dr. Sander at hankssa@etsu.edu
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