The ACC and commissioner Jim Phillips have agreed to a contract extension, a conference source confirmed to The Athletic. An extension had been in the works between the two parties for at least a few weeks. ESPN first reported the news. Here’s what you need to know:
- Phillips is entering his third year at the helm of the conference after a long run as athletic director at Northwestern. He has served on several influential NCAA committees, including the NCAA Board of Directors, Board of Governors and Division I Men’s Basketball Selection Committee.
- The ACC’s current grant of rights contract ties its members together through 2035-36, but recent discussions over how to generate additional revenue or divide it differently among ACC schools have left the conference focused increasingly on its future.
- Phillips was tabbed to replace John Swofford atop the ACC during a period of significant turnover among Power 5 commissioners; the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big 12 also introduced new leaders between 2020 and 2022. The SEC’s Greg Sankey is the longest-tenured P5 commissioner, having held the role since June 2015.
What it means for the Big Ten
The news of Phillips’ extension is quite notable from a timing standpoint. The Big Ten is in the final stages of its search for a new commissioner, with finalist interviews ongoing and a potential announcement coming as soon as this week.
Four years ago, many in the conference and the industry at large expected the Big Ten to make Phillips, then Northwestern’s long-tenured athletic director, its commissioner to succeed Jim Delany. Instead, the Big Ten presidents and chancellors hired Kevin Warren from the Minnesota Vikings.
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Though there had been a great deal of speculation about Phillips and the current Big Ten vacancy, sources in both the Big Ten and ACC had, over the past few months, been pushing back on the suggestion for numerous reasons. There were practical contractual concerns as well as questions about Phillips’ comfort level in a rapidly changing environment that may result in athletes and colleges in an employee-employer relationship.
All eyes now turn back to Rosemont, Ill., as the Big Ten winds down its search. Will the league hire someone with a more traditional college sports background this time? Or will it pluck a leader from the professional ranks again? The rest of college sports anxiously awaits the answer.
(Photo: Grant Halverson / Getty Images)
