Interested in advertising a department opening in D2.ticker? Post your department-wide openings on CollegeSports.jobs for inclusion in any of our College.town publications, where tens of thousands of administrators and coaches get news and updates about the industry. Want unlimited job-postings for one year? Learn more about all job posting options HERE or contact jobs@wearecollegetown.com

D2 Jobs on CollegeSports.jobs... New opportunities at Adams State, Fort Hays State (x2), Missouri Southern State and Rockhurst, below. Post your department-wide openings with CollegeSports.jobs, where thousands of administrators start their days and where tens of thousands of coaches get news and updates about their respective sports. Want unlimited job-postings for a year? Learn more about all job posting options HERE or contact jobs@wearecollegetown.com

Tuskegee promotes AD Reginald Ruffin to VP/AD. President/CEO Mark Brown: “Reginald Ruffin is the rare combination of leader who can motivate the people around him not only because he knows the Xs and Os it takes to win but because he knows how to inspire others to find within themselves what it takes to win. I am so pleased that he will assume this expanded role to build on Tuskegee’s legacy of student-athlete excellence, motivate our students to develop as critical-thinkers and leaders on and off the field, and represent the university in our efforts to attract the best and the brightest to all of our auxiliary units to become Tuskegee University Golden Tigers.” (link)

Facing a Nov. 21 deadline for two-thirds of Division I member schools to submit paperwork in order to rescind a proposed rule change allowing college athletes and staff to bet on professional sports, a source tells CNN’s Dana O’Neil: “As of right now, we are not meeting that threshold.” If the needed 241 (out of 361) DI schools do not respond, the change will go into effect on November 22. (link)

Virginia Union AD Joe Taylor chats with the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s John O’Connor about the Panthers’ Football program as they look to become one of the few CIAA programs to win three straight conference titles. On the culture within the program under HC Alvin Parker: “Once you build a winning culture, you’re really going to keep yourself in position because like I tell people, ‘I’ve never gone to a Kentucky Derby and seen a donkey.’ You’ve got to have some horses to be in contention. And I think what coach Parker has done here in terms of building that culture, now the recruiting is a little bit — I’m not going to say ‘easier,’ but Virginia Union now is on national notice that this is a winning culture.” Understanding that other programs may look to hire Taylor after this season, Taylor shares what he tells his coaches during his “stay interviews”: “All that glitters is not gold and even though the grass might look greener, you’ve still got to mow it. […] If you do have a problem with winning, (Parker’s) résumé states that he can solve it. But I always tell him, ‘Look at the situation. It could be graveyard.’ Because if it does not have the resources and they’re not really willing to back the program … Just really look at it. Certainly he’s earned the opportunity to kind of look around ... (but) to always be rebuilding, you can get older a lot quicker.” (link)

Winston-Salem State Chancellor Bonita Brown and Interim AD Eric Burns spoke with supporters and alumni earlier this week about the Rams’ Football HC search. Burns on the timing: “There is an urgency. We’re up against not only the transfer portal, but we’re up against other schools who will be discontinuing their coach who’s also going to be searching with us at the same time. So it’s important that we move swiftly.” What is WSSU looking for in its next HC? Brown: “I want someone that’s good with students. Someone that sets high standards for football, for behavior and classroom work because they are students first. I also like someone who could be a fundraiser. We’re going to have to raise some money.” Burns adds: “Recruiting is the lifeline of any successful program. We want someone with a clear vision that’s not using this as a springboard. We want someone that’s really wanting to be bought into what WSSU has to offer.” As for the current state of the program, the Rams currently fund 32 FB scholarships and are pushing to raise $180K to add four more scholarships to reach the DII maximum. More from HBCU Gameday. (link)

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken has overruled objections from 2025-26 House settlement class members to the settlement’s injunctive relief portion. Wilken writes the objections, which largely centered around Title IX, were already addressed and left open the door for future Title IX litigation on revenue sharing. Sportico’s Michael McCann adds: “Wilken wrote she can't edit a settlement—it's a contract between parties—and to the extent Title IX claims are pursued, they should be brought against individual schools, including those that share most of the revenue with male athletes. I expect we'll see many Title IX lawsuits on that front. Keep in mind, this ruling is only at the district court (trial) level. Over the next year or so, the Ninth Circuit will review these and other arguments as the settlement is challenged at the appellate level.” Full opinion text. (link, link) 

The NCAA DI Board of Directors sent a memo to member schools Thursday regarding eligibility standards. From the memo: “While the rules provide opportunities for institutions to seek limited waivers of these [eligibility] rules in extraordinary circumstances, these waiver requests need to be filed in good faith for the system to work as intended. The eligibility rules are applied fairly and consistently, a commitment that must continue. … The trend of more than 70 student-athletes rushing to the courthouse to seek injunctive relief against eligibility rules is troubling as it concerns stability and predictability for member institutions and future student-athletes. … Coaches and other athletics department officials who encourage these lawsuits, and even support them on the premise that it is to benefit only one student-athlete, are undermining the very rules their schools have voted to approve and abide by, and are depriving future student-athletes of meaningful opportunities to compete. The Division I Board will explore fair ways to hold accountable institutions electing to not follow the rules that they have supported.” More. (link)   

Deal Digest…
➤ The PSAC inks a conference-wide deal with Teamworks to help members streamline its compliance and recruiting efforts. (link)
➤ The CACC partners with Women Leaders in Sports as an enterprise member. (link) 

Football Files…
➤ Pittsburg State and West Alabama have signed a home-and-home deal that will see the two square off in Livingston in 2026 and Pittsburg in 2027. (link)
➤ Savannah State Football HC Aaron Kelton resigns after four years leading the Tigers. (link)
➤ Millersville will work with Parker Executive Search on its Football HC search. (link)

Auburn-Montgomery parts ways with Men’s Basketball HC Michael Cheaney after 11 seasons, effective immediately. AC Joe Brooks will serve as Interim HC. (link, link)

Coaches.wire…
➤ Erskine taps Women’s Soccer AC Cheyenne Fuller as its Women’s Flag Football HC and names Deputy AD Drew Wallace as Director of Flag Football. (link)
➤ West Liberty promotes Track & Field AC Michael Trax to HC. (link)
➤ Baseball leads the way with the most coaching staff changes of any sport over the past few days. Check out the full list across all collegiate sports in this morning’s edition of Coaches.wire. (link)

The latest edition of CRO.ticker hit inboxes this morning and features a look at how a new guard of private equity giants are moving aggressively into European soccer finance as traditional banks shy away from reputational risk, AI’s impact on the CFO-CIO relationship, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ new in-game seat-upgrade marketplace college football secondary market ticket pricing for Week 12 and lots more. Check it out. (link)

More Higher Ed…
➤ Alaska President Pat Pitney will retire this spring after the May board of regents meeting. The university is contracting with WittKieffer to help select Pitney’s successor. (link)
➤ Columbus State, Texas A&M-Kingsville and aspiring DII Texas A&M-Texarkana have signed letters of intent to be a part of the initial cohort of schools accredited by the new Commission for Public Higher Education. All three are currently accredited by SACSCOC. (link)
➤ Slippery Rock receives a record $5M donation from Rhonda and Elliott Haverlack to rename the College of Business. (link)