D1.ticker Top Ten - The most clicked stories of the past year |
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“2025 was a banner year for CSA. Thank you to our partners and friends for another successful year!" |
#10: Hawaii has named former UCLA Chief Strategy Officer Matt Elliott as its next AD. UH President Wendy Hensel: "I'm excited to welcome Matt, with his extensive experience in Division I athletics and strong roots in Hawaiʻi, to the UH 'ohana. Our student-athletes, coaches, staff and dedicated fans will find Matt to be an exceptional leader with the passion and expertise to elevate UH athletics and guide us through the complex challenges facing collegiate sports today." Elliott: "I am committed to leading a program that reflects the pride and excellence of our local community. It will be a privilege to partner with our student-athletes, coaches and fans to chart an ambitious and unified path forward." Elliott’s appointment is subject to approval by the UH Board of Regents at a special meeting slated for June 16. If approved, Elliott is scheduled to begin his appointment no later than July 1, with a base salary of $425,004 and additional performance-based incentives. Elliott has spent the last two years as Senior Director of Policy and Public Affairs at the Hawaii Community Foundation. Spectrum News' Brian McInnis reported the news first. (link, link); According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Stephen Tsai, Elliott was one of three finalists. The others were George Killebrew, CRO of the United Pickleball Association and former EVP/CRO for the Dallas Mavericks, and UC Riverside AD Wesley Mallette. (link)
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#9: Yahoo's Ross Dellenger reports the Big Ten is working on a plan to move forward with the $2.4B private capital deal with UC Investments, with or without Michigan and USC. Dellenger: “If they don’t agree to the deal, the schools may lose the additional capital as part of the landmark proposal and risk their future within the conference beyond 2036, the current end of the existing grant-of-rights agreement. League officials are socializing a specific date — Nov. 21 — for a vote on the capital investment proposal. Administrators and board members at both Michigan and USC were informed earlier this week that, if a 16-school agreement is reached, the two programs would be granted a grace period — three to six months — to agree to join the deal if they wish to reap the full financial benefits. That period is only a proposal for now.” The Big Ten, via a statement, tells Dellenger that “no such vote is scheduled.” Dellenger notes the proposed deal has received pushback from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni and USC, who would receive an uneven revenue distribution and have expressed concern over the governance of Big Ten Enterprises. More including payouts per member. (link)
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#8: House plaintiffs attorneys and NCAA and Power conference officials have reached an agreement to allow NIL collective deals to be treated in a similar fashion as other third-party deals, per Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger, who adds: “The resolution creates what administrators term more of a ‘soft cap’ as opposed to a hard cap, as SEC commissioner Greg Sankey described it last week in an interview with Yahoo Sports. The expectation is that collectives will create legal ways to provide additional compensation, as Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti described in an interview with Yahoo Sports. […] The change also, at least for now, prevents a legal challenge from leaders of a group of NIL collectives who began drafting a lawsuit against the CSC’s approach.” More: “The resolution may not completely end what will likely be continuous negotiations over particular enforcement rules between the power leagues controlling the CSC and the House plaintiff attorneys, who hold authority and veto powers over various aspects of the settlement. […] The guidance change may also not prevent future legal challenges over other enforcement aspects, including Deloitte’s compensation range concept or the appeals arbitration system that athletes can use for deals denied a second time.” (link)
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#7: President Donald Trump has signed the “Saving College Sports” executive order, which “requires the preservation and, where possible, expansion of opportunities for scholarships and collegiate athletic competition in women’s and non-revenue sports; prohibits third-party, pay-for-play payments to collegiate athletes. This does not apply to legitimate, fair-market-value compensation that a third party provides to an athlete, such as for a brand endorsement; provides that any revenue-sharing permitted between universities and collegiate athletes should be implemented in a manner that protects women’s and non-revenue sports; directs the Secretary of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board to clarify the status of student-athletes in order to preserve non-revenue sports and the irreplaceable educational and developmental opportunities that college sports provide; directs the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission to take appropriate actions to protect student-athletes’ rights and safeguard the long-term stability of college athletics from endless, debilitating antitrust and other legal challenges; and directs the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and the Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison to consult with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams and other organizations to protect the role of college athletics in developing world-class American athletes.” (link); Full text. (link)
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#6: SMU AD Rick Hart announces this will be his last academic year leading the Mustangs, though he will remain in his position until a new leader is identified and on campus. Hart: "It is with tremendous pride, heartfelt love, and yes, mixed emotions, that I share I have made the decision that this academic year will be my last at SMU. After the honor of leading the Department of Athletics for thirteen years, it is time for a new challenge for me and for a new voice to lead the Mustangs, allowing President-Elect Hartzell to move forward with his own vision and leader as SMU moves forward in this new landscape of collegiate athletics." ESPN's Pete Thamel was one of the first to report the news. (link, link)
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#5: Stanford officially announces AD Bernard Muir will step down, and Muir says it “has been my honor to serve as the Director of Athletics at Stanford. I am forever proud of the history we made and protected, the long list of championships and champions, and the focus we applied to connecting those committed to this university to the greatest good for the Cardinal. My experience at Stanford will forever hold its significant place on my treasured journey in collegiate sports. I now look forward to the next compelling challenge and to making the next important contribution.” ESPN's Pete Thamel broke the news. (link, link)
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#4: New Mexico State has parted ways with AD Mario Moccia and appointed Deputy AD for Strategic Initiatives and Leadership/SWA Amber Burdge as Acting AD, effective immediately. President Valerio Ferme, who took over on January 1: “After carefully reviewing the recent report issued by the New Mexico Department of Justice, I felt we needed a fresh start in our athletics program. I have utter confidence in Dr. Burdge’s ability to lead our Athletic Department, and look forward to working with her in the coming months.” The Las Cruces Sun-News' Jason Groves reported the news first. (link, link)
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#3: Washington State has parted ways with AD Anne McCoy. WSU President Elizabeth Cantwell in a statement: “Anne has provided steady leadership through one of the most complex and pivotal periods in the history of Cougar Athletics. She built a strong foundation for the program’s future grounded in integrity, academic success, and care for our student-athletes. We are deeply grateful for Anne’s decades of service and her unwavering commitment to Washington State University.” The Seattle Times' Percy Allen was among the first to report the news. (link, link)
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#2: U.S District Court Judge Claudia Wilken has approved the House Settlement. Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger has all the details including, “Power conference leaders are targeting a Major League Baseball executive to manage the College Sports Commission as CEO, multiple sources tell Yahoo Sports. Bryan Seeley, a former assistant U.S. attorney who has served for more than a decade as MLB’s vice president of investigations and deputy general counsel, is believed to be the preferred candidate for the CEO role of college sports’ new enforcement entity.” (link); Here’s the full settlement opinion by U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken. (link)
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#1: The NCAA Committee on Infractions released its decision in the Michigan Football sign-stealing case. Penalties: four years of probation, financial penalties that include a $50K fine, plus 10% of the football program’s budget, a fine equivalent to the anticipated loss of all postseason competition revenue sharing associated with the 2025 and 2026 football seasons, a fine equivalent to the cost of 10% of the scholarships awarded in Michigan's football program for the 2025-26 academic year, a 25% reduction in official visits during the 2025-26 campaign and a 14-week prohibition on football program recruiting communications. From an individual standpoint, former staff member Conor Stalions received an eight-year show cause order, restricting him from all athletically-related activities over that period, former HC Jim Harbaugh was levied a 10-year show-cause order set to begin on Aug. 7, 2028, at the conclusion of a four-year show-cause order from a previous case, former Director of Player Personnel Denard Robinson earned a three-year show-cause order, while Moore reaped a two-year show-cause order as well as a suspension of three total games, that will see Moore serve a self-imposed two-game suspension in 2025-26 before sitting out the first contest of the 2026-27 campaign. ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel were among the first to report the news. (link, link); Here’s the full infractions decision. (link)
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