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Wisconsin-Platteville has parted ways with AD Michael Knipe, per WKOW’s Dani Maxwell, who notes Knipe was placed on administrative leave earlier this fall. As for the reason for being placed on leave, the university told Maxwell that it could not provide any further details until “a report is finalized and released publicly.” (link)

Tufts tops the fall Learfield Directors’ Cup standings after national titles in field hockey and men’s soccer, followed by Johns Hopkins, WashU, Williams and Trinity (TX). The NESCAC led all leagues with four members in the top eight. (link)

The Junior Hockey News reports a coalition of ADs and Hockey HCs “representing conferences including the NESCAC, SUNY, MIAC, WIAC, and UCHC — began discussing a coordinated decision to allow former CHL players to compete at the Division III level beginning in the fall of 2026. Under the new approach, participating institutions may roster former CHL players who meet NCAA academic eligibility requirements and who did not sign professional contracts, aligning closely with the Division I eligibility framework.” A DIII AD tells TJHN: “This isn’t about chasing Division I talent. It’s about inclusion and opportunity. If a player’s goal is education and continued competition, their junior background should not automatically disqualify them.” Supporters of the change believe it will increase competitiveness and depth of the sport, provide greater recruiting flexibility and expand educational opportunities for CHL players. (link)

Bloomberg’s Elizabeth Rembert reports that U.S. colleges went on a borrowing spree in 2025, issuing over $34B in municipal debt—a 28% YoY increase and the highest volume since at least 2014. Driven by favorable rates, infrastructure needs (like Texas Tech’s stadium renovation and Boston University’s dorm overhaul), and fears of losing tax-exempt status due to legislative changes, schools aggressively tapped the market, with over 70% of issuance occurring in the first half of the year. While bankers from Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, and Barclays expect volume to cool slightly in 2026 as institutions adopt a more conservative approach amid federal funding uncertainty, they anticipate continued robust activity from large public universities and academic medical centers. RBC Capital Markets Co-Head of Higher Ed Christopher Good notes the firm has doubled its education sector investment banking staff in the past three years to meet the "ongoing series of opportunities." (link)

Augsburg men’s cross country/track & field student-athlete Mohammed Bati has been ruled ineligible for the track seasons after accepting around $6K from his community to help cover tuition costs after Bati, a nursing student, had been working near full-time hours to pay for tuition. Per Marathon Handbook: “In a post shared on Strava, Bati explained that he had been struggling financially last semester while working overnight shifts at a hospital. Faced with the possibility of leaving school, people around him stepped in to help. The support, he wrote, was not business or payment, but community support that allowed him to stay enrolled.” (link); The university released a statement that reads, in part: “Augsburg understands the intent of the NCAA guidelines for Division III student-athletes that restrict financial support to family sources and non-athletic scholarships. At the same time, we also recognize that these rules may unintentionally create barriers for low-income or first-generation student-athletes, limiting opportunity and access to higher education and intercollegiate athletics not because of performance, but because of financial circumstances. We would welcome consideration from the NCAA about potential adjustments to the financial aid rules to allow greater flexibility around aid sources when a student-athlete can demonstrate financial need.” (link)

RIT’s Judson Stadium will host the 2026 DII and DIII Women’s Lacrosse championships. (link)

Football Files…
➤ Alvernia names Ursinus Assoc. HC Steve Devlin as its new HC. (link)
➤ Bethany selects Kent State (DI) Special Teams Analyst David Blake as its next HC. (link)
➤ Hamline hires Gustavus Adolphus OC Bob Davies as the Pipers’ new HC. (link)
➤ Susquehanna Football HC Tom Perkovich departs for the same job at Albany (DI). (link)
➤ Waynesburg welcomes Clarion (DII) OC Larry Wilson as the Yellow Jackets’ next HC. (link) 

Coaches.wire…
➤ Chatham names Elizabethtown AC Bryan Pflanz as its first Men’s Wrestling HC. (link)
➤ Hartford hires former Ithaca Women’s Volleyball HC Johan Dulfer for the same role leading the Hawks. (link)
➤ La Verne Women’s Volleyball HC Jeff Hendershot departs for the same position at his alma mater, Pacific (DI). (link)
➤ Lakeland hires Purdue Fort Wayne (DI) AC Alexander Pagonis as its new Women’s Soccer HC. (link)
➤ Williams Men’s Wrestling HC Scott Honecker is no longer with the Ephs. AC Tom Foote is now serving as Interim HC. (link)
➤ This morning’s edition of Coaches.wire is loaded with changes to coaching staffs around the country from the past week. (link)

U.S. Reps. Chris Deluzio  (D-PA) and Dan Goldman (D-NY) have introduced the Honest Oversight of Ticketed Dining and Onsite Grub (HOTDOG) Act, directing the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to conduct a nationwide study of concession pricing practices at sports venues by examining the prices of comparable food and drinks inside and outside stadiums that were constructed or are operated with public subsidy funds; pricing practices such as dynamic pricing, service fees, and promotions; transparency of concession prices to consumers, and other types of pricing policies. The bill also requires the FTC to issue a report to Congress detailing the results of the study and any recommendations for legislative, regulatory, or industry action to improve affordability and transparency. Sports Fans Coalition Executive Director Brian Hess: “The HOTDOG Act will shine a much-needed light on exploitative pricing practices and help identify solutions that make attending games affordable for working families again. When taxpayers invest hundreds of millions into stadiums, they deserve transparency about why a hot dog costs three times what it does on the street outside. We applaud Representatives Goldman and Deluzio for taking this important first step toward holding venues accountable and making game day affordable for American families.” More. (link)

U.S. GDP grew by an annual rate of 4.3% in Q3, the largest growth in two years, beating the projections of 3.2% and last quarter’s increase of 2.5%. The Wall Street Journal’s Chao Deng and Harriet Torry add: “Rising consumer spending was partly driven by healthcare, including outpatient services, and at hospitals and nursing homes. International travel, legal services and spending on products like personal computers and software also contributed. Artificial intelligence-related spending helped, too, though the pace of growth appeared to cool from the second quarter. Overall business investment growth slowed to 2.8% in the third quarter from 7.3% in the prior three months. The report offered fresh evidence that consumers continue to lift the U.S. economy, even as inflation remains higher than the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, hiring remains sluggish and consumer-confidence readings reflect a dour overall mood.” (link)