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D1 Jobs powered by CollegeSports.jobs... Check out the new opening at USC Upstate, below. CollegeSports.jobs welcomed nearly 3,000,000 visitors in 2025 to the No. 1 jobs site in college athletics. Any job posted on CS.j gets distributed via College.town publications, including D1.ticker (32,000+ subscribers) and Coaches.wire (30,000+ subscribers). Post HERE to maximize the reach of your job openings, while enjoying the most affordable posting price offered in the industry. More bang, less bucks.

 

D1.dossiers... are ready for the AD openings at Austin Peay, Cal State Bakersfield, Charlotte, Delaware, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, San Francisco, South Carolina State, Southern Utah, Texas Southern, UC Riverside, Wagner and Washington State. Just $349 for an entire year of access to all dossiers. (link)

New Colorado AD Fernando Lovo stays in headlines, says creating a premier game day fan experience will be a critical focus for the Buffs: “I’m fanatical about the game day experience. It’s something that I took from my time at the University of Texas. I saw how impactful it was to create. It’s not just a game. It’s got to be an event. It’s got to be engaging. It’s got to be dynamic.” More: “We’ve got to be creative with our scripting of our in-game scripts to keep people involved. It’s not enough just to say, ‘Hey, come watch a game.’ That’s not the way we’re going to approach things. We’re going to look at how do we do things outside the venue? Inside the venue? … Make parking ingress really easy, really convenient for them; getting into the building really easy. …We need to create a really exciting environment, and like I said, make it really fun and engaging for our fans, so that if people are in the stands and they’re loud, it has a tangible impact on winning and losing; it just does. That’s undeniable, so we’re going to work really hard at that.” (link)

More from East Carolina AD Jon Gilbert, this time on tampering in college football: “Given the way the player acquisition rules are today, you get these bigger programs, they're not talking to the player directly, they're talking to their agents or their parents or their high school coach and going, ‘Hey, if he gets in, here's what we will pay him.’ And you know, everyone that's played a sport knows, your last play could be literally your last play. And so, everyone's rushing around to get the most money that they can get. … We’ve got to continue to try to get the rules changed where there's a little more stability in player acquisition. There really are, I would call it, very lawless rules right now that I would hope at some point in the future we can change for the good of college football. [I’m] all for players making money and all for them being able to transfer once, but we need to put some rules in place to protect us because, right now, there is little to no protection for the institutions and that's across the board, not just ECU.” (link)

Hawai’i AD Matt Elliott provides perspective on how he’s adjusted to the job over his first six months in the big chair. Elliott: “It's been a major transition but … it's actually way better than I thought it was going to be. …  It was such an uncertain time when [he and his wife] thought ‘okay we're going to make this transition, have this incredible opportunity and you just don't know. How are the seasons going to go? How are we going to be received? How would the early decisions that we make sort of resonate with the community? Overall, I think … we've been incredibly fortunate to be part of a program that was certainly, especially in football, on the ascendancy and moving in a place that just was creating such pride and joy for the community. Again, I think it comes back to the community and the relationships that we've been able to build in these first few months, and at the same time, we're just so happy to be here … and it's just wonderful for our family.” (link)

In the hyper-nomadic world of college athletics, the coach takes the job, but the spouse often takes on the chaos. In more than 70% of relocations, the spouse is the project manager who bears the brunt of the administrative burden: coordinating movers, selling the old house, finding schools, and managing the emotional toll—all while the coach is immersed in their new role. D1.relocation understands this critical imbalance. The organization doesn't just move boxes; it empowers the spouse. The dedicated Director of Relocation Operations (DORO) acts as the spouse's advocate, providing specialized support for everything from decluttering and home staging to school vetting and amenity setup. D1.relocation ensures the entire family transitions from one chapter to the next with minimal stress and maximum support. (link)

The Tulsa World’s Bill Haisten reports Oklahoma State has landed North Texas transfer quarterback Drew Mestemaker for a deal worth $3.5M next year & $4M in year two, which is comparable to what new Pokes HC Eric Morris will make in Stillwater. Here’s the kicker: “The World is told that a single donor — an Oklahoma City-area person — has agreed to fund the entirety of the Cowboy relationship with Mestemaker.” (link)

Ole Miss will have outgoing OC Charlie Weis Jr. for at least one more CFP game, but Running Backs Coach Kevin Smith will not return to Oxford as he transitions to the LSU staff. Tight Ends Coach Joe Cox, Wide Receivers Coach George McDonald, Analyst Dan Stevens (quarterbacks) and Graduate Assistant Sawyer Jordan (slot receivers) are not expected, as of Saturday, to return to Ole Miss, sources told CBS Sports. Rebels HC Pete Golding, still unsure when he’ll receive clarity on the staffing situation, notes: “It's grown people making decisions, so I have no idea. So we're gonna go out there and spot the ball. We've got plenty enough people in this building that showed up this morning. We'll be just fine.” Ole Miss departs for the Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday. (link)

Duke will promote Chief Football Strategy Officer Binuk Kodituwakku to GM. (link)

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini writes on the upcoming coaching carousel in the NFL & of particular note: “Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman seriously considered making the jump to the NFL, with multiple teams reaching out to gauge his interest, according to league sources. Though Freeman ultimately announced he’s staying at Notre Dame, there’s a strong belief around the league that this won’t be the last time his name is connected to NFL opportunities. The Giants, Titans and Browns all had internal discussions about Freeman, as did the Pittsburgh Steelers (in the event longtime coach Mike Tomlin decided to step away).” (link)

The ACC has issued a public reprimand of Notre Dame Men’s Basketball HC Micah Shrewsberry following an incident between him and an official at the end of the Fighting Irish's loss at Cal on Friday. Shrewsberry charged at official Adam Flore, but was intercepted and held back by players and staff members. He declined to speak to the media after the game, but did issue an apology later: “My actions were inappropriate and not symbolic of the leader I strive to be and what Notre Dame expects of its coaches and educators. I will learn from this lack of judgement and be better in the future. I want to apologize to our team, our University and its leaders, to Coach Madsen and his team, and to the ACC, as my actions were unacceptable.” The league’s statement: “Shrewsberry aggressively confronted a member of the officiating crew following the game. The unsportsmanlike behavior that was displayed is unacceptable and tarnishes the on-court play between these institutions. The ACC considers this matter closed and will have no further comment.” (link)

Our deepest condolences to the Jayhawk community as Kansas Dir. of Peak Performance and Leadership Scott “Scooter” Ward passed away Saturday at the age of 59. (link)

ESPN has assigned the announcers for the College Football Playoff semifinals: Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will call the Fiesta Bowl between Miami (FL) and Ole Miss on Thursday, while Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy will call the Peach Bowl between Oregon and Indiana on Friday. Fowler and Herbstreit will have the championship game call for ESPN on Jan. 19. (link)

The latest issue of CRO.ticker “makes wine fun again,” breaks down the Buffalo Bills’ personal seat license success, and explores the "virtuous cycle" implemented by the Denver Broncos that led to the team’s lowest no-show rate in 10 years. In addition, The Economist explains why sportsbooks are "80–90% certain" of a customer's lifetime value before a single wager is placed, and Inc.com’s Ali Donaldson surveys CMOs from the publication’s "Best in Business" honorees list to get their marketing predictions for 2026. All that and more in the first CRO.ticker of 2026. (link)

With a Jan. 9 deadline looming for a new collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, the two sides remain far apart on key issues including the make-up of a revenue sharing system, what should be considered revenue and how to account for expenses. Per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, “the WNBA is projecting that a recent proposal from the WNBPA -- which would give players about 30% of gross revenue and is believed to feature approximately a $10.5M salary cap -- would result in $700M in losses over the course of the agreement,” potentially jeopardizing the league’s financial well-being. The union believes its revenue sharing model still puts the league in a "profitable position" … and calls the league's projected loss figure "absolutely false," citing a discrepancy in whether expansion fees are factored in. The league has proposed a system where players would receive in excess of 50% of net revenue, essentially defined as revenue after subtracting expenses, but WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike has said the league's revenue share model is “not adequate.” More. (link) 

The Albuquerque Journal’s Geoff Grammer reports New Mexico is expected to announce its plans next week for a national search to find the successor to now-Colorado boss Fernando Lovo. Grammer says current Interim AD/COO Ryan Berryman, along with Deputy AD/CRO Jalen Dominguez, are expected to pursue the opening. Grammer also notes that outgoing President Garnett Stokes, who is retiring this summer, will make the hire as the institution will not wait for a new CEO to be named first. (link)

Must watch: Check out Georgia AD Josh Brooks congratulating Ole Miss’ Keith Carter after Thursday night’s Sugar Bowl thriller. Brooks’ main message: “Make sure you enjoy it… the first one, I never enjoyed it.” (link)

More from Wake Forest AD John Currie’s chat with the Demon Deacon Digest’s Cameron Lemons Debro, this time on Wake’s challenges in competing for third-party opportunities alongside larger brands and finding an edge moving forward: “Well it starts with good evaluations and figuring out what are the things important to us based upon the prospect pool. I think that retention, there's always a big focus on that. … Having the rev share in place to go along with the relationship and the position on the team and all those kind of things, enable you to be able to have it from a strategy standpoint. … I don't feel like we're sitting on our hands, we're leveraging our strengths. We have the ability to go to the cap, that's not universal. I think it will be universal next year, but it wasn't this year, and we did. Then being smart and disciplined about evaluations and valuations. Then we have a lot of advantages from our institution from a financial standpoint. We don't have millions of dollars in debt service related to facilities. Our facilities we've improved over the last 10 years, $175-200M dollars in facilities, that's all been built with gifts and philanthropy. That means we're not spending annual revenue dollars to pay for the Sutton Sports Performance Center or the Shah Basketball Complex. That's what a lot of universities have had to do because they didn't get out in front of the facilities stuff like we did.” (link) 

Business of College Sports Founder Kristi Dosh with this: “I've confirmed with the College Football Playoff and The American that Tulane is receiving $8M for its first round appearance (instead of the $4M everyone else received) because of a one-time payout to account for the change this year from the top four conference champs getting byes to just the top four teams.” (link) Dosh has the full breakdown for how much each conference has earned through the quarterfinals this year (not including travel expenses): SEC: $32M; Big Ten: $24M; ACC: $8M; Big 12: $8M; American: $8M; and Sun Belt: $4M. (link)

With one through four seeds tallying a 1-7 mark over the past two years of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal games, Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde writes on how to fix an imbalance of the event’s framework: “It’s probably too small a sample size to make sweeping judgments, especially when digging a little deeper. While the record of top-four seeds (excluding Indiana) is 0–7 in quarterfinals coming off a bye, the record of the betting favorites in those games is 5–2. It’s not like the quarterfinals produced a flood of fluky results. …Two seasons of data don’t fully support the premise that teams with a first-round bye are at an inherent disadvantage. But there is still an obvious change to be made that would give top-four seeds the advantage they earned throughout the season: On-campus quarterfinal games. …Of course, moving those quarterfinal games out of neutral-site locations would require one thing that college sports leaders have resisted for decades—breaking up the bowl cabal, or at least reducing its stake in the proceedings. The traditional big bowls could still be played, of course. But fewer of them would be part of the playoff—maybe just the semifinals and national championship game. Untangling the ties to the bowl industry shouldn’t be that difficult, but there is ingrained resistance to it.” (link)

CollegeAD reports ULM Senior Assoc. AD for Compliance Cody Sparrow is headed to Marshall to become Senior Assoc. AD for Compliance & Student-Athlete Success. (link)

HBCU Gameday’s Steven J. Gaither reports Howard has extended a job offer to former record-setting Bison QB Ted White, who was on the Maryland staff this year as an offensive analyst. (link)

We’ve all heard a bunch about Tulsa Football’s “Portal House.” Now we can finally take a look inside. (link)

CollegeSports.jobs again stood out in December with YoY growth from 2024 to 2025 increasing by 53.54%, while the overall market experienced a substantial decline of 61.04%. The NCAA Market also saw a decline of 18.09% last month. (link)

Loyola Marymount AD Craig Pintens hosted WMT VP of Growth/former South Carolina senior external leader Dr. Eric Nichols on the Margins of Victory podcast to discuss the critical importance of a "modern tech stack" in the NIL era, arguing that organizations can no longer let up once a stadium is sold out. Some key nuggets from the conversation…

 

➤ "You and I have spent time in high major universities that have sold out football stadiums. Sometimes when you get to that football stadium being sold out, you feel like the job is done. And at least that's the way I have felt in many years past. That was the aim of the operation and you kind of take your foot off the gas a little bit. Well, now with NIL, the capacity limit is removed. So, you need a modern tech stack not only to identify all of your fans, but you have something to sell them when the stadium is sold out. You have something to sell that Louisiana fan of the LSU Tigers who might not make it back to a game." 

 

➤ On the state of the industry, the pair discussed donor fatigue, with Nichols observing there used to be an “eight-year, 10-year time horizon. Now, I need to raise money so I can provide NIL that may or may not contribute to this elite athlete joining our program to win a championship this year. And you know, there's only going to be one champion this year. There's going to be a lot of disappointed fan bases. And do they have the capacity? Sure, probably. ... I don't know what the limit is, but I'm more concerned about the return if you will."

 

➤ On why teams should link to external content on their official sites: "If there's a great feature story on your basketball guard even if you didn't write it, it's okay to link to it on your owned and operated platforms. Everyone will do that in social media but they resist it on your owned and operated platforms. I don't understand why that's been a nut that's been hard to crack in this industry. And I think if you can train your fans that your platform is the trusted source, the curated source... then I think now you're going to see your audience grow."

 

➤ On rethinking stadium configurations: "I kind of want to attack the stadiums and the seating of stadiums and arenas and almost think of it like a dump them out and then pick them right back up and how would you reconstruct them? ... The fact that we still have bleachers in most of college stadiums is kind of ridiculous even to say that. ... I'm not the type of fan that sits in my seat the whole game. I'm a walker. ... I think those [social spaces] extend to college and they create new revenue opportunities by reconstructing your ticket packages."

➤ Here’s the full convo. (link)

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(NEW!) Athletic Trainer (University of South Carolina – Upstate / Spartanburg, SC): The Sports Medicine Institute (SMI) has a team of 30+ outreach athletic trainers. We are seeking a certified athletic trainer to serve the healthcare needs at USC Upstate. More details HERE.

Job openings by discipline, posted in the past 15 days...

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Creative Geniuses! (University of Nevada / Reno, NV): Whatever your creative discipline, send us a note, resume and/or portfolio directly to: jshoji@unr.edu

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Assistant Athletics Director, Eagles Club (Florida Gulf Coast University / Fort Myers, FL): More details HERE.

 

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Dir., Philanthropic Giving - Southeast (United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee / Miami, FL): More details HERE.

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Assistant Director, External Relations (University of Delaware / Newark, DE): More details HERE.

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Senior Director of Ticket Operations (Texas A&M University 12th Man Foundation / College Station, TX): More details HERE.

 

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