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ESPN's Pete Thamel reports the college sports world is watching the Demond Williams Jr. situation with Washington intently, viewing it as a "litmus test" for the enforceability of contracts in the new era. “Williams' case speaks to a larger issue in which contracts around the sport -- binding schools to leagues, coaches to schools and players to programs -- are largely being ignored. The situation illuminates the system's flaws, including not having any single entity in charge of the inter-workings of contracts in a multibillion-dollar business. The Williams contract issue doesn't fall under the purview of the new College Sports Commission, which handles third-party name, image and likeness deals to meet legal settlement rules, revenue sharing from schools in relation to the cap and roster limits.” More key takeaways…

 

➤ An unnamed “high-ranking” official: “This is a very bright line. Are we going to respect each other's contracts? This is a very simple thing. If we can't protect this, nothing else matters.”

 

➤ One GM says: "It's extremely embarrassing the system allows this. There's no stability at all. How are people sitting around watching everything crumble? What are the leaders doing? What are the commissioners doing? How do we not get everyone in a room and not leave until there's a solution." 

 

➤ A “prominent AD” adds: “This situation is a product of 2026 football. Where the story ends, this is one of the big moments in college football -- or really, college sports -- and what we do next." 

 

➤ Another “high-ranking” official: “This is a very important moment in our space about how we're going to behave.”

 

➤ Here’s the full article. (link)

Sportico’s John Cairney and Rick Burton analyze the rise of AI and its sudden shift from operational support to a core competitive capability of recruiting operations. In the new world of college athletics where the transfer portal and NIL “have turned recruiting into a transactional, mobile and financially risky enterprise,” and coaches now resemble portfolio managers causing “athletic departments to increasingly rely on general managers and analytics staff … AI promises something every AD wants: fewer bad bets.” A recent Journal of Applied Sport Management piece describes “a recruiting ecosystem where AI tools increasingly shape how athletes are identified, evaluated and pursued,” while adding that “relying on human judgment alone is now inherently risky.” Cairney and Burton: “Athletic directors must decide not only how AI is used, but also who stands behind it when outcomes go wrong. Why? Because ethical aspiration without clear accountability is insufficient for those already under intense public scrutiny. … AI does not simplify leadership; it makes it harder. It raises the stakes, redistributes power and concentrates accountability. ADs must not only lead with better data, but also courageously own decisions made in partnership with machines.” More. (link)

The Field of 68 legal analyst Mitch Gilfillan notes that as the Patterson case unfolds in Nashville, the NCAA emailed all schools today: “To the question about whether the Div. I Board would consider issuing a broader waiver if the court grants an injunction for the five student-athletes (Patterson case), there is no plan to do so. The NCAA's eligibility rules are legally defensible and provide opportunities for prospective student-athletes to compete at the Division I level.” (link)

ESPN’s Pete Thamel updates reporting on Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss’ eligibility situation, noting that the school “filed another letter to the NCAA from attorney Tom Mars that references a conversation that Mars tells ESPN was taped by Ole Miss officials. This would loom large in any potential legal proceeding if Chambliss’ redshirt waiver is rejected. Mars says in the letter: ‘On December 8, 2025, the NCAA case manager told the Senior Associate AD for Ole Miss Compliance that the [NCAA] staff considered the physician’s statement to be sufficient proof of Trinidad’s incapacity to compete during the 2022-23 season but that the staff was concerned about the lack of ‘contemporaneous medical documentation.’ There exists ‘contemporaneous’ evidence of exactly what was said during this phone call. That seems odd to say the least.” (link)

Charlotte has renewed its unlimited job posting bundle with D1.ticker & CollegeSports.jobs. 49ers Executive Assoc. AD Chris Thomasson: “We are excited to continue our partnership with CollegeSports.jobs. It has streamlined our talent acquisition and expanded our reach across the industry. Renewing this unlimited bundle was an easy decision as we continue to scale Charlotte Athletics. By leveraging the full D1.ticker ecosystem - from the high-visibility postings to the invaluable networking tools of Collegiate Sports Connect - we are ensuring that the 49ers remain a destination for the best talent in the country. This partnership is a cornerstone of our commitment to organizational excellence." (link)

It’s Personnel…

➤ LSU and Billy Glasscock agreed to terms on a three-year, $3M deal that makes him one of the highest-paid GMs in college football, according to The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander, who notes Glasscock reportedly made $425K this past year at Ole Miss in a similar capacity. (link)

➤ The Wire on Collegiate Sports Connect is loaded with administrative staff changes to kick off the new year: Air Force, Arizona State, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Baylor, Bucknell, Colorado, Colorado State, Duke, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Houston, Indiana, Iowa State, James Madison, Kansas State, Louisiana Monroe, Maine, Marshall, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State, Missouri, New Mexico, North Texas, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Pac-12, Pittsburgh, Samford, San Francisco, SMU, Syracuse, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Towson, UAB, UCLA, UConn, USC Upstate, UTEP, Villanova, Washington, Washington State, West Virginia and Wichita State. (link)

Coaches Corner…

➤ Tulane taps Jacksonville State Volleyball HC Derek Schroeder for the same role. (link)

➤  McNeese State inks Softball HC James Landreneau to a four-year contract extension with an option for a fifth. (link)

We extend our deepest condolences to the communities at Maryland and Cal State Northridge following the passing of Dick Dull, who served as AD at both institutions. (link)

Western Carolina Senior Assoc. AD for Student Success/SWA Ashleigh Simmons, in her first year on the Women's Basketball Committee, discusses the selection process with Southern Conference Assoc. Commissioner for Brand Strategy and Broadcast Dave Friedman and emphasizes that the committee values "creative scheduling" and resume-building losses over empty wins. “It's doing your best to make sure you're putting yourself in a position to build that resume. Maybe it's scheduling, you know, getting out of that non D1 and trying to go find a Quad 3 game. ... Giving yourself an opportunity to, whether you win or lose, to have a committee member speak on your behalf and say, ‘You know what, they may have lost by two, but they played a hell of a game.’" Simmons also discusses the importance of eye test context beyond data: "It really is one of those things where anybody could show up and that could affect the outcome of a game. Somebody could get hurt in the first quarter and that could affect the outcome of a game. That's not something that you see on a stat sheet necessarily." Full Q&A. (link)

More bowl data from ESPN, as the company reports its networks delivered their highest average viewership for non-College Football Playoff bowls since the 2015-16 season, averaging 3.1M viewers across 33 games—a 13% YoY increase. The Michigan-Texas Citrus Bowl (9.1M viewers on ABC) and Georgia Tech-BYU Pop-Tarts Bowl (8.7M on ABC) led the slate, ranking as the two most-watched non-CFP/New Year's Six bowls since 2019-20. Next were the Penn State-Clemson Pinstripe Bowl (7.6M on ABC), Virginia-Missouri Gator Bowl (6M on ABC) and the Tennessee-Illinois Music City Bowl (5.4M on ESPN). Overall, ABC saw its largest non-CFP bowl audience in 12 years (6.2M average), with four games setting all-time viewership records: the Pinstripe Bowl, LA Bowl, First Responder Bowl, and Frisco Bowl. (link)

The Utah Mammoth will host the Colorado Avalanche at Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium in 2027. The Salt Lake Tribune’s Andy Larsen reports the NHL selected Rice-Eccles as the venue over BYU’s Lavell Edwards Stadium in Provo and “several other markets around the NHL that wanted to host the event.” Mammoth co-owner Ryan Smith, a BYU alum, says he “wanted it here in Salt Lake. This is right. I mean, I do enough down there. This is my NIL donation here. It’s a good one.” Unlike Utes home football games, the stadium will sell alcohol for the event. (link)

The Division I Cabinet continued conversations on commercial jersey patches today, per SBJ’s Ben Portnoy. During the meeting, the group discussed NCAA Division I Proposal No. 2025-35 (Use of Commercial Trademarks or Logos on Equipment, Uniforms and Apparel) as well as potential amendments with plans to continue discussions and consider amendments before considering the proposal during its meeting next Wednesday at the 2026 NCAA Convention. Additionally, the cabinet reversed an official interpretation, effective immediately, that restricted the use of title sponsor recognition materials in team sports to postseason competition. The reversal permits competition identification materials to include the name of the corporate sponsor of the competition in all individual and team sports regardless of the timing, provided the involved commercial company is the sole title sponsor of the competition. (link)

New Mexico State AD Joe Fields sat down with Adam Young for the inaugural Cup of Joe podcast and discussed the recently announced re-organization of the Aggies’ department. Fields: “That's the unfortunate part of the business and AD transitions and what happens nationally. … After a couple months of evaluating, I think for me it became real clear that we needed an organization reset. When you look at what we need to be successful moving forward, it's really clear, we needed leadership across all of our units. We need to modernize our athletics department to be in alignment with what's happening nationally. And then three, we need individuals on the team with a shared vision that's operating with trust. So once you kind of take a look at how we're operating as an athletics department, the individuals that we have in the building, I think the decision for me was really clear that we needed to reset and be able to truly move forward. … I'm really excited about the future. I told senior staff yesterday that we're going to have a heavy spring. We're going to really run hard. We're going to do a lot of work this spring to truly set a foundation for our athletics department for the future. We're going to put together a top-notch staff. We're going to bring in some professionals from around the country that truly understand the national landscape, former student-athletes that've been in different places that's going to help us balance our institutional knowledge with some new perspectives. So that part is exciting. And then, we have a lot of incredible professionals that are still in the building that we'll get a chance to elevate and really put them in position to help our athletics department, our student-athletes as we move forward.” More from Fields. (link)

The Pac-12 appoints former SMU AD Rick Hart as Senior VP/Deputy Commissioner. In the role, Hart will help lead day-to-day conference and membership operations and oversee several key membership-facing areas in conjunction with department leaders, including football, basketball, Olympic sports, compliance and governance, video operations and student-athlete engagement. (link) 

Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger provides an update on the expanding conflict between Washington and departing football student-athlete Demond Williams over an NIL contract. Dellenger: “Williams signed a one-year rev-share agreement with UW worth about $4M. The agreement is a Big Ten template document used by all league members and built for situations like this. …[It] (1) prohibits a player from entering the portal once signed (this is why UW is refusing to enter his name into the portal) and (2) prohibits the player’s NIL rights to be used by any other school, though the player can sign outside marketing agreements. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, coincidentally in Seattle this week for a memorial service, is heavily involved in the matter, along with other Big Ten officials. The league is standing behind UW’s fervent approach to the contract. Washington officials are expected to communicate later today with Demond Williams’ representatives regarding the situation and next steps.” (link)

Business of College Sports' Kristi Dosh provides more analysis of Washington QB Demond Williams’ reported $4M revenue-sharing agreement. Dosh, citing a form MOU from UW obtained via FOIA, highlights clauses that grant the university "irrevocable, exclusive" rights to an athlete's NIL for their entire eligibility period—not just the contract term—effectively prohibiting other schools from using their NIL. Dosh notes the term “eligibility period” is defined as the “finite time span as determined by the NCAA, typically five academic years, during which a student-athlete may compete in competition in a particular sport in an Intercollegiate Athletics Program, as may be updated by the NCAA from time to time.” Dosh observes the contract includes a broad waiver of the right to sue, though she cautions the “liquidated damages clause may not be enforceable if a court decides it is operating as a penalty and not as a representation of the actual damages incurred by the school (which is what liquidated damage clauses are supposed to do). We also have no idea what was negotiated in Williams specific contract. What we do know is that this could be the first true test of the Big Ten’s contract.” More. (link)

Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger also reports on the process of attempting to lure high-level transfer portal quarterbacks through the lens of LSU’s failed pursuit of former Cincinnati student-athlete Brendan Sorsby and a potential $3.5M package. The school’s 11-page proposed service agreement “offers a fascinating window into the new world of college athlete compensation, where schools are using multi-media rights partners, marketing agencies, corporate sponsors and apparel brands to, perhaps legally, exceed the industry’s new quasi-salary cap. … The Sorsby contract proposal shines a light on the method in which universities — not just LSU — are assembling financial packages for some athletes: with a portion of direct university revenue-share payments, plus a portion of NIL third-party guarantees that have been promised yet not cleared. It could make for some anxious moments this spring, when the clearinghouse is expected to receive an influx in third-party contracts that have already been guaranteed to athletes.” One anonymous college sports official told Yahoo: “There’s going to be some rude awakening when these deals start to be submitted. This is going to end with a lot of these guarantees not being met.” More. (link) 

Continuing the trend of mid-season additions for winter sports, College Hockey Insider’s Mike McMahon examines how USHL player Tynan Lawrence’s mid-season move to join Boston U. might impact both the Terriers season and the NHL Draft. McMahon: “My sense is that this move came together relatively quickly. A few weeks ago, when I was asking around about potential midseason additions, there wasn’t much indication that BU was actively pursuing a second-semester pickup. … There’s a strong sense that this was a player-driven decision by Lawrence. He wanted to get to BU and show NHL organizations, firsthand, that he belongs in the conversation as the No. 1 overall pick. After being passed over for a spot on Canada’s World Junior roster, this move represents an opportunity to bet on himself. College hockey gives Lawrence a higher-visibility stage against older, stronger competition — and a chance to make a direct statement to NHL decision-makers that he belongs at the very top of the draft board. … The ripple effects for the Terriers could be significant. Not only are they adding Lawrence to their depth down the middle, they’re also getting healthier. Will this dig BU out of its early-season hole? I doubt it. … But it definitely makes the Terriers better.” More. (link)

People & Places…
➤ Marshall officially taps ULM Senior Assoc. AD for Compliance Cody Sparrow as Senior Assoc. AD for Compliance and Student-Athlete Success. (link)
➤ Florida State Women’s Volleyball HC Chris Poole will not seek a contract extension and plans to step down from leading the Seminoles after 18 seasons. (link)
➤ UNC Wilmington Women’s Tennis HC Hans Olsen plans to resign on Jan. 31 to pursue other opportunities after guiding the program since 2015. (link)
➤ PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague steps down after just over a year in his role, but will continue to advise both the Board of Directors and new CEO during the transition. (link)
➤ Populous taps HR&A Advisors Managing Partner Cary Hirschstein as its first Head of Real Estate Strategy. (link) 

Deal Corner…
➤ Ohio State officially announces an extension of a 15-plus year partnership to have Learfield continue to serve as OSU’s revenue generation partner, while delivering solutions across integrated sponsorships, NIL services via Buckeye Sports Group and next-level partnerships, including jersey patches and other premium assets. Through the agreement, Learfield will also manage and monetize Buckeye Experiences, providing fans with exclusive opportunities featuring VIP venue access, behind-the-scenes activities and immersive gameday experiences. (link)
➤ Indiana unveils its official team gear marketplace Bison Drop, an online auction and commerce platform offering curated items, experiences and merchandise connected to IU Athletics. (link)
➤ PitchCom inks a multi-year agreement with Sportradar’s Synergy Sports to integrate PitchCom’s secure coach-to-player communication data into Synergy Sports’ video and analytics workflows beginning with the 2026 college baseball and softball seasons, providing NCAA teams actionable insights during games and MLB clubs a clearer view of player performance for scouting purposes. (link)

Overall for the 2025 Bowl Season, 19-of-35 non-College Football Playoff bowl games witnessed an attendance decrease compared to 2024 with a total composite decline of 8.83% – 1,048,593 to 956,016. The SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl between Nebraska-Utah saw the largest YoY attendance increase, rising from 26,671 to 38,879, while the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium between Penn State and Clemson followed closely behind with overall growth of 11,039 fans from 30,062 to 41,101. The Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, Fla., likely suffered from hosting two teams from outside the state, witnessing the largest attendance drop-off of the 35 bowls by dropping from 41,497 for last year’s Florida-Tulane contest to just 13,336 for this season’s NC State-Memphis match-up. More. (link)   

Warner Bros. Discovery’s board has unanimously rejected Paramount Skydance’s latest hostile takeover bid, arguing the group’s late December offer "is inferior given significant costs, risks and uncertainties as compared to the Netflix merger." Per Axios’ Sara Fischer, “Paramount's latest proposal addressed some of the board's previous concerns, but didn't raise the price of its all-cash offer higher than $30 per share. … WBD's board argued that Netflix's bid of cash and stock was more valuable, despite the fact that it values WBD's studio and streaming assets at $27.75 per share compared with Paramount's all-cash offer for the whole company at $30 per share. … The board also argued that in weighing Paramount's latest offer, it considered the ‘costs and loss of value for WBD shareholders associated with accepting’ that bid. … In a regulatory filing Wednesday. WBD said it ‘continues to be of the view that PSKY is a litigious counterparty, which raises concerns regarding the likelihood that the Offer (or any related merger agreement) will be completed on the terms proposed.’" More. (link) 

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(NEWEST!) Associate Athletic Director for Business Operations (Tufts University / Medford, MA): The Associate AD for Business Operations serves as an integral member of the administrative team, making critical decisions and providing direction and leadership for the coaches and staff. (DIII) More details HERE. 

 

(NEWEST!) Sports Dietitian (Director, Football Performance Nutrition) (United States Air Force Academy / Colorado Springs, CO): Lead comprehensive performance nutrition programs & oversee all aspects of nutrition care for the football program; develop performance nutrition programs & support for several Olympic sport teams. More details HERE.

 

(NEW!) Executive Director, Creative Design, Department of Athletics (Wake Forest University / Winston-Salem, NC): The Executive Director, Creative Design provides the creative vision, leadership, and executional oversight for all graphic design, branding, collateral production, and visual storytelling. More details HERE.

 

(NEW!) Director of Athletic Facility Operations (Texas Christian University / Fort Worth, TX): Manages interior/exterior maintenance, repair and renovation work of all athletics facilities, oversight of internal and external events in all premium spaces. Supervises Athletics Facility staff. More details HERE.

 

(NEW!) Asst. Director Gamecock Club - External Operations (University of South Carolina / Columbia, SC): Support donor engagement, stewardship, chapters, and key partnerships while contributing to strong momentum and growth within an established, high-energy college athletics fundraising organization. More details HERE.

 

(NEW!) Customer Success Manager (RealResponse / Remote): Role is ideal for someone who loves working closely with partners, thrives in a collaborative environment, and is motivated by delivering real value every day. Reports to Sr. Dir. of Customer Success. More details HERE.

 

(NEW!) Associate Director of Athletic Training - Football - (250000QF) (Towson University / Towson, MD): The Associate Director of Athletic Training coordinates and provides health care and comprehensive healthcare services to student-athletes. More details HERE.

 

(NEW!) Athletic Trainer (Texas Christian University / Fort Worth, TX): The Athletic Trainer is responsible for supporting the Director of Sport Medicine by providing services to student athletes and educational opportunities to Athletic training students. More details HERE.

 

(NEW!) Assistant Women's Soccer Coach (Abilene Christian University / Abilene, TX): To promote, enhance, and oversee the Women’s Soccer program while maintaining compliance with all ACU, UAC, and NCAA Division I rules and regulations. More details HERE.

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

Learning Specialist (The George Washington University / Washington, DC): More details HERE.

Assistant AD, Business and Financial Reporting (George Mason University / Fairfax, VA): More details HERE.

 

Assistant Director/Coordinator of Business Operations & Payables (University of Arkansas / Fayetteville, AR): More details HERE.

 

Sr. Associate/Executive Sr. Associate AD/Leadership and Culture Development (University of North Texas / Denton, TX): More details HERE.

Head Coach, Women's Field Hockey (University of New Hampshire / Durham, NH): More details HERE.

 

Assistant Coach 1 - Women's Soccer (Middle Tennessee State University / Murfreesboro, TN): More details HERE.

 

Assistant Men's Tennis Coach (University of Texas – San Antonio / San Antonio, TX): More details HERE.

 

Director of Recruiting Strategy (University of Oklahoma / Norman, OK): More details HERE.

 

Assistant Coach, Women's Volleyball (University of Arizona / Tucson, AZ): More details HERE.

Director of Graphic Design (United States Air Force Academy / Colorado Springs, CO): More details HERE.

 

Graduate Assistant: Athletic Marketing (Belmont University / Nashville, TN): More details HERE.

 

Associate Athletic Director, Marketing (University of Alabama / Tuscaloosa, AL): More details HERE.

Director of Player Management (University of Georgia / Athens, GA): More details HERE.

Associate Athletics Director, Major and Leadership Giving (Boston College / Boston, MA): More details HERE.

 

Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development (Towson University / Towson, MD): More details HERE.

 

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

 

Director of Development (United States Air Force Academy / Colorado Springs, CO): More details HERE.

 

Assistant Director of Development, Athletics (University of California – San Diego / La Jolla, CA): More details HERE.

Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development (Towson University / Towson, MD): More details HERE.

 

Director of Athletics (Lawrence University / Appleton, WI): (DIII) More details HERE.

 

Sr. Associate/Executive Sr. Associate AD/Leadership and Culture Development (University of North Texas / Denton, TX): More details HERE.

Assistant Commissioner for Championships, Administration and External Operations (South Atlantic Conference / Rock Hill, SC): (DII) More details HERE.

 

Senior Athletics Operations Associate, Mount Vernon Athletic Facilities and Barcroft Park (The George Washington University / Washington, DC): More details HERE.

 

Athletics Groundskeeper (Florida Gulf Coast University / Fort Myers, FL): More details HERE.

There are currently no job listings in this field.

Athletic Trainer (University of South Carolina – Upstate / Spartanburg, SC): More details HERE.

 

Assistant Director, Behavioral Health & Performance (Tulane University / New Orleans, LA): More details HERE.

 

Director, Strength and Conditioning (The George Washington University / Washington, DC): More details HERE.

 

Assistant Athletic Trainer (Swim & Dive) (San Diego State University / San Diego, CA): More details HERE.

There are currently no job listings in this field.

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

 

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

 

Associate Director of Ticket Services (East Carolina University / Greenville, NC): More details HERE.