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D1.jobs... New openings at George Mason, Hawaii, Radiance Technology Independence Bowl, Southern Utah, Tulane and Western Carolina, below. 91% of DI departments have relied upon D1.jobs more than once. Click HERE to post your openings for tens of thousands of administrators to see.

D1.dossiers... Prairie View is now available, for those interested in leading the Panthers. Dossiers for eight other Athletic Director openings are also ready for you. $249 for an entire year of subscription. Hawaii is up next. (link)

“I would assume if [the Big 12] wanted Gonzaga, they’d have Gonzaga,” a person familiar with media rights deals tells CBS’ Dodd, who reports: “[Commissioner] Yormark has tried to sell his ADs on the concept of a basketball-only member. They have previously seen a presentation regarding Gonzaga's membership, but it didn't include any financial details. Don't be surprised if the ADs have sought to price Gonzaga's inclusion with league media consultant Endeavor.” Dodd notes the WCC and Gonzaga remain “tight-lipped” about their current media rights revenue but asserts the Zags “wouldn't get anywhere near a full share of Big 12 revenue that now averages $31.66M annually.” The Pac-12 is a better geographic fit for Gonzaga, but Dodd observes the league “remaining unsettled in several key areas may drive Gonzaga, and some of the Pac-12's own schools, to the Big 12.” Elsewhere, Dodd reports Texas and Oklahoma made an offer to the Big 12 and Fox in an effort to depart for the SEC a year early, but it was rejected. “The nature of the offer was not clear.” (link)

The New York Post’s Marchand posits the Pac-12’s media rights are moving in a suboptimal direction. “I think Amazon has kind of been looked upon as its saving grace, and maybe it will be, but the thing about Amazon is it doesn’t need tonnage. It doesn’t need all the games. And then if you give Amazon the top game, what does that do for exposure? If you’re Amazon and you look at the Pac-12, it’s not Thursday Night Football. It’s not a standalone game. You have a million games on Saturday. So, where the Pac-12 is in on that game tree each week depends. Sometimes they have good games, sometimes they don’t, but it’s just one of many. … ESPN I do believe has some interest, but I don’t think it’s a need at this point because they did the Big 12 deal. If they end up going with Fox, that would just be an exposure move. I think Fox will do a very Fox-friendly deal. I don’t think it’s going to be big money. There’s obviously some bad blood if you’re the Pac-12 because the Big Ten took UCLA and USC.” SBJ’s Ourand adds that CBS is still a possibility for the Pac-12 for one game per week. (link)

Florida AD Stricklin joins LEARFIELD University Partnerships Group EVP Hamilton From the Chair to discuss several topics, including his career path, hiring the right people, SEC expansion and more. Stricklin notes that unlike other ADs who rose through the ranks with development backgrounds, he took a different path but quickly learned there were similarities between the skill sets. “When I was learning the fundraising world, I remember thinking as a media relations professional in college athletics, you have to be able to communicate a message, you have to be able to have difficult conversations and you have to be able to ask people hard questions. And that’s a lot of what fundraising is, I found out.” Stricklin calls the additions of Texas and Oklahoma “wonderful,” explaining: “If you start looking across the landscape and you play the parlor game of who would be a good team to add to the SEC, it’s a short list if you’re saying who makes our league better. … Texas and Oklahoma are on a very, very short list. If we were worried about how hard the SEC is, we probably wouldn’t have done that. The goal is you want to make the league as strong as possible.” Full podcast. (link)

As expected, the U.S. Federal Reserve yesterday raised interest rates by 0.25%. Fed Chair Powell cautions that the scaled-back rate hike should not be misconstrued as a softened resolve against inflation. “We have to complete the job. That’s what we’re here for. … It is a good thing that the disinflation that we have seen so far has not come at the expense of a weaker labor market. But I would also say that that disinflationary process that you now see underway is really at an early stage.” (link); U.S. job openings increased 572K to 11M in December, setting a new five-month high. (link)

It’s Personnel…

+ Oklahoma taps TurnkeyZRG to assist with the Sooners’ Deputy AD search to replace new Mississippi State AD Selmon, per CollegeAD. (link)

+ Changes at Illinois State, Purdue, Ohio State, Fordham, Kent State, Mississippi State, Georgia Southern, Houston, Bowling Green, SMU and Washington State. Other industry-wide movement and promotions can be found on The Wire on Collegiate Sports Connect. (link)

Coaches Wire…

+ Saint Mary’s has let WBB HC Thomas go after an investigation, the details of which were not specified. Gaels AHC Fasnacht will continue serving as Interim HC. Thomas had been on paid administrative leave since December 20. (link)

+ Syracuse signs Men’s Soccer HC McIntyre to a long-term extension. (link)

+ St. John’s President Shanley says he is “completely committed right now to helping head [men’s basketball] coach Mike Anderson be successful” but concedes that “we have to figure out how to win more games.” (link)

Georgia Tech is reducing FB season ticket prices on 94% of the seats inside Bobby Dodd Stadium. Renewal packages start at $225, down from $299. Overall, the cost for season tickets, including tickets and accompanying contributions to the TECH Fund for preferred seating, has dropped for 70% of seats. (link)

Marquette will begin selling beer and wine at the Al McGuire Center and Valley Fields. Golden Eagles AD Scholl: “Giving fans more beverage options helps elevate the experience for our Marquette alumni, parents and students of legal drinking age who are used to similar accommodations at sporting events in our city and when enjoying games on the road. We encourage fans to enjoy responsibly and be positive contributors to the game atmosphere.” (link)

Facility Features…

+ CSU Bakersfield announces enhancements to Hardt Field (baseball) made possible by a $1.5M donation from benefactor Hardt will include an outdoor barbeque grill station, permanent restroom facilities, concession sales, merchandise and ticket sales and a reception plaza. (link)

+ Drexel has installed a new center-hung Daktronics LED video board along with an indoor audio system inside the Daskalakis Athletic Center. The two sideline-facing video displays each measure roughly 11.5 feet high by 21 feet wide and the two end-facing video displays each measure roughly 8 feet high by 13 feet wide. (link)

Illinois’ Orange Krush student section, which has “snuck” into numerous opposing arenas wearing the colors of the opposing team, says Iowa “invalidated all 200 tickets that the Orange Krush had legally purchased. It is highly unfortunate that the University of Iowa and their athletic department refused to face the consequences of the mistake THEY MADE in selling tickets to a billing address in Champaign, Illinois. It is against the spirit of competition and rivalry, two outstanding attributes of the Big Ten Conference, to make this decision.” The group also says that since their tickets were canceled so close to the game, they were unable to get a refund on $6K they spent to charter a bus to Iowa City. The Hawkeyes athletic department has since released the following statement: “The Iowa athletics department became aware of a discounted group ticket order for the Iowa-Illinois men's basketball game on behalf of an Illinois chapter of the Boys and Girls Club. In following up with that organization, it became clear this was not factual. When contacting the individual who made the original ticket order, they admitted to falsely ordering tickets under the non-profit organization." The Orange Krush says it raised $2,650 for local charities to be invited on the trip. (link)

Coca-Cola is marrying Powerade and BodyArmor to create a formula with 50% more electrolytes than Gatorade and believes it can “become the No. 1 sports drink company within the next five years,” according to Sportico’s Badenhausen, who notes Gatorade currently enjoys a 69% market share. Euromonitor International Drinks, Tobacco and Cannabis Research Analyst Conness: “I think that this road towards highlighting better functionality makes a lot of sense because that is what the consumer wants right now.” Powerade and BodyArmor will continue operating under a “separate but connected model,” per BodyArmor Sports Nutrition CMO Dzamba, and Badenhausen reports Powerade will showcase its new look with a $10M ad campaign during March Madness. (link)

Also Noticed…

+ Five-star FB recruits who inked NLIs yesterday break down by conference as follows: SEC (21), Big 12 (7), Pac-12 (5), ACC (4), Big Ten (1). Meanwhile, the four-star breakdown is SEC (145), Big Ten (74), ACC (60), Pac-12 (59) and Big 12 (49). (link)

+ Southern Miss has added Alcorn State to its 2023 and 2026 home FB schedules and is working with Jackson State on a possible 2025 matchup. (link)

+ ChatGPT is estimated to have reached 100M monthly active users in January, just two months after launch, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history, according to a UBS study. (link)

Yesterday's Evening Standard...

SoCon Commissioner Schaus will retire at the end of the academic year. Schaus: “I came to this decision several months ago but felt this was the right time to announce. I have been very blessed during my career in athletics and have absolutely loved my years as SoCon commissioner. I believe we made many impactful improvements in a variety of areas over the years thanks to a great team of people who made it happen." (link)

Michigan President Ono tells the Michigan Daily his relationship with Wolverines AD Manuel is “fantastic,” adding: “As I said when I was announced as president, I think he is the best athletic director in North America. I’ve worked with many. And I knew him when I was president of the University of Cincinnati, and he was athletic director for University of Connecticut. We were actually rivals, and so I experienced firsthand how good he is because of that rivalry between the University of Connecticut and the University of Cincinnati. So I have the utmost respect for him, and I think he’s doing a fantastic job. The extent to which I can be helpful, to support him run a successful program, I’ll be involved.” (link); Michigan will incorporate LEARFIELD Allied to enable brands to partner with student-athletes and create co-branding NIL opportunities. Wolverines AD Manuel: “From being the first NCAA school to provide uniform jersey licensing programs for student-athletes to hosting the VICTORS Exchange, the nation's largest INFLCR local exchange platform, Michigan Athletics remains committed to innovative partnerships that are beneficial to our student-athletes." (link)

CBS’ Norlander games out the MBB matchups that could have been arranged as part of the new age February bracketbuster concept to pit non-Power 6 teams against one another in non-conference matchups, as proposed by WAC Commissioner Thornton and others. Michigan State Assoc. AD for Strategic Initiatives & Creative Planning Pauga, one of the creators of what Norlander dubs “Wild Card Week,” says: “The branding opportunities are also numerous to build a narrative around a given team. The best way to make the NCAA Tournament remains winning games against good teams, and somebody is doing that in nearly all these matchups." Pauga also says there would have been 85 total Quad 1 and Quad 2 games (24 Q1, 61 Q2) with 132 games involving 66 teams from 19 conferences, and Norlander notes: “That's a huge inventory, big enough to impact the bubble in significant ways. Teams doing this would merely have to give up two non-con games in November or December for the two in February — when many more follow college hoops and results draw more attention.” (link)

It’s Personnel…

+ Rider President Dell’Omo has agreed to a one-year extension that runs until 2025 and says this will be his final extension before retiring at the end of his contract. (link)

+ Collegiate Sports Connect names former Aspire Group New Business Sales Manager for Army West Point Connell as Senior Director of Sales for Connect. Connell comes to Connect from Edpuzzle, where she served as School Partnership Associate. (link)

+ The Charlotte Sports Foundation has promoted Director Sales, Director of Operations/Assoc. Executive Director Pitts as COO. (link)

+ The Ohio State-endorsed Cohesion Foundation has hired First Merchants Bank Ohio Commercial Real Estate Team Leader Apple as its first full-time executive director. (link)

Coaches Wire…

+  Nebraska FB HC Rhule has filed an arbitration lawsuit against his former employer, claiming the Carolina Panthers owe him $5M after dismissing him five games into the season. The Athletic reports the grievance would be heard by NFL Commissioner Goodell or Goodell’s designee. (link)

+ North Dakota State inks MBB HC Richman to an extension through the 2026-27 season. Inforum’s McFeely reports the deal was actually signed in June but not reported publicly. (link) 

+ Lafayette extends Men’s Lacrosse HC Myers through the 2026 season. (link)

+ St. John’s AD Cragg remained neutral about the future of MBB HC Anderson, writing: “At the end of each season, we evaluate the performance of every coach, and the leadership of every program. … We clearly fell short of our goal last year and certainly have not given up on this year’s team. There is much more basketball to play this season.” (link)

+ Bethune-Cookman will hire a new FB HC within the next week, according to interim President Drake, who says: “Several adjustments were made to ensure our next coach is the best fit for our university. I recently met with student leaders to ensure that we addressed their concerns and answered each question as honestly as possible. We’ve also added a football player representative to our search committee to give the team an active voice in choosing our next head football coach.” Drake also says the university will spend approximately $10M over the next several months to address immediate campus infrastructure needs and has begun a complete assessment of over 100 facilities for fitness, renovation, and demolition, as well as the study of possible new facilities. (link)

Tulsa Assoc. AD for Revenue Generation and Fan Engagement Malay sits down with D1.ticker/Connect’s Eargle to discuss the Golden Hurricane’s fan engagement strategy, which include a new 3D projection system to make hoops games more interactive, a miniature football field for kids to use during games and the Guinness World Record for the largest pizza party ever on Planet Earth. Malay also discusses how the program is promoting new FB HC Wilson and what initiatives the program has in store moving forward. Check out the full Q&A on Connect. (link)

Dollars & Cents…

+ Utah finished FY22 with a record $115.7M in revenue against $111.88M in expenses, though the Salt Lake Tribune’s Newman reports $3.8M surplus includes $6.141M  in student fees and another $5.33M  in direct institutional support. Football accounted for $75.7M of the Utes’ revenue, with over $12M coming from ticket sales. Meanwhile, donations increased from $7.9M in FY21 to $28.5M. (link)

+ Appalachian State in 2022 raised more than $14M , including $5.79M via the Yosef Club. (link)

NIL Today…

+ Houston FB HC Holgorsen reacts to reports of the NCAA fortifying its NIL enforcement: “I'll believe it when I see it. I don't see any enforcing out there." (link)

+ Clemson FB HC Swinney ended his signing day event by encouraging donors to contribute to Clemson-related collectives but added: “There’s not one kid that has come to Clemson for NIL. Not one… but we don’t want anyone to leave because of NIL." (link)

+ The Vanderbilt-focused Anchor Impact Fund has received a $500K matching gift from alumnus Ingram. (link)

+ NBC Sports has launched its first team-wide fan club featuring the Loyola Chicago MBB team through NBC Sports Athlete Direct, the company’s NIL platform. (link)

The Big East DEI Working Group met earlier this week to discuss a number of topics, including hiring and pipeline development strategies, educational programs, and promotional activities designed to underscore the conference’s commitment to welcoming environments and greater representation of underrepresented groups within the college sports industry. Commissioner Ackerman: “We want to thank our DE&I Working Group for the ideas, energy and candor they brought to our sessions this week and will continue to rely on their expertise and guidance as we shape the future direction of our work in this critically important area.” (link)

A former NC State men’s soccer student-athlete has become the second former Wolfpack player to file a lawsuit alleging the university created a hostile educational environment and enabled sexual abuse by former Director of Sports Medicine Murphy. Specifically, the suit argues NC State failed to take action after a former soccer coach reported in early 2016 concerns that Murphy was grooming students for sexual contact. (link)

Michigan State FB student-athlete Windmon is entering a pre-plea diversion program as he seeks to have his misdemeanor assault charge stemming from his role in the Michigan Stadium tunnel scuffle dismissed. (link) 

Last year, the South outgrew other U.S. regions by 1.3M people via births outpacing deaths and domestic and international migration, according to population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The AP’s Schneider reports the “Northeast and Midwest lost residents, and the West grew by an anemic 153,000 people, primarily because a large number of residents left for a different U.S. region. The West would have lost population if not for immigrants and births outpacing deaths. Experts aren’t sure at this point if the dramatic pull of the South is a short-term change spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic or a long-term trend, or even what impact it will have on the reallocation of political power through redistricting after the 2030 census.” Those experts, Schneider continues, attribute the growth to lower housing costs, lower taxes and Baby Boomers retiring. (link)

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(NEWEST!) Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance and Eligibility (University of Hawaii at Manoa / Honolulu, HI): Responsible for all facets of the compliance program, including developing, implementing & maintaining a comprehensive, transparent & effective program promoting institutional compliance & control. More details HERE.

(NEWEST!) Assistant Director, Facilities & Event Management (Tulane University / New Orleans, LA): Reports directly to Assoc. AD Facilities & Event Management but provides additional support to the Director, Facilities and Event Management. Oversees the day-to-day management of all aspects of facilities maintenance activities, including facility repairs, renovations and scheduling in the Hertz Center, as well as assisting staff with these duties in additional athletic facilities. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Senior Associate AD for Administration/SWA (Southern Utah University / Cedar City, UT): Senior Associate AD for Administration and SWA (Senior Woman's Administrator) will fill the role of SWA, oversee sports as assigned, oversee compliance, academics, Title IX coordinator, EDI liaison More details HERE.

(NEW!) Director of Partnership Development (Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl / Shreveport, LA): Leads partner and sponsor development efforts of Independence Bowl - focusing on sponsorship and membership development, sales, management and renewals. Full-time, salaried position with benefits. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Director of Creative Media (Western Carolina University / Cullowhee, NC): The Director of Creative Media will be responsible for contributing to the creative video content strategy and producing/distributing digital content and creative video that support all sports. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Equipment Manager (George Mason University / Fairfax, VA): The George Mason University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics invites applications for a full-time Equipment Manager. Apply for position at: https://jobs.gmu.edu/postings/56420. EOE More details HERE.

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