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D1.jobs... New opportunities at Colorado State, Kent State, UC Santa Barbara and Wyoming, below. 332 different Division I institutions have chosen D1.jobs to maximize their ability to attract potential applicants. Click HERE to post your openings for tens of thousands of administrators to see.
D1.dossiers... Hawaii is now available, for those interested in the island life. Dossiers for seven other Athletic Director openings are also ready for you. $249 for an entire year of subscription. Stay tuned for the dossier for Southern Utah’s Senior Assoc. AD for Administration opening. (link)
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Tragic news from East Lansing, where a gunman opened fire on the Michigan State campus, taking the lives of three people and wounding at least five others. The shooter was eventually found by police, at which point he took his own life. Neither the shooter nor the victims’ identities have been released. Campus will be closed for the next 48 hours & no athletic contests will take place. We offer our deepest condolences and best wishes to all in East Lansing this morning. (link, link)
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As Hawai’i searches for its new AD a trio of state lawmakers are now calling for a change atop the university as Hawai’i Senate Higher Education committee chair Kim states: “Our criticism stems from our interactions with him and feedback that we have received from students, faculty, parents, former regents, and members of the university community who feel that a change in leadership may be necessary.” UH President Lassner responds: “It is of course disappointing to face harsh criticism, but that is part of leadership…but I always try to listen carefully to those who disagree with me to learn how I can improve. So I welcome ideas on how we can do even better, ideally together, for this great university and the people of Hawaiʻi we are all charged to serve.” (link)
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The rest of New Mexico State’s MBB schedule will be considered forfeits: “Each opponent will be given a conference win in the WAC standings; however, the NCAA will not recognize the forfeited games as part of the teams' overall record.” WAC Commissioner Thornton: “I applaud our Athletic Directors for working collaboratively with our staff to reach this decision. We are in the midst of the best statistical season in the WAC's history, and we wanted to create the most equitable solution that did not unfairly advantage or disadvantage institutions that lost opportunities to improve their standing. Ultimately, every institution will maintain the ability to control their destiny based on the results of their remaining conference contests.” (link)
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JohnCanzano.com’s eponymous proprietor reacts to the Pac-12’s statement emphasizing the league’s unity. “Monday’s statement was met with raised eyebrows. I found the release to be downright strange.” Based on recent “sourced conversations,” Canzano predicts the “Pac-12 will soon cut a media deal. It will likely expand by two members. Oregon and Washington aren't going anywhere. Neither are the ‘four corners’ schools. Then, we’ll all move on to talking about the next college football season. Over the weekend, I reached out to an involved source at one of the ‘four corners’ schools. I asked the person if he/she wanted to make a public statement and address the rumors of Pac-12 instability. Was the conference really threatening to unravel? Were members antsy? … The source said: ‘Invest your energy elsewhere.’ I’d love to, just as soon as a deal gets done.” (link)
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SBJ’s Smith profiles Huron Consulting’s evolution, noting that over the past two years the firm has grown its practice to 15 collegiate clients of various stripes, including UNC-Asheville, San Diego State, Missouri, Rutgers and Pittsburgh. During that time, the firm has brought on former Big Ten Commissioner Delany, former Penn State AD Barbour and former Duke AD White. Huron worked with the Aztecs to compile data that depicts where the department ranks in the Mountain West and what its needs would be to “step up,” according to Smith. Aztecs AD Wicker: “Some of these companies will throw out a bunch of big names and then you never hear from them again. Jim and Kevin were very participatory. They met with all of our teams; they met with student-athletes. And then they benchmarked us against the Mountain West and the new schools [BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, UCF] going into the Big 12.” Pittsburgh AD Lyke also talks about her experience with Huron: “You can’t just work on an island in athletics. You’ve got to work collaboratively across campus. Huron helped us understand our valuation, our media rights.” More. (link)
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WDRB’s Crawford reports the NCAA denied several previous requests by Louisville AD Heird to hang some sort of public memorial recognizing the 2013 MBB team. While the NCAA did approve the request this time around, Crawford notes the association said in a response that the approval was "narrow and limited to the specific 'banner' request in your letter. Louisville should exercise caution in how it reveals the banner. The banner and any logistics and events around its unveiling must continue to comply with the vacation of records penalty." Heird adds: “They made it very clear to me that yes, we could be back in front of the committee on infractions if we did something, and I have made it very clear from day one, that we are going to operate with one of our main objectives to be making sure we're never in front of committee on infractions. We're not going to be blatantly doing things that put this university or this athletic department in a difficult or a bad situation." (link)
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Texas Tech AD Hocutt has retained TurnkeyZRG to assist in searching for replacements for former Deputy AD Hernandez and outgoing Executive Senior Assoc. AD/SWA Stuart, CollegeAD reports. (link) |
With Toledo FB HC Candle reportedly in the mix for the OC posts at Miami (FL) and Notre Dame, the Toledo Blade’s Briggs observes: “Today, college football’s exploding financial divide — fueled by mountains of TV money— threatens to turn the MAC into a very different kind of stepping stone. … The idea that other schools view the newly extended coach of Toledo as attainable as an assistant is quite the reality check, not to mention a herald of the future.” Extra Points purveyor Brown adds: “You can't fault a coach for taking a huge pay raise, but if the coaching community believes that being an OC at an elite program is a better pathway towards sustainable quality of life or an elite job, that's worth some introspection on behalf of the MAC. I can't see any reason why that trend would change if elite coordinators can double their salary compared to MAC head coaches.” (link)
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Coaches Wire…
+ Lindenwood has named SIU-Edwardsville Baseball AC Finigan as HC-in-waiting. Finigan will join the Lions staff this year and succeed HC Bletcher beginning with the 2024 season. (link)
+ UC Santa Barbara extends Baseball HC Checketts through the 2029 season. (link)
+ Little Rock inks Baseball HC Curry to a four-year extension through the 2027 campaign. (link) |
The Ohio State Board of Trustees is proposing a new ice rink to house both the men's and women's hockey teams. The Columbus Dispatch’s Gay reports the project is set to include locker rooms, an athletics lounge, team dining and nutrition space, support services, offices for the coaching staff and team training, and an expansion of spectator seating capacity and broadcasting capabilities compared to the current OSU Ice Rink. While the project’s total budget has yet to be determined, OSU is seeking $2.7M for professional services, including design, for the Ice Rink Replacement project, which will determine the full scope and cost. If approved, construction would begin in June 2024 with an expected completion date of April 2026. (link)
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North Dakota State raised $5.8M in 2022 through Team Makers, the Bison’s annual fundraising arm, with $5.5M going to support student-athlete scholarships. Trade for goods and services totaled more than $469K, and in addition to more than $2M in other revenues, Team Makers made a total impact for Bison Athletics of over $7.9M. (link)
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Labor force participation among women between the ages of 25-54 has virtually made a full recovery since the pandemic according to government data released last week. NBC News’ Cheung: “At 76.9%, the share of women in that age group who were working or actively looking for work in January was essentially back to its pre-pandemic level of 77%. The rebound comes after 13.6M women, or 18% of the entire U.S. female population, lost their jobs during the depths of the pandemic.” At 88.5% in January, men of the same age group were still shy of February 2020’s level of 89.2%, according to federal data. (link)
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Another day, another difference of opinions on the economy. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary/Harvard President Emeritus Summers offers his outlook: “I think the consensus has become substantially too complacent about inflation. I don’t think it’s a moment for any kind of euphoria…We’re headed into what’s likely to be a turbulent period.” (link); Meanwhile, IMF Managing Director Georgieva says forecasters may have been too pessimistic, and she’s not surprised the stock market is having a strong start to the year. (link)
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Also Noticed… + Super Bowl LVII brought in an average of 113M viewers, per Nielsen, making it the third most-viewed TV broadcast of all-time. (link)
+ Nebraska State Senator Bostar (D-Lincoln) has introduced LB 168, which would make it legal to bet on college games regardless of where they are being played. Currently, state law allows bettors to gamble on college games but only when they’re competing out of state. Bostar: “It's not about expanded gambling. Nebraska teams playing in Nebraska are already subject to sports betting. … It's about fairness and consistency in our laws.” According to the bill, a portion of the tax revenues from sports gambling would support need-based college scholarships. (link)
+ Madison Square Garden Sports is investing $10M in Xtract One Technologies, which makes AI-powered weapon detectors for arenas, per Sportico’s Coffey. (link) |
Yesterday's Evening Standard... |
The NCAA has named Massachusetts Governor/incoming NCAA President Baker’s Chief of Staff Buckley as SVP of External Affairs. Baker: “Tim's ability to work across complex organizations and deliver results will be an asset as the Association works through the rapidly changing regulatory environment for college athletics." (link)
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NCAA SVP for Basketball Gavitt tells The Athletic’s Auerbach and Vorkunov that when the MBB and WBB committees take up the topic of tournament expansion this summer it’ll be the first time during his tenure the topic will receive serious consideration. “This is a different time because it’s coming as a recommendation from the Transformation Committee and the Division I Board. So I’m sure the committees will give it the appropriate consideration and review, but it’ll be interesting to see what kind of appetite there is. It’s a national championship that’s really outstanding right now. You’d have to have very compelling reasons to consider changing what’s really, really outstanding.” VCU AD McLaughlin: “I’ve never quite understood that basically half of FBS participates in bowl games, but the NCAA tournament — which is the best sporting event on Earth — doesn’t have the same high proportion of access.” Whatever the outcome, SEC Commissioner Sankey asserts there is “no element right now in college athletics that shouldn’t be subject to review — including postseason opportunities.” (link)
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The Pac-12 Conference Board today released the following statement: “The 10 Pac-12 universities look forward to consummating successful media rights deal(s) in the very near future. Based upon positive conversations with multiple potential media rights partners over the past weeks, we remain highly confident in our future growth and success as a conference and united in our commitment to one another.” (link)
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Louisville will hang a banner commemorating the 2013 MBB team, whose national championship was vacated. The banner will read “2013 Final Coaches Poll #1.” Cardinals AD Heird: "Obviously, we want to give the opportunity to (that team) and to our fans to recognize those achievements. And so that's the Clemson game, I believe (on Feb. 18). So we're going to do everything that we're allowed to do. Are we going to have some conversations about some things that we're allowed to do? Yes, we will do that from an NCAA standpoint. And once again, looking at the entirety of the picture, you know, in that NCAA case decision, those sanctions, it was very clear that we cannot recognize various teams in any form or fashion from a public standpoint. But is there an opportunity? Or is there a path forward to try to do that? We're going to try." (link)
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In the first of a three-part interview, Toledo AD Blair discusses a range of topics pertaining to his first year on the job, including the impact of NIL, about which he says: “If you’re at a Power Five program and you get a massive TV deal, your collective really becomes a lot of your fundraising outside of your facilities because you can just say, ‘Hey, put all your efforts towards that.’ I think it gets interesting at our level of fundraising for basic necessities like paying salaries, operations — I call it keeping the lights on. We can’t cannibalize that basic fundraising. At the same time, NIL is necessary in college athletics today, and particularly for us, I view it as a retention strategy.” Regarding whether it’s imperative that Toledo provide Alston awards to student-athletes, Blair stops short of agreeing on that terminology but acknowledges that “it's got to be part of the thought process moving forward. … For a student-athlete, that $6,000 [from Alston] or $6,000 through NIL feels just about the same from their end. The difference is Alston is done by the athletic department, and we can do it across the board in line with Title IX.” Lots more in the full interview. (link)
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Auburn AD Cohen talks about his dispassionate approach to the hiring of FB HC Freeze as well as his response to pushback, telling AL.com’s Wilborn: “I don’t get to decide how people feel. I’m powerless over that. I’m charged with making the best decision for Auburn. I’m not saying that people’s emotions and feelings aren’t their own. I’m not saying they’re not important. However, I know what I’m charged with doing. My job is to hire the best person for the position. …“It’s obvious in today’s society that negative gets you more. I didn’t want that to be one of the decision-makers for me. There was going to be some form of criticism, no matter who we hired at Auburn. But, knowing what I know, the amount of work we put into our background check, and the amount of work we did getting to know Hugh in every way, I felt very comfortable with the decision.” (link)
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DePaul Executive Assoc. AD for Revenue Generation and Strategic Initiatives Stapleton joins the WeAreDePaul podcast to discuss his role with the Blue Demons, the return of the Billy Blue Demon logo, NIL initiatives, the game day experience and more. Stapleton, who worked with Blue Demons AD Peevy at Kentucky, says of Peevy’s leadership style: “He really is relentless in the pursuit of goals, and he has a real knack for the student-athlete experience, and you’re seeing that here with some of the investments that are being made. He has a knack for self-generated revenues, he has a knack for new technologies. He’s told me you always take the pitch… you never know, it could be the new next best thing. He’s a visionary. … He’s very into building a culture of empowerment and ownership and then having the accountability on the back side. One of the first things the department did when Peevy took over was to conduct a brand identity analysis which eventually led to the decision to bring back Billy Blue Demon.” Full interview. (link)
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The Athletic’s O’Neil asserts New Mexico State must part ways with MBB HC Heiar, writing: “The NCAA has a fairly new enforcement policy. Strict liability, they call it. Essentially it means that a coach can no longer use the ‘I didn’t know about it’ defense when it comes to violations committed by staff members. The head coach is responsible for what goes on in his program. Surely if that applies to something as silly as a staff member contacting a recruit during a no-contact period, or inappropriately middle-manning an NIL deal, it ought to apply here. Perhaps it’s unreasonable to expect a coach to know every little thing his players are doing, but when things run this far afoul of right and wrong, the coach is leading a poisoned program.” O’Neil emphasizes that even amid the backdrop of all the other off-court problems plaguing the program this season, “players were allegedly abusing their teammate. Over and over again. You do that if you are cruel. You do that if you are ignorant. But you also do that if you think you can get away with it. Clearly the Aggies did.” (link)
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Coaches Wire…
+ Notre Dame MBB HC Brey tells Stadium’s Goodman that while he is stepping down after this season, he’s not retiring and is “definitely not done coaching.” (link)
+ Akron extends FB HC Moorhead through 2027, per ESPN’s Thamel, who reports the deal “also includes a retention bonus structure that puts his salary in the middle of the pack in the Mid-American Conference.” (link) |
It’s Personnel… + The SEC has named Alabama Director of Internal Affairs/UA System Liaison McDonald as Assoc. Commissioner for Academic Relations. (link)
+ Washington Deputy AD/Chief of Staff Fee joins D1.ticker/Connect's Garcia Cichosz to share more about the open Senior Assoc. AD/CFO position with the Huskies. Fee describes the "grit, resiliency and service"-oriented mindset within the senior leadership team, discusses the department's approach to NIL, shares more about the specific duties and early projects for the CFO, including a transition to the Workday platform, and explains why the PNW is one of the most attractive places to live and work across college athletics. More details only on Connect. (link)
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Sportradar Head of Integrity Services for North America and Athlete Wellbeing for Global Brown joins D1.ticker/Connect's Garcia Cichosz to discuss the Athlete Wellbeing program, developed to address the increase in athlete mental health concerns related to the rise of sports betting. Brown, who brings experience from the NCAA national office, talks through the biggest pain points athletic departments experience related to education on integrity and sports betting and shares takeaways from Sportsradar's first season in partnership with Bowl Season. Brown: "Student athletes experience common mental health conditions, whether that be depression, anxiety, the pressure to perform, social isolations. Does sports betting impact those common mental health conditions? That's one of the things we wanted to support [for] the collegiate stakeholders." Full conversation on Connect. (link)
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The Athletic’s Tucker and Marks examine how Overtime Elite’s role has evolved in the MBB landscape, as evidenced by the change in Kentucky HC Calipari’s attitude toward the organization. Two years ago, Calipari specifically identified OTE as a competitor. Now, he’s touring their facilities and giving “a full-throated endorsement of the league and its developmental value. He basically filmed a free commercial for his one-time nemesis. In the blink of an eye, OTE went from foe to friend of college basketball,” Tucker and Marks write. OTE CEO Porter: “I don’t think that I had personally appreciated that or tuned into that as much, and then when I realized that signing certain players who are being followed by all these blogs — Kentucky Wire or whatever they’re called — it’s like, oh, yeah, that’s a whole other realm.” (link)
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The playing surface at State Farm Stadium - also a common College Football Playoff venue - continues to be a major character in last night’s Super Bowl, as The Athletic’s Haller reports players on both sides say turf left much to be desired. Philadelphia Eagles LB Reddick: “I’m not going to lie: It was the worst field I’ve ever played on. It was very disappointing. It’s the NFL. You would think it would be better so we could get some better play, but it is what it is. I don’t know. Maybe the league will look at it and tell Arizona they got to step their stuff up.” While neither team wanted to cite the turf as a factor in their performance – “It’s not like we were playing on ice and they were playing on grass,” as Eagles HC Sirianni put it – Chiefs DE Clark observes: “I’ve been playing football since I was 7. The best grass I ever played on was grass that’s naturally there. The best grass I ever played on was grass that doesn’t move, that doesn’t get shifted inside and outside.” (link)
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Quick Hitters…
+ Kansas City in partnership with INFLCR is launching the KC Roos Exchange to connect student-athletes with NIL opportunities. (link)
+ Take a look at the NHL’s rink setup at NC State’s Carter-Finley Stadium for tomorrow’s Hurricanes-Capitals Stadium Series matchup. (link)
+ MLB’s Joint Competition Committee has voted unanimously to make its extra innings rule whereby a runner will be placed on second at the start of each inning permanent for all regular season games moving forward. D1Baseball’s Rogers: “With MLB making this permanent, I would keep an eye on this as it pertains to college baseball moving forward. As it stands, [college baseball HCs] can agree before a game to implement specialty extra-inning rules, but is NOT required (yet).” (link, link)
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(NEWEST!) Senior Associate Athletic Director, Athletic Academic Services (Kent State University / Kent, OH ): This position will be the Chief Academic Officer for the Athletics Academic Services Unit, which serves over 475 student-athletes and may have additional oversight in other units. More details HERE.
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