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Big Chair Changes:

+ Tampa AD Larry Marfise will retire in November after 26 years leading the Spartans. President Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg: “I cannot overstate the profound impact Larry has had on UTampa's co-curricular experience and on the hundreds of student-athletes who have competed on our fields and courts.” Marfise will stay on with Tampa through the onboarding of his successor. (link)

+ Catawba AD Michelle Caddigan has been promoted to VP for Athletics. President David Nelson: “This is a recognition of the outstanding leadership Vice President Caddigan has demonstrated during her tenure at Catawba. It also recognizes the significance of our athletics programs for the education of our students and the culture of our college.” (link)

D.C. Decisions:

+ U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan halted the Trump administration’s freeze on federal grands and loans. A hearing has been set for February 3, at which point the judge will determine whether to issue a longer-term while a lawsuit filed by a coalition of organizations, including the National Council of Nonprofits and the American Public Health Association moves forward. The freeze had been set to take effect at 5 PM on Friday. (link, link)

+ The Trump administration has removed NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo from her position. Abruzzo: “There’s no putting the genie back in the bottle. So, if the Agency does not fully effectuate its Congressional mandate in the future as we did during my tenure, I expect that workers with assistance from their advocates will take matters into their own hands in order to get well-deserved dignity and respect in the workplace, as well as a fair share of the significant value they add to their employers’ operations." (link)

The AFCA has retained the Chet Culver Group and Capitol Counsel lobbying firms, according to Front Office Sports’ Amanda Christovich, who reports that “lobbying disclosures were submitted Jan. 17, and no other disclosures are listed for the AFCA, suggesting this is the first time the group has hired lobbyists in at least two decades. … Federal lobbying disclosures typically don’t go into specifics about the issues organizations are advocating for—but the forms noted that lobbyists would be working in Congress on the AFCA’s behalf for ‘improving the NIL [name, image, and likeness] program.’ The disclosures did not say how much the group was paying these two organizations.” Capitol Counsel counts Nike and the NFL among its clients. (link)

Sonoma Sport Cuts:

+ Save Seawolves Athletics has filed a civil rights complaint with the Office of Civil Rights over Sonoma State’s decision to eliminate athletics. A spokesperson for the organization telling KTVU: “We believe that the decision to eliminate athletics must be reversed, and that alternatives should be explored within the broader university budget that do not negatively impact marginalized students to such an extent. The lack of transparency in the process—particularly the failure to involve key stakeholders like the Athletics Department and the Student Athlete Council—further underscores the need for an independent investigation.” (link)

+ During yesterday’s California State University Board of Trustees meeting, student-athletes, graduates, coaches and more spoke publicly trying to convince the board to overturn the cuts. CSU Chancellor Mildred García: “I can assure you we hear you, and I will underscore Sonoma State is not closing. We are going to position Sonoma State to be prepared for the now and for the future and for the rest of the time that we are all on this earth. We are listening. We care about the input that we are receiving.” (link)

More from MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy’s Small College Conversation at the 2025 NCAA Convention on the league’s membership growth ambitions, as Racy says the objective would be to add two Football-playing members in the next year or two, with 20 being the cap for the conference. Under the current format, Racy believes it’s unlikely DI schools will move down to DII, but “if we can get people in a room and they can think about maybe a different organization of the NCAA, then yes. An archaic rule is you can have two of your sports at the DI level except for football and basketball. Well, maybe we need to rethink that in football. Maybe there's a different championship of football that the NCAA helps create and DI and DII members that want to be a part of that can do that without it affecting their other divisional affiliations.” Full conversation on BOSCA. (link)

Embry-Riddle receives a multi-million dollar gift to create an endowment for Baseball student-athlete scholarships. AD Rachel Burleson: "This gift is a game-changer for our baseball program. It enhances our ability to recruit and retain exceptional student-athletes while reinforcing our commitment to academic and athletic excellence. We are deeply grateful for this support, which will have a lasting impact on our program.” (link)

Nine former Western Oregon Women’s Basketball student-athletes are suing the institution, coaches and administrators for roughly $28M, with the lawsuit claiming: “[HC Jessica] Peatross and [AC DJ] Marlow physically abused plaintiffs through using excessive and unreasonable amounts of exercise as punishment contrary to NCAA guidelines provided to all NCAA Division II schools, and emotionally abused and humiliated plaintiffs through disparaging comments about their bodies, tearing them down, belittling them, and telling them they were worthless.” The suit comes after Peatross and Marlow were placed on administrative leave last February following an physical incident between Peatross and a student-athletes, with the duo reinstated two months later following an investigation. The lawsuit goes on to call that investigation a “sham,” only interviewing four of the dozen individuals who made complaints and that six of the individuals who complained that had eligibility remaining were not allowed to return for this season. More. (link)

The North Carolina Attorney General’s office has not approved Saint Augustine’s deal with 50 Plus 1 Sports and has laid out its concerns about the proposal as it considers a decision. The primary areas of concern are the lack of sufficient documentation, “SAU’s ability to continue to operate and fulfill its mission if this proposed lease agreement is finalized without substantive improvements,” and the disparity in SAU’s $198M+ property appraisal value and the $70M upfront payment. The AG office also expressed concern around the lack of due diligence provided by the SAU Board and 50+, SAU retaining its tax-exempt status should this deal go through and how the university will continue to serve its educational purposes. Full letter. (link); In response, SAU has taken aim at Self-Help Credit Union and their CEO Martin Eakes, with the SAU Board of Trustees previously rejecting a proposal from Self-Help, adding: “We are alarmed that the contents of the Attorney General’s letter to SAU mirror the comments in printed media spoken by Mr. Eakes from Self-Help Credit Union. Based on our correspondence with the Attorney General’s Office, our proposal was shared with Mr. Eakes without our consent before we received a response. Therefore, we suspect that the Attorney General’s Office used Mr. Eakes’ counsel and input to subsequently influence their decision. Such interference by Self-Help raises significant concerns about fairness. It suggests their attempt to weaponize the NC Attorney General’s Office to obstruct the approval process for the 50 Plus 1 Sports deal. Despite these challenges, SAU remains committed to working collaboratively with the Attorney General’s Office.” (link)

The 2025 Beach Volleyball Championship on May 2-4 will be relocated from Huntington Beach, California, to Gulf Shores, Alabama, due to the wildfire recovery efforts. Huntington Beach is still scheduled to host the 2026 championship before it moves to Gulf Shores from 2027-31. (link)

Deal Digest:

+ Cameron and CSU Pueblo both unveil new websites in conjunction with SIDEARM Sports. (link, link)

+ Red Card and GrubHub announce a partnership through which Red Card will be a payment method in Grubhub. According to the announcement, Red Card account holders “will have control over which restaurants your student athletes can order from.” Additionally, receipts will be provided for all orders and purchases can be tax-exempt. (link)

It’s Personnel:

+ Drive & Company - the parent company of D2.ticker - has added Brian Bowsher as Senior Director of Integrated Marketing. Bowsher most recently served as Head of Marketing & Platforms at Sport & Story after nearly six years as Assoc. AD/CMO at Washington (DI). (link)

+ Director of DII Football Officials Mike Burton will retire in June. (link)

Bentley removes the interim tag in elevating CJ Scarpa to Football HC. AD Vaughn Williams: "His exceptional communication skills, experience with the program as a player and coach, and his commitment to our program make him the ideal person for the job. His understanding of the university and his vision for ensuring our football program remains unified and connected with the university's mission truly set him apart from our many great applicants." (link)

Johnson C. Smith has parted ways with Women’s Basketball HC Monterika Warren. AC Taisha Murphy will serve as Interim HC for the rest of the season. (link)

Coaches.wire:

+ Indiana (PA) names West Virginia State Women’s Volleyball HC Avery Moore to the same role. (link)

+ Lees-McRae hires high school HC Mike Brown as its inaugural Women’s Flag Football HC. (link)

+ Mount Olive selects Guilford (DIII) Football AC Eric James as its Women’s Flag Football HC. (link)

+ This morning’s edition of Coaches.wire is available - stay up-to-speed with all the changes to coaching staffs in the past 48 hours. (link)

Interested in advertising a job opening in D2.ticker? Click here to submit your position. Post your department-wide openings with CollegeSports.jobs, where thousands of administrators coaches get news and updates about the world of college sports.

(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)

Assistant Men's Soccer Coach (Coker University / Hartsville, SC): Coker University is accepting applications for the position of Assistant Men’s Soccer Coach. Coker is a member of NCAA Division II and competes in the South Atlantic Conference. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (Goucher College / Baltimore, MD): The Director of Athletics is responsible for organizing and administering all aspects of the College’s NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletics program and IHSA equestrian program. (DIII) More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Operations (University of Missouri – St. Louis / St. Louis, MO): Position plays a vital leadership role in ensuring the smooth management and operation of athletic facilities with the ability to collaborate and be a part of a team striving for excellence. More details HERE.

Head Coach Baseball/Physical Education & Wellness Instructor (Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT / Cambridge, MA): Full-time (10-month appointment) benefits eligible position, responsibilities will include the management and oversight of all facets of the MIT Baseball program. (DIII) More details HERE.

Associate Head Coach - Women's Golf (San Jose State University / San Jose, CA): Assist the HC in management of all phases of the W. Golf program, including recruiting, team travel, student-athlete services, competition scheduling, budget management, and community/donor relations. (DI) More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (Rowan University / Glassboro, NJ): Establishes policies and procedures that achieve the parallel goals of developing quality, competitive athletics teams and supporting the individual educational goals of student-athletes. (DIII) More details HERE.

Director of Equipment Operations (Tarleton State University / Stephenville, TX): The Director for Equipment Operations is a highly skilled and motivated individual who serves in a leadership role and is responsible for managing the equipment operations for all Division I sports. (DI) More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (Columbus State University / Columbus, GA): The Athletic Director provides strategic vision and direction for the athletic department and competitive intercollegiate sports program. More details HERE.

Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics (Kentucky Wesleyan College / Owensboro, KY): VP provides strategic leadership of our NCAA DII athletics program. Responsibilities include recruiting and managing staff, fundraising, ensuring compliance, and community engagement. Go Panthers! More details HERE.

Athletics Graphic Designer/Content Creator (University of Dayton / Dayton, OH): This position will be the primary designer of graphics for the external and internal needs of the Dayton Flyers. (DI) More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Trainer (St. Mary's University – Texas / San Antonio, TX): The Assistant Athletic Trainer is responsible for recognizing, treating, rehabilitating, and providing care and first aid to St. Mary's University intercollegiate student-athletes year-round. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (Lock Haven University / Lock Haven, PA): Lead the Bald Eagles in providing a holistic experience for nearly 500 student athletes, inspiring extraordinary accomplishments in academic achievement, athletic competition and civic engagement. More details HERE.

Senior Associate Athletic Director/Chief Financial Officer (University of North Georgia / Dahlonega, GA): The Senior Associate Athletic Director and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is a senior leadership position within the university's highly competitive NCAA Division II athletic department. More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Athletics for the AHP Air Dome and Athletics Administration (LeTourneau University / Longview, TX): Responsible for the management of the new Athletic & Human Performance Air Dome athletic facility. (DIII) More details HERE.

Head Men's Soccer Coach (South Dakota Mines / Rapid City, SD): This is an NCAA DII head coaching opportunity at one of the top STEM institutions in the nation, located in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. More details HERE.

Deputy Director of Athletics/Chief Financial Officer (University of Arkansas at Little Rock / Little Rock, AR): Little Rock Athletics seeks a Deputy AD/CFO who will serve as a member of the Leadership Team and provide oversight of financial operations, budget planning, & fiscal management for the Department. (DI) More details HERE.

Senior Associate Athletics Director – Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS) (University of Arkansas at Little Rock / Little Rock, AR): Little Rock Athletics seeks a Senior Associate AD–Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS). Serves as member of Leadership Team & fosters success and development of student-athletes. (DI) More details HERE.

Chief Development Officer (University of Arizona / Tucson, AZ): Reporting to the VP & Director of Athletics, the CDO for Arizona Athletics leads the department’s comprehensive development strategy, overseeing major gifts, annual giving, and donor engagement. (DI) More details HERE.

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