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NCAA SVP of External Affairs Tim Buckley participated in a discussion about federal legislation and college sports as part of the Knight Commission meeting last week. Key takeaways…
➤ Buckley reiterated the NCAA’s position that “student-athlete leaders at every level of the NCAA are opposed to becoming employees. They cite not wanting their coach to become a boss. They cite the tax implications that come with being an employee. Our schools at every single level, every single subdivision of Division I and across the association, are opposed to their student-athletes becoming employees. They cite the ruinous cost implications of such a change. … I don’t think there’s a school out there in the United States of America today that could afford to turn all of their student-athletes to employees, increase their FTE headcount by 10, 15, 20% overnight. There would be cuts.”
➤ For comparison, Buckley noted the House settlement is optional; therefore, “schools don’t have to participate in the House settlement. And even if they opt in, they can participate at any financial level they want. There’s no minimum. There is just the cap. Employment would not be optional.”
➤ Buckley also extolled the SCORE Act as the “first bipartisan bill that enshrines into federal law NIL rights for every student-athlete, health and mental health, and academic benefits.” He contrasts that with the SAFE Act, which he argues “appears to undo a lot of that authority that your smaller schools – and especially your Division II and Division III – now have in the process, and it would replace it with a government-appointed board that has tremendous authority to withhold media-rights revenue from schools if certain conditions aren’t met.” Buckley also noted: “Unfortunately, the SAFE Act does not address employment, but the SCORE Act does. That’s one of the central reasons we are advocating for it.”
➤ Finally, Buckley defended the NCAA’s revenue distribution and governance as “direct democracy” and points out that lawsuits and legal uncertainty stalled progress but are easing. Furthermore, he projects continued revenue growth and emphasizes that effective rule enforcement requires limited liability protections from Congress.
➤ Here’s the full video. (link)

WIAC Commissioner Danielle Harris departs for the same role with the RMAC (DII). Harris: “The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference continues to elevate Division II through its unwavering commitment to academic and athletic excellence. I am excited to continue this important work and chart an even more ambitious and innovative path forward for our student-athletes, institutions, and the future of Division II athletics.” (link)

DII and DIII will stream all championship games not covered by existing ESPN or CBS media rights agreements on NCAA.com for free through a partnership with Hudl and TNT Sports. In total, the initiative will livestream over 1,200 games. Also of note, all DII and DIII championships will be promoted with the help of the NCAA Fan Database, which has more than 13M subscribers. VP of DII Terri Steeb Gronau and VP of DIII Louise McCleary: “We are excited to continue this strategic partnership to enhance the Division II and III brands by providing seamless and free access to every round of our team championships. This initiative presents a unique opportunity to highlight the extraordinary talents of our student-athletes and the rich diversity of our institutions and conferences to a broader audience. Building on the impressive viewership data from last year, we confidently anticipate a surge in audience engagement for our upcoming Division II and III championships.” (link)

Puck’s John Ourand examines Texas Tech (DI) Board of Regents Chair Cody Campbell’s claim that pooling media rights could generate upwards of $7B and explains: “Last year, ESPN bought a package of rights to 40 NCAA championships, including women’s basketball, baseball, softball, lacrosse, etcetera, for $920M over eight years. Some of the more popular sports in this package, like women’s basketball, could probably command a higher rights fee on their own. But that would devalue the rest of the package and orphan some of the smaller sports, like swimming and diving or track and field. Campbell insists that he’s in this for the long haul. But media executives and college administrators see his ideas as nonstarters. I was reminded of this current dialectic while listening to my partner Matt Belloni interview TKO top executives Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro on his podcast, The Town. A mere two months ago, Shapiro doubled the UFC’s rights fees via a seven-year, $7.7B deal with Paramount. You might think he’d be optimistic, especially when the NBA is about a week away from starting its $76B deals with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon, and the NFL is about to open up its deals early—a move that will take even more money out of the market. Instead, he was cautious and sober. ‘It’s the middle that’s going to get cut out,’ Shapiro told Matt, though he might have offered the same advice to Campbell.” (link)

Colby receives a $1M commitment from Trustee Emeritus Rick McVey to create the McVey Family Women’s Lacrosse Fund and endow an AC position. (link)

Facility Features…
➤ Regent has broken ground on its $50M, 31-acre athletic complex that will include an arena, venues for Baseball, Soccer and Softball, a Track & Field facility, a fitness center and more. The expected completion date is April to June of 2027, with the complex to be fully online when student-athletes begin in fall 2027. (link)
➤ Last week, Franklin broke ground on a $9.5M renovation of the future Elwood Fitness Center, which will include locker rooms and support services for multiple Grizzlies teams. So far, the college has raised more than $7M towards the fundraising goal, with the project to be completed in early 2027. (link)
➤ Ursinus unveils its renovated William B. Racich Hall of Fame for Athletes. (link)

Sport Sponsorship…
➤ Saint Joseph (CT) will add Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey starting next academic year. President Rhonda Free: “This is an exciting step forward for USJ. We're building on the championship success of our men's lacrosse, men's soccer, and men's and women's basketball teams in recent years. Ice hockey is a natural next step in expanding our athletic offerings and continuing to attract students who are driven to succeed both in the classroom and in competition.” (link)
➤ Thiel will add Women’s Flag Football starting this spring. (link)
➤ Agnes Scott will also add Women’s Flag Football beginning in 2026-27. (link)
➤ Greenville Women’s Gymnastics will join the WIAC as an affiliate member starting in 2026-27. (link)

Coaches.wire…
➤ Alma hires Adrian Recruiting Specialist Derick DuVall as its new Women’s Wrestling HC. (link)
➤ Salisbury selects Washington & Lee Women’s Tennis AC Tyler Linscott as its Men’s and Women’s Tennis HC/Tennis Center Director. (link)
➤ Stevenson names club HC James Riordan as its new Men’s and Women’s Swimming HC. (link)
➤ Wisconsin-Oshkosh taps high school HC Deante Jefferson as its first Women’s Flag Football HC. (link)
➤ This morning’s edition of Coaches.wire is ready for your review. (link)

More Higher Ed…
➤ Minnesota Morris Chancellor Janet Schrunk Ericksen will step down at the end of the calendar year. (link)
➤ America’s higher-ed crunch isn’t just about price, according to The Argument publisher Kyla Scanlon, who submits that it’s a demographic shock that’s turning many campuses – especially regional publics – into the next Rust Belt. Scanlon notes that undergraduate enrollment fell roughly 12% from 2010–2023 and cites Western Kentucky, her alma mater, as a microcosm. WKU is down ~23% from its 2012 peak, and over 60% of those who are admitted but don’t enroll there “go nowhere,” choosing work over school. Scanlon also observes that even if colleges do fix cost issues and outcomes, the pipeline is shrinking, as the U.S. is hitting “peak 18-year-old.” Specifically, new Census-based projections indicate two cliffs ahead – a small plateau around 2030, then another drop. Moreover, the country is aging fast. By 2030, there will be more people aged 65+ than under 18. This is all occurring as confidence in higher ed has cratered, especially among Republicans, and the labor market and trades offer viable alternatives – the Wall Street Journal calls Gen Z “the Toolbelt Generation” as more young people are choosing plumbing and carpentry over college degrees. Closures and mergers – of which there have been 90+ in the past decade – threaten local economies that depend on universities for payrolls, housing demand, culture, and a pipeline of young professionals. As such, Scanlon argues for “managed decline” over chaotic collapse. Specifically, Scanlon calls for expanding “smart immigration” to offset demographic losses, helping towns plan transitions (repurpose facilities, use federal/state funds like POWER); pushing institutional efficiencies and more. Flagships, elite private schools, and universities with major football will likely endure, but Scanlon believes many small colleges won’t. The goal, she concludes, isn’t saving every campus, but cushioning inevitable contractions so communities keep faith in public institutions and a shared future. (link)