D1.ticker Top Ten - the most clicked stories of the past week |
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#10: As part of an on-going $337M Neyland Stadium revamp, Tennessee opened 10 new Founders Suites this fall with SBJ’s Bret McCormick noting Populous produced the initial concept and stayed on essentially as UT’s owners’ rep, while SLAM Collaborative served as design architect and Cope Architecture as the architect of record. Though UT doesn’t disclose Founders Suites revenue, Deputy AD/CRO Brady Hart tells McCormick they’re “a significant piece of the equation to be able to deliver this Neyland Stadium project.” Suite buyers could pick between two basic aesthetics for their 900-1,000 square foot suite, one “recalling a wood-paneled country club aesthetic and the other brighter and more modern. Designers then worked with the donors to individualize each suite’s layout. … Some donors brought in their own interior designers. … Fabrics, materials and countertops were among a half-dozen customizable elements. [...] A retractable NanaWall separates indoors from the outdoor front porch, with its roughly 18 Irwin luxury seats and Bromic outdoor heaters embedded in a wood-paneled ceiling above. The suites come with 24 tickets and all-inclusive, high-end food and beverage service from Aramark Sports + Entertainment.” (link)
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#9: HuskerMax’s Lincoln Arneal reports Nebraska Women’s Volleyball HC Dani Busboom Kelly has “confirmed that Nebraska will soon unveil a new Taraflex court. She doesn’t know if it will be used [this] weekend because they haven’t practiced on it. She had a hand in the design process. Her first choice was Herbie, but instead went with the state outline. The red stripes around the edges are intended to resemble rows of corn.” (link)
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#8: San Diego State has released three new secondary logos, Ocelotl (jaguar), Calli (house), and Ehecatl (wind), marking the result of a six-year project to identify iconography that is historically reflective of the Aztecs’ culture while aligning with the school’s pillar values. Per The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Mark Zeigler, “there are scarlet and black versions that sports teams will likely use as secondary marks, appearing on the neckline of a uniform or perhaps on practice shirts. There are also full-color variants with different shades of teal plus a yellow called ‘golden’ that the university, which recognizes teal as an official color in addition to scarlet and black, will use.” AD John David Wicker: “Part of us wanting to do this has been this notion that, ‘They took the Warrior away, now they’re going to take the Aztecs name next.’ This reinforces that we’re not. We’re the Aztecs. President (Adela) de la Torre has leaned into that. It’s who we are. Teams within athletics can determine which of them they want to use. I don’t envision it being a primary mark on the front of a uniform, like, for example, the duck at Oregon. I don’t anticipate that, but maybe things will change in the future.” (link)
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#7: USA Today has updated its list of the highest paid Football HCs around the industry, starting with Georgia HC Kirby Smart ($13.28M) and followed by Ohio State HC Ryan Day ($12.57M), USC HC Lincoln Riley ($11.53M), Clemson HC Dabo Swinney ($11.44M), Texas HC Steve Sarkisian ($10.8M), Oregon HC Dan Lanning ($10.4M), Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer ($10.25M), LSU HC Brian Kelly ($10.17M), North Carolina HC Bill Belichick ($10.1M), and Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin, Kentucky HC Mark Stoops, Missouri HC Eli Drinkwitz and Tennessee HC Josh Heupel ($9M) in the top 10. Smart has the highest buyout as of 12/1/2025 at $105M, followed by Day ($70.91M), DeBoer ($60.84M), Sarkisian ($60.3M), Swinney ($60M), Florida State HC Mike Norvell ($58.67M), Lanning ($56.73M), Indiana HC Curt Cignetti ($56.7M), Kelly ($53.29M) and Nebraska HC Matt Rhule ($49.61M). Full list. (link)
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#6: Texas Tech Board of Regents Chair Cody Campbell posts the latest Saving College Sports ad on his X account that TV networks refused to air. He also comments: “No good reason given as to why - just ignoring us or telling us to contact their attorneys. The General Council for one major network told me it was a ‘business decision’. This was AFTER we’d sent them a large wire to pay for the ads! Why would the networks want to silence a legitimate debate around an issue that affects hundreds of thousands of kids and is existentially threatening to women’s sports and Olympic sports? What is the ‘business reason’ that overrides the benefit and enjoyment that college sports provide to tens of millions of Americans? What are they hiding?? If there was ever a question that money, control, and greed are being prioritized over student athletes, fans, and communities…Here you go!! … This fight isn’t about me, and it certainly isn’t about TV ads - it’s much bigger. It’s about doing what is right and necessary to save a great American institution. I promise that I won’t stop fighting until we are successful in solving this problem, and I know I can count on many of you to join me!” (link)
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#5: The DI Administrative Committee has also introduced a proposal that would modify rules for commercial logos on student-athletes' equipment, uniforms and apparel for non-NCAA championship competition. Under existing rules, the only commercial logo permitted on student-athletes' equipment or apparel during regular-season games is the logo of the equipment or apparel manufacturer. If the proposal is adopted, schools could place two additional commercial logos on uniforms and pregame/postgame apparel during non-NCAA championship competition. Furthermore, one additional commercial logo would be permitted on equipment used by student-athletes. The committee directed the playing rules committees and subcommittees to review the proposal and make sport-specific recommendations on national standards for placement of commercial logos. A final proposal is expected to be considered for a final vote in January. If adopted in January, rules changes for apparel and equipment would be effective August 1. The Administrative Committee also renamed itself and will be known moving forward as the Division I Cabinet. (link, link)
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#4: Texas Tech unveils a new suite of athletics-specific marks, including a modernized Double T logo, that will adorn all Red Raiders Athletics uniforms starting in the 2026-27 academic year. TTU AD Kirby Hocutt: “This multi-year project will propel our athletics brand further into this new era of college athletics where Texas Tech will continue to lead at a national level." Efforts to modernize the Double T logo were launched following a LDWW brand audit and coincided with the start of a new 10-year agreement with Adidas in July 2024 to serve as TTU’s footwear, uniform, apparel and accessory partner. In addition to Adidas, Texas Tech Athletics also partnered with Torch Creative to develop new secondary marks and Raider Red caricatures, while the rearing Masked Rider can also be paired with the modernized Double T to form one of Texas Tech's two new tertiary marks. (link)
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#3: Collegiate Sports Connect has compiled the football season ticket pricing maps for every school in the Power 4. The color-coded maps depict things like how much tickets cost in each section, seat types, whether a donation is required (and how much) and more. For the SEC, data indicates the average cost per seat on the home 50-yard line halfway up the lower bowl is $2,393. The most expensive of those seats is in Neyland Stadium, where Tennessee charges a total of $5,060, which consists of a $4K gift, $450 for the ticket, $150 license fee, plus the recently added 10% talent fee ($460). The least expensive is Vanderbilt, where the $645 cost includes a $295 gift and a $350 ticket. Diving deeper into the figures, the average cost of the least expensive season ticket option is $441, with Georgia offering the most expensive option ($810 = $250 gift + $560 ticket), while Missouri has the least expensive ($149 = ticket, no donation required). Half of the schools in the SEC require a seat donation/gift/contribution/etc. on every season ticket seat while half do not. (link)
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#2: Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger with an interesting update on the new ad produced by Texas Tech Board of Regents Chair Cody Campbell pushing for a reform of the Sports Broadcasting Act that was set to run across the industry during games last weekend: “College football’s national broadcast and cable partners have decided against airing this advertisement, those with knowledge of the decision say.” (link)
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#1: The College Sports Commission has launched its anonymous tipline in partnership with RealResponse. CSC CEO Bryan Seeley: “This anonymous tipline provides an essential tool for identifying potential rules violations, gathering additional information and ultimately enforcing these new rules. We’re committed to robust enforcement of the rules while protecting those who come forward with useful information.” RealResponse Founder and CEO David Chadwick: “With the House settlement reshaping the college sports landscape, new opportunities and challenges have emerged, making integrity and accountability more important than ever. This partnership ensures there is a safe, trusted channel to report potential rules violations. We’re proud to help the CSC protect fairness, maintain a level playing field, and give every stakeholder the confidence to speak up when rules are at risk of being broken.” Accordingly, check out the CSC’s new anonymous reporting page. (link, link)
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