University endowments in FY26 recorded their strongest returns in five years, propelled largely by investments in SpaceX and artificial intelligence. Early data from Cambridge Associates indicates a median return of 16.1% for U.S. colleges, though several institutions posted significantly higher gains. For instance, the North Carolina system reported a 37.8% gain, Washington University in St. Louis gained 37.3%, Stanford gained 31.7%, and Harvard saw its endowment grow to $68B following a 27.1% return. Harvard previously disclosed a $2.2B direct stake in SpaceX, which served as a primary driver of the returns alongside AI-focused funds. The Wall Street Journal’s Juliet Chung points out that these financial windfalls provide critical budget relief amid dropping enrollment and a looming tax increase on net investment income that will cost Harvard roughly $300M annually starting in 2027. (link)

SEC schools are increasingly utilizing public-private partnerships to finance campus housing as a migration to the South drives surging enrollment and record university applications, according to Bloomberg's Elizabeth Rembert and Shruti Singh. Tennessee recently opened Torchbearer Hall, marking the completion of a three-dormitory expansion financed by $350M in tax-free municipal bonds to accommodate a 50% enrollment increase since 2016 and add 3,000 beds to the campus. Ole Miss is also preparing a $128M bond sale to address a 34% enrollment jump since 2021, reflecting a broader trend that saw 23 public-private transactions close nationwide last year, per Brailsford & Dunlavey. With overall student housing borrowing up 70% to $3B this year, these off-balance-sheet structures allow universities to preserve credit capacity and protect institutional budgets while meeting immediate student demands. Tennessee Vice Chancellor for Student Life Frank Cuevas: "We’re not backstopping this at all. It’s completely off-budget. We wanted housing quickly, but we also wanted to make sure it’s not adding to the cost of attendance." (link)

UEFA is preparing to ban Manchester City from all European competitions for seven to 10 years as punishment for nearly a decade of “financial doping,” according to a leak reported by Football365's Will Ford. The impending sanction follows an independent commission finding the club guilty of 114 Premier League rule breaches involving £900M in artificially inflated sponsorship deals between 2009 and 2018. The potential European expulsion would accompany domestic penalties, which football finance expert Kieran Maguire projects will far exceed the combined 10-point deductions levied against Everton and Nottingham Forest for single-year overspends of less than £20M. Maguire adds: "I worked out that if you add up nine years of Champions League non-participation for individual clubs at an average of £50M a time, around £20M for the Europa League, plus potential claims from players who missed bonuses, the Premier League’s legal fees and a fine, we’re talking in excess of £1B regardless of the points deduction." (link)

Private credit funds are increasingly pitching English football clubs on "squad-value financing," a novel loan structure sized against the estimated value of a team's playing roster. Firms like 23 Capital, Tifosy, and Fasanara are facilitating these complex loans, which secure capital against hypothetical future transfer receivables rather than forcing immediate player sales. The trend emerges as global football transfer spending reached a record €10.8B this summer, with Premier League clubs driving 38% of the total market. Six of the 10 highest-valued rosters globally are English, per Transfermarkt, while transfer spending among non-top-flight English clubs jumped to €453M from €310M a year ago. Fasanara CEO Francesco Filia: "Football clubs need capital on a timetable that does not always match when revenues arrive. Our sports receivables and squad-backed financing strategy aims to bridge that gap." (link)

Arsenal informed staff that roughly 60 positions across various non-playing departments face potential redundancy following an internal review by management consultants Boston Consulting Group. The Athletic’s Nick Miller points out the proposed job cuts arrive despite the reigning Premier League champions reporting record annual revenues of £691M ($911M) in their 2024-25 financial accounts. Meanwhile, the timing of the consultation process raised internal and public scrutiny as it immediately followed a lucrative contract extension for Head Coach Mikel Arteta—which makes him the highest-paid manager in the top flight—and recent squad depth investments, including the transfers of defenders Ezri Konsa and backup goalkeeper Illan Meslier. Miller: "The argument is always that businesses have to make tough decisions, and sometimes that means people losing their jobs. But even if you subscribe to that cold assessment of the situation, the key words are ‘have to’. Arsenal do not ‘have to’ get rid of these people. They will be fine if they don’t cut them." (link)

EQT AB Chair Jean Eric Salata has agreed to purchase a 2.1% stake in the Miami Dolphins and its affiliated properties from principal owner Stephen Ross, according to SBJ's Ben Fischer. The transaction values the organization—which includes Hard Rock Stadium, the F1 Hard Rock Miami Grand Prix, and the Miami Open—slightly above $12.5B, establishing a new high-water mark for NFL minority investments. The valuation represents a rapid escalation from the $8.1B price tag attached to Ross's previous equity sales to Ares Management and Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai in late 2024. NFL owners are expected to approve the deal at their upcoming meetings in New York City, where they will also review Arthur Blank's agreement to sell a 7.5% stake in the Atlanta Falcons to Arctos Partners. (link)

McKinsey North America Chair/Senior Partner Eric Kutcher has emerged as the frontrunner to succeed Bob Sternfels as Global Managing Partner, though his four-year tenure as CFO remains a focal point ahead of the January election among roughly 760 senior partners. During his time as CFO, Kutcher directed "Project Magnolia," a cost-cutting plan that eliminated over 1,400 back-office positions to counter weak partner profits, while also overseeing internal remuneration reviews designed to address delayed performance-related payments. Kutcher currently manages a North American division that comprises roughly half of the firm, and he projects a 12% growth rate for frontline consultants this year alongside flat or low single-digit percentage increases for administrative hiring. The succession ballot will also consider other executives, including Europe head Tunde Olanrewaju, former North America leader Asutosh Padhi, client capabilities head Becca Coggins, and industry practices leader Alex Panas. (link)

Three-quarters of CFOs face high (67%) or very high (9%) pressure to implement AI, according to a survey of 270 U.S. finance leaders at companies with at least 1,000 employees and $100M in revenue conducted by Global Surveyz Research for FP&A platform Datarails. Managing AI tools demands significant oversight, with nearly all surveyed CFOs spending at least 10% of their workday verifying AI outputs and 32% spending between 26% and 50% of their day on verification. The study found surveyed organizations spent an average of $361K in 2025 on finance software, while 32% exceeded their AI budgets by at least 10%. Additionally, 84% of CFOs hold ownership of their company's AI budget, with 53% planning to expand AI licenses over the next year, 40% maintaining spending, and 7% reducing expenditure. Microsoft Copilot serves as the top general-purpose AI tool used by 93% of respondents, followed by ChatGPT (65%), Claude (64%), Google Gemini (20%), and Perplexity (13%). CFOs cited a lack of auditability as the primary barrier to trusting AI with mission-critical tasks, with only 23% trusting AI unreviewed for revenue forecasting, 13% for variance analysis, 11% for cash flow management, 5% for board reports, and 4% for month-end close processes. (link)

Meanwhile, major corporations including Meta, Microsoft, and Walmart are scaling back artificial intelligence rollouts after encountering errors, security risks, and employee frustration. Despite corporate investment, an Atlanta Federal Reserve study found that 90% of executives report no productivity gains from AI efforts, while an Ernst & Young survey revealed that 36% of senior AI executives at companies with at least $1B in revenue experienced AI incidents. The push for AI has also driven workforce reductions, with Challenger, Gray & Christmas reporting over 112,000 job cut announcements in 2026 citing the technology as a primary factor. Companies are now implementing restrictions and refocusing on role-specific training to address errors. University of Pittsburgh researcher Mark Ma noted that rushing AI adoption for short-term performance has backfired for many leaders: "A lot of these mistakes could have been avoided. Now I feel some managers have learned their lesson." (link)

A September surge in bond yields drove a 4% YoY decline in third-quarter fixed-income, currencies, and commodities trading revenue across major Wall Street institutions, including Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo. While equities trading revenue surged over 40% during the same period, market volatility hit trading inventories and squeezed core regulatory capital ratios by roughly 1% over the past year. Higher rates may prompt banks to reallocate resources toward traditional lending, with Bank of America raising its 2027 net interest income growth projection to 8% or more and JPMorgan Chase targeting a $10B increase in non-markets net interest income. Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan: "We expect it to continue to grow, but they’ve got to get the returns as they’re growing. And when customers stop cold like they did last quarter, that happens." (link)

The 2025 Federal Reserve triennial Survey of Consumer Finances challenges the popular "K-shaped" economic recovery narrative by demonstrating that wealth inequality has largely plateaued since the pandemic, according to the Financial Times' Robert Armstrong. The data indicates the top 10% of earners possess a median income of $400K—five times that of middle-distribution families—but income growth since 2019 has actually remained the same or slowed at the top compared to the bottom. The report also reveals the highest-earning 10% account for 28% of total consumer spending, contradicting recent estimates that placed their share at 50%. Armstrong warns that while household leverage is falling, rising debt costs and potential housing market stagnation pose ongoing risks to the bottom 25% of Americans who maintain a net worth near zero, though he remains broadly optimistic about the macroeconomic trajectory: "Survey data is imperfect, but the SCF is a high-quality study and the trend is clear: while inequality remains very high, American families across much of the wealth and income spectrum have enjoyed real gains in the past decade. Let’s hope it lasts — and spreads to the Americans who are struggling the most." (link)

Interested in advertising a job opening in CFO.ticker on CollegeSports.jobs? Submit your position here.

(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days).

(NEW!) Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) (University of Minnesota / Minneapolis, MN): Athletics HRBP supports recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, payroll, and compliance while partnering with coaches and staff to promote inclusion, engagement, and departmental success More details HERE.

(NEW!) Assistant Athletic Director, Business Operations (La Salle University / Philadelphia, PA): This position supports the daily operations of the Athletic Business Office and will assist in budgeting, financial reporting, accounts payable, payroll, and purchasing. More details HERE.

Director of Athlete Compensation (Clemson University / Clemson, SC): Key member of the Athletics Central Front Office, providing strategic leadership & analytical support in the development, negotiation, and administration of student-athlete compensation strategies. More details HERE.

Data Analyst – Athletic Financial Reporting (Texas A&M University / College Station, TX): Provide data support for departmental projects and business processes and perform assigned administrative and financial business functions for Athletics business operations. More details HERE.

Financial Analyst I (2 Positions) (University of Arizona / Tucson, AZ): Help drive Arizona Athletics forward through financial insight, analysis, and strategy. Join our team as a Financial Analyst I and help turn data into informed decisions. More details HERE.

Associate Athletic Director, Revenue Marketing & Business Intelligence (University of Maryland / College Park, MD): Leads data-driven marketing and analytics to grow revenue, attendance, donor engagement, retention, and databases through targeted campaigns, pricing, audience insights, and sales partnerships. More details HERE.

Athletics Business Coordinator (Rice University / Houston, TX): The Business Coordinator will help in the generation of budget reports, purchasing, and deposits for the Athletic Department. More details HERE.

Athletics Business Associate (University of Illinois Springfield / Springfield, IL): Lead the business and HR operations for athletics, including providing insight into budgets, policies and staff hiring. Serves on senior staff. Has opportunity for athletics administration duties. (DII) More details HERE.

Coordinator - Business & Finance (University Athletic Association, Inc. at the University of Florida / Gainesville, FL): Manage key financial processes including accounts receivable and bank statement reconciliations. Support balance sheet reconciliation reviews. Ensure timely/accurate recording of incoming payments. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director, Business Operations, Department of Athletics (R0009158) (Wake Forest University / Winston-Salem, NC): The Assistant Athletic Director, Business Operations, is responsible for a broad range of accounting and business operations functions within the Department of Athletics’ Business Office. More details HERE.

Assistant Business Manager (University of Texas – Austin / Austin, TX): To provide support assigned Sport Programs and Departments within Intercollegiate Athletics, in the areas of budget management, travel, procure to pay, and related business functions. More details HERE.

Data Analyst I (University of Alabama / Tuscaloosa, AL): The Data Analyst I gathers, audits, analyzes, and reports low- to moderate-complexity data under general supervision. More details HERE.

Deputy Athletic Director (University of Washington / Seattle, WA): Washington Athletics has an outstanding opportunity for a Deputy Athletic Director to join their team. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Seattle? Click HERE.

Assistant Director for Business Services (University of Connecticut / Storrs Mansfield, CT): The University of Connecticut is seeking applications for the full-time position of Assistant Director for Business Services More details HERE.

Assistant or Associate Athletic Director, Business Operations/SWA (Sacred Heart University / Fairfield, CT): Provides operational leadership for Athletics' business functions. Oversees financial management, budgeting, purchasing, contracts, revenue and expense tracking to ensure fiscal responsibility More details HERE.

Associate VP & Chief Commercial Officer/Chief Revenue Officer (Ohio State University / Columbus, OH): Responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive revenue growth strategy for the Department of Athletics and Buckeye Enterprises at The Ohio State University. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Columbus? Click HERE.

Director, Business Office (Spartan Ventures / East Lansing, MI): This role, in conjunction with the Spartan Ventures CFO, will manage all financial activity related to the organization and contribute directly to the success of Michigan State University Athletics. More details HERE.

Manager, Financial Planning and Analytics (University of Texas – Austin / Austin, TX): This position will serve as a point-of-contact for financial planning and internal control functions within the Department of Athletics. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics Budget and Finance (Syracuse University / Syracuse, NY): The Director of Athletics Budget and Finance oversees the comprehensive stewardship, fiscal integrity, and business operations of the athletic department More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director, Business Operations (FINANCIAL ANL SUPV 1) Job 88459. (University of California – Davis / Davis, CA): This position is responsible for overseeing all Business Office operations, including account management and oversight of an approximately $50M budget as well as all purchasing and travel activities. More details HERE.

Associate Athletic Director (California State University – Fullerton / Fullerton, CA): Assist the AD with overall organization and management of the Athletic Department, operational and strategic planning, sport supervision, policies and procedures, assist with budgetary decisions. More details HERE.