Edition #1788
August 24, 2026
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Bluefield State AD Brodderick Tucker will depart after leading the Big Blue since May 2025. (link)
RMAC Commissioner Danielle Harris sat down on The Sidelines podcast after eight months in the chair. As the league is set to enter a new strategic plan, Harris’ priorities include elevating the brand, competitiveness and student-athlete development. More from Harris…
➤ Harris’ aspirations for the RMAC Network: “Our overall goal is to try to make sure that we can find those resources and those tools to help our schools get better. Then from a financial standpoint, our network is our biggest asset. That is our biggest asset. That is us putting our student-athletes at the forefront in the limelight. That's what we're doing. So with that being said, trying to help our schools expand their equipment. How soon can we get a football game to a five-to-six-camera setup? It may take us two or three years, but can we continue to build? And I think that's the most important piece is for us to build and to expand and to see how we can continue to elevate and to grow.”
➤ On expanding external operations and partnerships: “As we talk about expanding the network and the capabilities, our school's resources are limited. So how can we help offset some of those costs? … I believe there's a lot of corporate partners out there who thrive on hiring student-athletes. And so we have a connection that they may not necessarily have. … As we're going out and we're seeking corporate partners, it's important for us to make sure that we're good stewards as well because we know we can provide access to our student-athletes, to our coaches and to our administrators. And that's a population that they may not be able to tap into otherwise without our partnership.” (link)
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Opendorse Director of Collegiate Partnerships Jake Daugherty sits down with BOSCA Founder Jim Abbott to dive into the realities of NIL in small college athletics as Daugherty states: “We've seen over the past five years, we're going to see an NIL market eclipse $25M. … This past year, we've seen 13 times more NIL activity than in the past four years. So essentially athletes are doing more deals in the past 12 months than they've done over the past four years.” Here’s what you need to know…
➤ How is that $25M being spent in the marketplace? “I would say when we first started this, it was very flip-flopped. So it was very much heavy on the in-kind and small on the cash. I would say that's teetered to the other side now. So percentage-wise, think of it as about 70% of those are cash and 30% in-kind. Really heavy into what's going on with athletes that are doing deals with commercial businesses, the increase that we're seeing with collectives and external stakeholders getting involved.”
➤ Where is he seeing schools take innovative approaches? “After all of that is solved and we have processes and structure in place, that's where the fun part begins in this. And this is where you're seeing that giant uptick. More schools are saying, ‘Hey, let's get our athletes educated. Let's start competing, and let's use this as a competitive advantage. Let's provide education. Let's provide athletes the guidance they need here.’ Those are the types of schools that are now you're seeing this ecosystem build around them, whether it's local partners, national brands, regional brands, donors, whoever it may be. They're educating athletes. They have a structure in place, and now they're on the next phase of this NIL journey, which is how do we start building this ecosystem and this market around our school? And that is where we're seeing the biggest innovation happen.”
➤ Daugherty’s dos and don’ts for NIL: “Very first I would say get a policy in place, understand your state and association laws, and that'll give you probably the clearest picture of what we can and can't do better than I can explain to you. … I encourage people to ask dumb questions because the only consistency in our world is inconsistency. This thing moves every day, every week. To your point, it's growing like crazy. And so my parting words of wisdom are to start having the questions and conversations on campus and even reaching out to people to say, ‘Hey, what are you doing?’” (link)
Kentucky State and Morehouse football will head to the Bahamas in November for the YES HBCU Bahamas Classic. (link)
Fort Hays State brought in over $440K from its annual Tiger Auction and Dinner that sold 321 items. (link)
It’s Personnel…
➤ Roberts Wesleyan elevates Swimming & Diving HC Sara Smith to Assoc. AD for Athletic and Voller Athletic Center Operations. (link)
➤ Young Harris promotes Head Athletic Trainer Ed Schaeffer to Asst. AD for Sports Medicine. (link)
➤ Biola Assoc. AD for Compliance and Communications Neil Morgan will chair this year’s DII Softball Committee. (link)
Coaches Corner…
➤ Maryville Women’s Bowling HC Lauren Russo resigns to focus on her family and professional WPBA career. (link)
➤ Millersville Men’s and Women’s Tennis HC Matt Helsel will retire after a decade leading the Marauders. (link)
➤ Seton Hill selects Marist (DI) AC Nick Volchok as the Griffins’ next Women’s Basketball HC. (link)
➤ West Chester Softball HC Diane Lokey retires after 23 seasons leading the Golden Rams. AC Hayley Tamaro will serve as Interim HC while a search is conducted. (link)
Common App released its 2025-26 first-year application trends, which found that overall applications increased 2%, with application volume growing 6% and the number of schools applied to also increasing 4% year-over-year. Female applications grew 3% YoY compared to a 1% increase for their male counterparts. First-generation students filed 6% more applications, while continuing-generation students fell by less than 1%. Applications to public schools grew 7% compared to 5% for private peers, with the number of applicants to both public and private increasing by 4%. The number of applicants to just public or private schools has decreased. Schools with acceptance rates of at least 75% saw the largest YoY growth of 8%. Geographically, the southwest saw the fastest year-over-year growth at 9%, followed by the midwest at 5% and south and west at 4%. The fastest growing states were Mississippi (+28%), Wyoming (+21%), Alabama (+20%) and South Carolina (+15%). Among the ten highest-volume states, Texas saw the largest growth by a factor of three at 9%. The number of first-year international applicants fell 10% in 2025-26 while domestic applicants increased by 4%. Full report. (link)
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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)
Graduate Assistant - Women's Soccer (Lakeland University / Plymouth, WI): Responsible for assisting the Head Coach, primarily with recruiting, organizing and running practices, fundraising, promotional activities, and other related assigned responsibilities. (DIII) More details HERE.
Academics and Student Athlete Development Graduate Assistant (Frostburg State University / Frostburg, MD): Graduate Assistant for Academics and Student Athlete Development. More details HERE.
Head Coach, Women’s Tennis (Babson College / Wellesley, MA): Head Coach, Women’s Tennis at Babson College in Wellesley, MA. Full-time role with a salary range of $76,041 - $84,490. (DIII) More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Wellesley? Click HERE.
Coordinator of Women's Wrestling Officials (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference / Colorado Springs, CO): The Coordinator of Women’s Wrestling Officials shall be responsible for the assignment, evaluation, and training of officials for contests held by members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. More details HERE.
Director of Business Operations/Assistant AD-Business Operations (University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee / Milwaukee, WI): Position performs all financial duties within the athletic department. Supports the Deputy AD in budget management and advises staff on policies. Has the potential for an Assistant AD title. (DI) More details HERE.
Associate Head Coach-Cross Country & Track & Field (University of Mary / Bismarck, ND): University of Mary is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Associate Head Coach Cross Country and Track & Field to assist with the leadership, development, and administration. More details HERE.
Sports Information Graduate Assistant (West Virginia Wesleyan College / Buckhannon, WV): The Sports Information Graduate Assistant (GA) position is a 10-month graduate assistant position beginning August 1, 2026 and reports to the Sports Information Director. More details HERE.
Account Executive (University of Louisville / Louisville, KY): Drive new sales and renewals for football and men’s basketball, manage 1,000+ accounts, deliver customer service, build relationships, and consistently meet sales and outreach goals. (DI) More details HERE.
Athletics Business Operations Manager, Administrator I (Sonoma State University / Rohnert Park, CA): The Athletics Business Operations Manager is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the Athletics Business Office More details HERE.
Assistant Athletic Director for Creative Strategy & Social Media (University of Texas at Dallas / Richardson, TX): The Assistant Athletic Director for Creative Strategy and Social Media serves as the Athletics Department coordinator of game-day promotions, social media and marketing. More details HERE.
Assistant Athletics Director, Media Relations (William & Mary / Williamsburg, VA): Leads W&M Athletics Communications team in developing and executing strategies to enhance the department brand through proactive storytelling, disciplined messaging, and high-impact media operations. (DI) More details HERE.
Assistant Sports Media Relations Manager (Loyola Marymount University / Los Angeles, CA): The Assistant Sports Media Relations Manager supports and provides key information resources that promote student-athletes, coaches, teams, and LMU Athletics. (DI) More details HERE.
Senior Associate Athletic Director of Internal Operations (South Dakota Mines / Rapid City, SD): Provide leadership for NCAA Division II athletics operations, overseeing compliance, events, facilities, & student-athlete services while helping drive success across 13 varsity sports. More details HERE.
Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Game Operations (University of Missouri – St. Louis / St. Louis, MO): Opportunity to lead facilities and operations for a highly competitive NCAA Division II institution. More details HERE.
Assistant Tennis Coach (University of Missouri – St. Louis / St. Louis, MO): Opportunity to get hands-on experience with NCAA Division II tennis student-athletes! More details HERE.
Assistant Women's Bowling Coach, Part-time (Duquesne University / Pittsburgh, PA): Under the general direction of the Head Coach, the Asst. Women’s Bowling Coach is responsible for the overall development, recruitment, training and competitive success of the women’s bowling program. (DI) More details HERE.
Graduate Assistant - Men's Lacrosse (Colorado Mesa University / Grand Junction, CO): Graduate Assistant Opportunity with Men's Lacrosse at CMU. Assist in Game prep, recruitment, fundraising, etc. Must apply and be accepted to a CMU graduate program. More details HERE.
Assistant Coach - Softball (Colorado State University – Pueblo / Pueblo, CO): Assist the Head Coach with practices, games, strategy, training, and student-athlete development while promoting skill, character, teamwork, and competitive excellence. More details HERE.
Office Assistant II (Chadron State College / Chadron, NE): Performs varied tasks and provides clerical support for department. Work includes producing reports and documents from rough draft or verbal instruction, meetings and travel arrangements. More details HERE.
Assistant Athletic Director-Student Athlete Development (Chadron State College / Chadron, NE): Responsible for the development, coordination, and oversight of comprehensive student-athlete programming that supports academic success, personal development, and the overall experience. More details HERE.
Graduate Assistant Rodeo (Chadron State College / Chadron, NE): Support the Rodeo Coach and the Rodeo Team/Club. Must be enrolled in Master's program at Chadron State College and pay is $5,760 per semester plus tuition waiver (student fees not included) More details HERE.
Graduate Assistant E-Sports (Chadron State College / Chadron, NE): Plan, organize, and conduct E-Sports practices. Must be enrolled in Master's program at Chadron State College. Pay is $5,760 plus tuition waiver. More details HERE.
Assistant Softball Coach (University of Illinois Springfield / Springfield, IL): Join one of UIS's most successful athletics program as an assistant coach, contributing to a program that has four NCAA postseason appearances. Includes opportunity for tuition remission, apartment. More details HERE.
Assistant Track Coach (Field Events) (West Virginia Wesleyan College / Buckhannon, WV): The Track Assistant Coach is responsible for assisting with all phases of an NCAA Division II Track program including player training and development and other duties as assigned. More details HERE.
Digital Graphic Designer for Athletic Broadcasts (Chadron State College / Chadron, NE): Create and execute original media involving graphics, photos, video and audio for website and publications in the Athletic Department. More details HERE.
Graduate Assistant Track and Field (Jumps and Multis) (Frostburg State University / Frostburg, MD): GA Coach for Track and Field working with the jumps and multis. More details HERE.
Assistant Athletic Trainer (Colorado School of Mines / Golden, CO): The Assistant Athletic Trainer works under the supervision of the Head Athletic Trainer. More details HERE.
Athletics | Assistant Coach Men's Baseball (University of Mary / Bismarck, ND): Assist the Head Coach with the daily administrative duties of the program including team travel, recruiting; identifying and recruiting quality student-athletes etc. More details HERE.
Women's Lacrosse Assistant Coach (West Virginia Wesleyan College / Buckhannon, WV): The Lacrosse Assistant Coach is a full time position responsible for helping all phases of an NCAA DII program including player training development and other duties as assigned by the Head Coach. More details HERE.
Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Promotions (Northwest Missouri State University / Maryville, MO): The Assistant Athletics Director - Marketing & Promotions is responsible for coordinating marketing, promotions, and licensing for intercollegiate athletics. More details HERE.
Assistant Men's and Women's Tennis Coach (University of Illinois Springfield / Springfield, IL): Launch your coaching career with a rising NCAA DII tennis program. Earn a master's degree, live on campus, and help build on last year's 15-win season for the men's and women's teams. More details HERE
Assistant Athletic Trainer (Emporia State University / Emporia, KS): Emporia State University Intercollegiate Athletics is seeking to hire an Assistant Athletic Trainer. More details HERE.
Director of Development for Athletics (Administrator II) (Sonoma State University / Rohnert Park, CA): The Director of Development for Athletics establishes fundraising strategies and directs and conducts fundraising activities to secure philanthropic support for the Intercollegiate Athletics Program More details HERE.
Head Men's and Women's Swim Coach (Loyola University New Orleans / New Orleans, LA): Here’s a more straightforward version: Lead Loyola’s swimming programs in New Orleans while building a competitive, student-centered program during the Wolf Pack’s transition to NCAA Division II. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to New Orleans? Click HERE.
Sports Performance Head Coach (Western New Mexico University / Silver City, NM): Leads strength and conditioning for 13 NCAA Division II sports, developing performance, nutrition, and injury prevention programs while collaborating with coaches and sports medicine. More details HERE.
Director of Athletic Events & Facilities (University of Mary / Bismarck, ND): The Director of Athletic Events & Facility Operations is responsible for the comprehensive leadership, coordination, and oversight of athletic event management for the University of Mary Athletics. More details HERE.
Athletics Marketing, Ticketing, and Special Events Coordinator (Western Colorado University / Gunnison, CO): The Athletics Marketing, Ticketing, and Special Events Coordinator reports to the Deputy Director of Athletics and is responsible for overseeing 5-10 student employee positions. More details HERE.
Athletics Operations and Facilities Coordinator (Western Colorado University / Gunnison, CO): Western Colorado University invites applications for the full-time position of Athletics Operations and Facilities Coordinator. The position reports to the Deputy Director of Athletics. More details HERE.
Assistant Baseball Coach (University of Missouri – St. Louis / St. Louis, MO): UMSL seeks an energetic, highly motivated, and student-centered coach who is passionate about developing student-athletes and contributing to a championship-caliber baseball program. More details HERE.
Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach (New Mexico Highlands University / Las Vegas, NM): The person in this position is responsible for assisting the Head Women’s Basketball Coach by preparing and conducting team practices, training, competition game planning, and recruiting More details HERE.
Part-Time Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach (University of Missouri – St. Louis / St. Louis, MO): This is more than just a part-time position—it's an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in every aspect of a collegiate strength and conditioning program at the NCAA Division II level. More details HERE.
Assistant Athletic Trainer (Adams State University / Alamosa, CO): Assistant Athletic Trainer at Adams State University More details HERE.
Creative Media Manager (Colorado Mesa University / Grand Junction, CO): Assist in the creation, management, and execution of a digital content strategy for Athletics, including weekly video series/updates, competition previews and recaps, special projects and campaigns. More details HERE.
Head Cross Country Coach/Assistant Coach for Men’s and Women’s Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field/Physical Education & Wellness Instructor (Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT / Cambridge, MA): This is a full-time (10-month appointment) benefits eligible position with full oversight of Men's & Women's Cross Country teams, assist with Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field. (DIII) More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Cambridge? Click HERE.
Graduate Assistant - Men's Wrestling (Lakeland University / Plymouth, WI): To assist the Head Coach, primarily with recruiting, organizing and running practices, fundraising, promotional activities, and other assigned responsibilities. (DIII) More details HERE.
Associate Director of Development, Major Gifts (University of Pennsylvania – Penn / Philadelphia, PA): Shape the future of Penn Athletics by securing transformational gifts, partnering with coaches and alumni leaders, and advancing championship programs through philanthropy. (DI) More details HERE.