Edition #893
August 25, 2026
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Southeastern promotes AD Drew Watson to VP of Athletics. President Kent Ingle: “Drew represents the very best of Southeastern University. Under his vision, Fire Athletics has grown exponentially in both scale and prestige, all while keeping a Christ-centered mission at the core of the student-athlete experience. This promotion is a reflection of his exceptional leadership, and we are thrilled to have him guide our athletic programs into this next chapter of excellence.” (link)
Retiring Marian (IN) AD Steve Downing held a press conference last week to recap his 16-year tenure leading the Knights. On the timing of the announcement: “I wish we could have done this later in the year because I would like to make it as normal as possible. I'm not wanting anybody to try to win anything for myself or whatever. I'm hoping it can be just like it was last year. We sent 23 out of 26 teams to nationals last year. I'm hoping we can get that up to 25 or 26 this year. Again, I'm just looking to be with these coaches and kids this year and enjoying it, without people thinking it's a funeral or something when they see me.” More notable comments from Downing…
➤ Asked about the legacy he hopes to leave behind: “I would hope for me, and I can deal with this. I wouldn't want to be judged by these trophy cases or whatever, but I would hope that my coaches would say he was fair. That he treated us in a good way and that he was consistent in what he did and that he tried. He tried to do the best he could for our teams because I don't treat any of the teams any differently than any other. … We were able to win. I hope that we can carry it on in the future with that philosophy. When you're working with these coaches here, they all have egos too. So again, I didn't go in here mandating this and that. I've always just stayed in the background. I'm not looking for any pub that way. I want the coaches and players to receive any notoriety and I can just sit back and clap for them and be happy.”
➤ On the culture for the Knights and the expectations he worked to instill: “You can't win 11 national championships unless you have people who buy in. These coaches have bought in and these athletes have bought in. So for me, what I'm most proud of is what I said when I came here: we're going to have student-athletes in that order and that's what we've done. … Every year I talk to the coaches about just being that mentor to these kids. I've never told any of these coaches, ‘Hey, you've got to win X amount of games to keep your job.’ What I tell them every year, and they all know this, is I want to be known by how hard we play. I want us to be able to be hard to beat. … They've bought in there because I can take the loss. What I want is effort. I want our kids to play just as hard as they can and when they walk off, they can leave it all on the field or court, wherever. Then to me, we've done our job.” (link)
Baker taps Football HC Miguel Regalado as Interim AD. The Wildcats also promote Asst. AD for Health and Human Performance Lynsey Payne to Deputy AD for Sports Administration and Student-Athlete Well-Being and Asst. AD for Communications Matt Hevel to Deputy AD for Communications and Game Operations. (link)
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 seeing this ecosystem build around them, whether it's local partners, national brands, regional brands, donors, or 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)
Yesterday, Montreat officially cut the ribbon and reopened McAlister Gymnasium. (link)
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As football in the Frontier kicks off on Thursday, 406 MT Sports’ Daniel Shepard details how select Frontier football programs will implement digital wristbands on the field. Mayville State is going all-in, ordering 44 wristbands for both offense and defense. AD/HC Rocky Larson: “We haven’t signaled anything and we don’t say any words. Everything is read on the wristbands. Our kids are really starting to understand it and get a much better understanding of how it’s going to be used [in game]. It’s for sure different. … [It’s] almost like you’re playing Madden. We can play as fast as our kids can read.” Dakota State and Valley City State are planning to only use the wristbands on offense, while Dickinson State will have limited student athletes on both sides of the ball wear them while using traditional play-calling and the new tech. Dakota State HC Josh Anderson: “We’ve got a few opponents that study and write down and bring to games their sheets. They’ll stand directly across from us when we’re signaling stuff. As unprofessional as that stuff is, it’s just the way some of these programs have been. If that’s what they need to do to have success, that’s fine. It’s been great for us to have the opportunity to have things electronically in, and not have to signal stuff in.” (link)
It’s Personnel…
➤ Arkansas Baptist terminates President William Walker after he was placed on leave. (link)
➤ St. Francis (IL) selects former Trinity Christian AD Wendy Reid as Asst. AD. (link)
Coaches Corner…
➤ Bethany promotes Men’s Soccer HC Dane Straight to Director of Soccer overseeing both programs. (link)
➤ Campbellsville hires high school HC Madison York as its new Cheer HC. (link)
➤ Loyola New Orleans names former Xavier (LA) AC Michaela Triche as its next Competitive Cheer and Dance HC. (link)
➤ Missouri Valley welcomes youth organization HC/Owner Jason McKinney as its new Softball HC. (link)
➤ Ottawa announces recent Friends student-athlete Jennifer Montague as its Coordinator of Cheer and Dance. (link)
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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)
(NEW!) Assistant Women's Flag Football Coach (Hesston College / Hesston, KS): Assist the Head Coach in supporting the women’s flag football program through student-athlete development, recruitment and retention, team and equipment management, and practice and game preparation. More details HERE.
(NEW!) Assistant Director of Stewardship and Administration (University of Pennsylvania – Penn / Philadelphia, PA): Shape the donor experience for Penn Athletics, strengthening relationships with alumni and supporters while driving stewardship, engagement, and growth across 33 varsity programs. (DI) More details HERE.
(NEW!) Assistant Director, Creative Services (Big Ten Conference / Rosemont, IL): This position will support the creation and execution of compelling visual content that enhances the Conference's brand, events, championships, and marketing initiatives. (DI) More details HERE.
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.
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.
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.
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. (DII) More details HERE.
Graduate Assistant for Athletic Operations (Morningside University / Sioux City, IA): Morningside University seeks an energetic, organized, and service-oriented graduate student to serve as the Graduate Assistant for Athletic Operations. More details HERE.
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach (University of Pikeville / Pikeville, KY): The University of Pikeville in Pikeville, Kentucky seeks a dynamic and creative Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach. More details HERE.
Head Coach Women's Flag Football (Indiana Institute of Technology (Indiana Tech) / Fort Wayne, IN): The Indiana Tech Warrior Athletics team is seeking an energetic and dedicated coach to help lead, mentor, and inspire our student-athletes. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Fort Wayne? Click HERE.
Spirit Director (Indiana Institute of Technology (Indiana Tech) / Fort Wayne, IN): The Indiana Tech Warrior Athletics team is seeking an energetic and student-focused professional to lead our cheer, dance, and band programs. More details HERE.
Director of Athletic Creative Content (Northwestern College / Orange City, IA): Seeking applicants who can lead in the new age of digital sports communication by conceptualizing and executing creative video highlights, video projects, and social media and website graphics. 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. (DII) More details HERE. What would it cost to move to New Orleans? Click HERE.
Athletic Facilities and Game Day Intern (McPherson College / McPherson, KS): Help create an outstanding game day experience while keeping athletic facilities in top condition. Support event ops, facility readiness, and team needs in a dynamic college athletics environment 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.
Appalachian Athletic Conference Commissioner (Appalachian Athletic Conference / Remote): The Commissioner serves as the chief executive officer of the Appalachian Athletic Conference and is responsible for the overall leadership, administration and governance of the Conference. More details HERE.
Associate Commissioner for External Communications (Mountain Pacific Sports Federation / San Luis Obispo, CA): Lead the MPSF's external communications strategy, branding, content development, storytelling, and public engagement efforts to enhance the visibility of the MPSF and member institutions. More details HERE.
Sports Information Graduate Assistant (Georgetown College / Georgetown, KY): This position's primary function is to support the day to day operations of the Sports Information Department. More details HERE.
Director of Creative Video (Stephen F. Austin State University / Nacogdoches, TX): Leads creative video storytelling for SFA Athletics, producing social, marketing and brand content while managing student staff and supporting game-day production and revenue initiatives. (DI) More details HERE.
Head Athletic Trainer and Coordinator of Campus Recreation (Northwest Arkansas Community College / Bentonville, AR): Lead the health and performance of Eagle student-athletes while bringing fitness, recreation and wellness to life across campus. Come help us build the future of NWACC Athletics! (NJCAA) More details HERE.