Edition #894
August 28, 2026
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The Crossroads will add Manchester (NCAA DIII) as its 11th full member, pending acceptance into the NAIA. If approved, the Spartans would officially join the league in 2027-28. Commissioner Larry DeSimpelare: “Adding an institution to the Crossroads League is about much more than geography or athletics. Our presidents have been intentional about finding institutions that align with who we are and what we believe the student-athlete experience should represent. Manchester University checks those boxes. Its faith heritage, regional location, academic reputation and commitment to its students make Manchester an excellent addition to our league.” (link)
The AAC selects Tennessee Wesleyan VP/AD Donny Mayfield as its new Commissioner, starting October 1. Comprehensive Athletics Consulting assisted with the search. (link)
Frontier Commissioner Scott Crawford joined D1 Rejects’ Small College Saturday live from Montana Tech yesterday to discuss the state of the league and football in the NAIA. Here are some of his most notable comments…
➤ On what changes he would like to see in NAIA football: “What I would rather see is us get to 100 teams in the association, get our postseason expanded to 24 teams and really clean up our bracket. … I really did not like watching College of Idaho and Montana Tech having to play so early. If it’s for a national title, then so be it. I would win no matter what happens, but it’s a little challenging. We have to be respectful of the finances of things. We need to be respectful of all of the commitments that we have, but I would like to see us get to 24 teams and make that work so we have a much cleaner bracket. Maybe I’ll be more likely to go to a straight bracket at that point in time. It remains to be seen.”
➤ Further, Crawford: “I would love to see us figure out our regular-season schedule so that we could actually have a conference championship game. I think we might have more fans turn out for that than even a playoff game.”
➤ As for his role leading the conference: “My job as commissioner sometimes is to get out of the way, sometimes is to get out in front and lead and sometimes is just to say, ‘Why are we doing this, what do we need to do differently and what do we need to do better?’ I like the phrase that we are the SEC or the Big Ten of the NAIA, but what I want to be known for is wanting to be the premier league of the NAIA when it comes to football. We have to do a lot of things. One of them is that we need to get back to the tradition of winning national titles. We have done quite a bit of this in the last 20-25 years, but we have a bit of a dry spell right now.” More from Butte. (link)
Grand View signs a football jersey sponsorship with Iowa Everywhere. Per Iowa Everywhere CEO Chris Williams, the entity had three requirements for a possible partner: “Be located in Iowa. Have won at least two national championships in the last two years. Have won at least 60 consecutive regular-season games.” Vikings AD Troy Plummer: “When Chris shared the three requirements, we found them to be completely reasonable and not suspiciously specific in any way. Grand View is proud to represent Des Moines and the state of Iowa at a championship level, and we look forward to having Iowa Everywhere along for the ride.” (link)
Public outcry over the issue of pro athletes attempting to return to college sports is reportedly providing a boost to efforts to pass the Protect College Sports Act, per Semafor’s Burgess Everett. NCAA SVP for External Affairs Tim Buckley said the “outrage” over the topic has “really changed some minds on Capitol Hill about the need for this legislation” and could help shore up support. “The events over the past week have been helpful to help us drive home the point. You don’t need to take our word for it or the conference’s word for it. This piece of legislation gives senators the ability to fix this problem for their constituents.” With Senators having pushed back the legislation’s consideration until September, Everett posits the delay might just improve the bill’s fortunes by helping it accrue 60 votes as the pro player controversy builds. Buckley adds: “The polls are really clear about this and you don’t need to be a political genius to understand it is wildly unpopular … to use college sports as a fallback.” (link)
Puck's John Ourand reports that the PCSA currently has enough votes to pass the Senate, though House action remains unlikely before the November elections. Proponents argue the standoff provides the necessary leverage to finally establish a unified national framework with antitrust protection, with one lobbyist who supports the PCSA telling Ourand: "This has galvanized the SEC, and even the Big Ten, to pass a bill, as imperfect as it might be." Another lobbyist who supports the bill adds: “Lawyers are now lining up to sue the SEC instead of the NCAA. I mean, it’s just a mess. Everybody should want some acceptable guidelines and guardrails on what you can and can’t do. Let’s just have one rule that’s enforceable and has liability protection from the federal government.” (link)
Louisiana Christian football became the 13th NAIA program to knock off an NCAA DI opponent with a 42-37 win over Northwestern State (DI). (link)
The KCAC teams up with the Topeka Area Sports Commission to assist with hosting the league’s swimming & diving championships in February. (link)
The Frontier signs a league-wide partnership with Athletes Thread to be the conference’s exclusive NIL merchandise, trading card and branding partner. (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)
(NEW!) Assistant Softball Coach (Northwestern College / Orange City, IA): Seeking assistant softball coach applicants to assist in leading a nationally contending program that won 3 consecutive GPAC titles from 2023-2025 and hosted back-to-back NAIA regionals in 2024-2025. More details HERE.
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.
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.
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.