Edition #909
October 20, 2026
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New Spring Arbor AD Ryan Marken joined Cougar Talk as he steps into the permanent AD role to discuss his vision for athletics: “I think the biggest thing is I want a group of coaches that are sold out for the kingdom, that are mission-minded, trying to build into kids and win souls for the kingdom. And so we want to be uber competitive. We want to be excellent in our sport. We want to be the very, very best and we have a handful of sports that do that at an extremely high rate. But I want coaches that are sold out for the kingdom, coaches that are willing to do life with their athletes. And fortunately we have that.” (link)
IU South Bend signed a department-wide jersey sponsorship with Central Midwest Carpenters that is the largest of the seven department-wide NAIA jersey deals, per AD Scott Cooper. Cooper: “For us, I feel like that’s one of the most exciting things is not only what we can do with the opportunities this sponsorship creates now. This also demonstrates that to other sponsors down the line.” (link); Cooper also sat down with Regional Radio Sports Network’s Paul Condry to discuss the Titans’ non-conference scheduling approach: “One of my favorite things about working here is that we sleep in our own beds at night and we don't have any overnight trips or that kind of thing. And it allows me to be a respectable dad. … Where we sit kind of lends itself to that. We've got the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference, we've got the Crossroads League, we've got the River States Conference all real night by. So we can find good NAIA competition without having to go very far, which is just an advantage again of where we sit geographically.” (link)
Ahead of next month’s five seasons of competition vote, a reminder that the NAIA will be holding a virtual town hall Thursday at 1pm CT. (link)
Valley City State AD/Football HC Dennis McCullough chatted with Main Street’s Craig Blumenshine about the Vikings’ plans for women’s flag football, facilities and more. Key takeaways…
➤ VCSU plans to have women’s flag football begin as an intramural sport this spring before transitioning to varsity in 2027-28 under former Women’s Volleyball HC/current faculty member Craig Case. On building the program: “We want to establish and do it right, make sure we're building it from the ground up and doing all those aspects correctly, recruiting the right people and then finding those opportunities to go out and have competition. In the spring of 2028, it may be a small schedule and that's okay. We're trying to build this for the long run and do it right and make sure that it's done in the right way for everybody.”
➤ McCullough says VCSU is happy in the Frontier, adding: “The thing that every school looks at is the cost of doing it and I think we have to continue to work really hard within the Frontier or the NAIA to make sure that we are helping and that schools can afford to do this and compete. I would always look at it as an athletic director and as an institution to say, ‘What can we do differently to help with budgets, to reduce some of those things?’ Because those are always issues and how do we have to look at it, and where can we be competitive? Our alumni, our fans, everybody wants to see us be competitive. And do you have that legitimate shot to where you're at? … We know it's challenging, but right now, this is the best option that we have to allow our students to compete.” (link)
Next week, Dakota State will break ground on its new 129K square-foot Indoor Athletics Facility. President John Ballard: “This groundbreaking marks an exciting step forward for Dakota State University and the Madison community. This Indoor Athletics Facility will give our student-athletes a place to train year-round and create new opportunities to host competitions and events. We are very grateful to the DSU supporters whose generosity and commitment are helping make this facility possible.” The project is estimated to be ready in August 2027. (link)
Marian (IN) dedicated its new Gar and Lisa King Baseball Performance Center earlier this month, which features four batting cages and additional training space. (link)
Simpson has renamed its softball field after longtime HC Wayne Stower. (link)
The NAIA signs a three-year deal with Onform to be the association’s trusted Mobile Video Analysis service provider. (link)
People & Places…
➤ Bellevue President David May will step away for several weeks as he will seek treatment for cancer, which he says is “very treatable, but also the kind that needs to be addressed right away.” (link)
➤ Dalton State promotes Asst. AD Veronica Summers to Assoc. AD. (link)
A network of Super PACs financed by DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics, and Bet365 has injected nearly $100M over the past year into state legislative elections to advance gambling industry interests. The sportsbook operators utilize the Win for America PAC to distribute capital to bipartisan affiliates, recently allocating $5.9M to the Republican-aligned American Conservative Fund PAC and $2.7M to the Democrat-aligned American Future PAC from a $9.65M contribution. The PAC also executed substantial investments in mailers and television through political consulting firms like Sway ($347K) and Targeted Platform Media LLC ($194K). The advertising campaigns intentionally omit any mention of sports betting, instead leveraging hot-button political issues to influence the state lawmakers responsible for regulating online casinos and establishing corporate tax rates. (link)
Interested in advertising a department opening in NAIA.ticker? Click here to submit your position. Post your department-wide openings with CollegeSports.jobs, where thousands of administrators coaches get news and updates about the world of college sports.
(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)
(NEW!) Executive Associate Athletic Director/Director of Athletic Development (Fairfield University / Fairfield, CT): Seeking a dynamic, accomplished, and highly motivated Executive Associate Athletic Director/Director of Athletic Development to lead its athletic fundraising program. (DI) More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Fairfield? Click HERE.
(NEW!) Senior Associate Commissioner for Institutional Services (Mid-American Conference / Cleveland, OH): The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is seeking an experienced, collaborative, and strategic leader to serve as Senior Associate Commissioner for Institutional Services. (DI) More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Cleveland? Click HERE.
(NEW!) Men's Assistant Volleyball Coach (Georgetown College / Georgetown, KY): Part-time assistant coach role assisting with recruiting, training, scouting, instructing and coaching. More details HERE.
Head Coach for Men's & Women's Tennis (Indiana Wesleyan University / Marion, IN): The Head Coach is responsible for the men's and women's tennis budget, strategic planning, courts and facilities, policies, compliance, scholarships, promotion and leadership of the team. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Marion? Click HERE.
Men's Assistant Coach (Swarthmore College / Swarthmore, PA): Swarthmore College Men's Lacrosse is hiring an assistant coach. Duties include recruiting, logistics and on field coaching. Send resume to [email protected] (DIII) More details HERE.
Associate Athletic Director for Sports Analytics (William & Mary / Williamsburg, VA): The Associate AD for Sports Analytics leads the department's strategy for data, analytics, and artificial intelligence across all 23 varsity sports. (DI) More details HERE.
Director, Governance and Compliance (Mountain West Conference / Las Vegas, NV): The Director, Governance & Compliance will serve the Mountain West Conference and its member institutions supporting the day-to-day aspects of the Conference’s governance and compliance services. (DI) More details HERE.
Assistant Vice President, Licensing & Trademarks (University of Houston / Houston, TX): Lead the University of Houston System's licensing & trademarks strategy, protecting institutional brands and driving revenue through high-impact partnerships and innovative licensing programs. (DI) More details HERE.
Vice President and Director of Athletics (Rice University / Houston, TX): Rice seeks a strategic athletics leader to drive championship success, strengthen student-athlete experiences, grow revenue, elevate Rice nationally, and navigate college athletics’ evolving landscape. (DI) More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Houston? Click HERE. The D1.dossier for this position can be found HERE.
Senior Vice President - Men's Basketball (Atlantic Coast Conference / Charlotte, NC): Senior leader for ACC Men’s Basketball, driving competitive success, national profile, championship experience and commercial value while overseeing scheduling, officiating and key partnerships. (DI) More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Charlotte? Click HERE.
Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications (Lawrence University / Appleton, WI): This position plays a key role in elevating the visibility of Lawrence Athletics through strategic media relations, digital content creation, live streaming management, and statistical services. (DIII) More details HERE.
Commissioner (Southern Conference / Spartanburg, SC): Reporting to the Council of Presidents, the Commissioner serves as the Conference's chief executive officer, providing strategic, administrative, and external leadership for member institutions. (DI) More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Spartanburg? Click HERE.
Part-Time Assistant Track & Field/Cross Country Coach (University of Pikeville / Pikeville, KY): The University of Pikeville is seeking an innovative professional for the position of Part-time Assistant Track & Field/ Cross Country Coach within the Athletic Department. More details HERE.
Associate Commissioner for Strategic Communications (Southeastern Conference / Birmingham, AL): The Associate Commissioner for Strategic Communications will provide strategic leadership for the Southeastern Conference’s communication efforts. (DI) More details HERE.