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Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill joined the SportsWise Podcast with Gabe Feldman to discuss potential College Football Playoff expansion, conference-level governance, federal athletics legislation, the operational implications of athlete employee status and more. Here are some takeaways…

Towson AD Steve Eigenbrot with an op-ed in Sports Business Journal, argues college athletics faces a "governance paradox" as regulatory authority shifts toward conferences while member institutions retain zero-sum incentives to maximize individual competitive advantages. Citing the SEC's legal dispute with LSU, alongside state-level tax exemptions for NIL payments in Arkansas, Eigenbrot believes conference commissioners must be granted broader executive authority—similar to professional sports leagues—to enforce spending discipline and preserve competitive balance in the absence of federal intervention: "The conference commissioner may not have been hired to govern the ecosystem. But without a national solution, there may be no one else positioned to try. Perhaps conference commissioners really are our next best hope to save us from ourselves." (link)

Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek to ESPN’s Taylor McGregor prior to yesterday’s football game responds to the resolution by the Arkansas Board of Trustees to review the state of competitiveness of Razorback athletics: “I don’t have any because I have yet to talk to the board of trustees or the president about what this statement means.” (link); Hogs Football HC Ryan Silverfield earlier this week in a radio interview: “When I got here, the salary — I hate to say that, I shouldn’t say that — but the amount of money for the 2026 roster was already set. It is what it is, and there was no changing that. Some of these schools will say, ‘Okay, hey, we’ll keep raising the money for this roster even though we spent money we didn’t have.’ Whereas we say, ‘Okay, here’s the money you have set aside and that’s what you have.” (link)

Meanwhile, Arkansas Men’s Basketball HC John Calipari voiced his support for Razorbacks AD Hunter Yurachek, remarking that “Hunter's been a great partner and given us tools to go out and get the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, and our postseason success has been there because of his support. … [Yurachek] has also had to make some tough decisions, like reseating, which has generated more revenue so we can participate in revenue sharing at the highest level. With these type of decisions, Hunter has been unbelievable in making sure this university and athletic department is stable moving forward." (link)

Kentucky AD J Batt updates KSR’s Jack Pilgrim on the Cats jersey patch progress for hoops: “What I’d say is we’ve had a tremendous interest. Part of what we get to do, because we have so much momentum, is be a little bit choosy. So it’s so important to us that, particularly on that sacred piece of cloth, that we have the right partner.” (link)

Arizona State AD Graham Rossini to JohnCanzano.com’s eponymous publisher before yesterday’s kick with Kansas in London on leveraging football performance for commercial momentum: "It definitely is a catalyst for more. Over the last three or four years, certainly since [HC] Kenny [Dillingham] got here and throughout kind of our maturation as a department, we're just trying to stack those wins. We're just trying to build this momentum where there's a trend line and there's a progression to how we operate. ... The CFP and the Big 12 Championship in football [gave us] a good sense of what we're capable of. Now we’ve got to repeat that. We’ve got to continue to go down the road of bringing more people in, generating resources, finding these connection points that we're reinvesting into the talent in our space and then start to do that with more regularity.” (link)

Clemson lecturer/College Sports Research Institute Executive Director Chris Corr argues in a Sportico op-ed that labor organizers seeking collective bargaining in college sports should target athlete agents rather than relying on short-tenured student-athletes. With post-House settlement revenue sharing and NIL elevating college compensation, Corr points out that agencies hold a long-term economic incentive to stabilize the market. Unlike professional unions such as the NFLPA and WNBPA that regulate representatives, uncertified college agents can take 20-30% commissions, though the Protect College Sports Act proposes capping fees at 5%. Corr adds: "Players should not be expected to build that infrastructure alone. The people already sitting beside them in living rooms, negotiating their compensation, evaluating transfer opportunities and advising them whether to remain in college or turn professional may be the most underutilized constituency in the college-athlete labor movement. If organizers want collective bargaining to move from an argument about what college sports ought to become to an institution capable of actually changing it, they should stop merely trying to engage and mobilize the athletes. They should start organizing the agents." (link)

Fox Sports broadcaster Tim Brando believes the role of the Sports Information Director has changed, telling Cellini & Domino of Atlanta’s 680 The Fan: “What has happened is the sports information people used to be respected by their head coaches. And now, they’re not. They all have operations people. The SIDs have to go through the operations guys to get close to the coaches themselves. Years ago, we had SIDs that were legends. Tennessee, you had Bud Ford, one of the most respected men in sports information history. Roger Valdiserri at Notre Dame. Paul Manasseh at LSU. I could run through the litany of big names that were SIDs. Then suddenly the schools started to pay less, hire children basically—kids coming right out that had been associates and assistants. And now they’re all scared of the coaches for the most part.” (link)

Former Colorado Senior Assoc. AD for Business Operations/CFO Cory Hilliard admitted to misusing funds related to his administration of the university’s Nike Elite program in an internal university audit prior to his hiring as USA Swimming CFO in December 2025, per USA Today’s Brent Schrotenboer. Hilliard faces criminal charges for allegedly overspending his annual Nike gear allotment by $9,500 from 2022-25, taking advantage of his administrative access to place 59 personal orders, totaling $6,011 over his allotted limit in FY25 alone. Former Buffaloes AD Rick George alerted auditors to the discrepancy in July 2025, precipitating Hilliard's departure from the university and his subsequent resignation from USA Swimming following an August 2026 arrest. When asked by auditors why he overspent his designated allotment, Hilliard said he did so because he had access to the excess funds and it was an error and a misjudgment. He then said, “I did it. I admit it.” (link)

Georgia AD Josh Brooks received the maximum allowable contract bonus of $400K after last season, $200K for UGA finishing in the Learfield Directors’ Cup top 10, $100K for all Bulldog teams finishing with four-year APR scores of 930 or greater and $100K for achieving an overall average student GPA of 3.25-or-higher (finished at 3.28 overall). That’s according to an amendment to the extended deal Brooks signed back on December 24, 2025, per the Athens Banner-Herald’s Marc Weiszer. (link, link)

The SWAC is expanding its digital footprint with the launch of a free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel for SWAC TV, managed in partnership with Triple B Media. The dedicated network will distribute live athletic events and original content across major streaming services including Prime Video, Plex, Xumo Play, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, and Dingo TV without a paywall. (link)

Prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi are embedding themselves into traditional news media through data-sharing agreements with Dow Jones, Substack, CNN, CNBC, and Fox Corp, with market data now integrated across 25% of the top communications companies in the S&P 500. Wired’s Katie Knibbs points out that “financial services companies have jumped into the media sector before, most obviously Bloomberg, which initially focused on providing market data and financial analytics before expanding to include journalism products.” Knibbs also observes that as regulatory battles continue over whether prediction markets operate as financial exchanges or gambling platforms, both companies are leveraging editorial distribution, podcasting, and media partnerships to boost public credibility and diversify revenue streams, as evidenced by Polymarket Founder Shayne Coplan bringing on Nate Silver as an adviser and Meta evaluating prediction market features. Kalshi spokesperson Jack Such: "Given the forecasting success of the markets, it's clear there is informational value. And three out of four users don't trade, which suggests the informational use case is popular enough to be taken very seriously." (link)

The share of the high school graduating class of 2025 immediately enrolling in college increased slightly across all economic backgrounds, according to data released Thursday by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Per Higher Ed Dive’s Laura Spitalniak, post-graduation fall enrollment at low-poverty high schools rose to 73.9%, up from 73.1% in 2024, while immediate enrollment for high-poverty high school graduates reached 51.2% (up from 50.8%). College persistence rates among high-poverty high school graduates also improved for the class of 2023, climbing to 76% (up from 74.3%), and to 90.6% (up from 89.4%) among low-poverty graduates. Additionally, the share of high-poverty high school graduates enrolling in college within two years grew by 2.1 percentage points to 58.7% for the class of 2023, with urban high schools showing the largest two-year enrollment gain at 67.1%. (link)

Fox Sports’ Ben Portnoy shares a memo circulated by the NCAA to membership on continued focus on the Protect College Sports Act. Notably: “It is important to keep the pressure on Senators before the final vote. Your voice is making a difference. Now is the time to contact your Senators and tell them to vote YES on the Project College Sports Act.” More. (link)

In his latest sitdown with Georgia Tech’s Helluva podcast, Yellow Jackets AD Ryan Alpert addressed the reseating process and renovations for Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field ahead of the 2027 season, the decision to freeze non-premium season ticket prices at $250, the football program's recent attendance metrics and more. Here’s what you need to know…

Oklahoma State AD Chad Weiberg joined the The Daily O’Collegian podcast to reflect on the football program's home victory over Oregon, discuss how the university is managing ongoing industry shifts and more. Here are some takeaways….

West Virginia AD Wren Baker sat down for a Q&A with the 3 Guys Before The Game podcast to outline the athletic department's financial roadmap, contract extensions for multiple head coaches, a neutral-site basketball event against Pittsburgh at PPG Arena designed to generate substantial NIL funding and, finally, how he survived a copperhead snake bite. Notes…

Complementing its offensive counterpart, Collegiate Sports Connect has released a new Coach Intel report benchmarking guaranteed compensation for DI football defensive coordinators. The findings reflect a massive premium for elite defensive architects, with the Power 4 median salary sitting just shy of seven figures at $987,500 and the 75th percentile surging to $1.5M. This reinforces a stark divide across the FBS, as the median autonomous league defensive play-caller earns nearly four times that of their Group of 6 peer ($260K). Meanwhile, the step from the FCS level ($112,184 median) to the Group of 6 represents more than a two-fold increase in guaranteed pay. Athletic departments can access the full database to review peer market rates, model competitive packages, and strategically budget for top defensive leadership. (link)

UCF Baseball HC Rich Wallace inks a contract extension that could keep him in Orlando through the 2030 campaign. (link)

Clemson Ventures VP for Original Content Kevin Richardson announces he is leaving Clemson after four years. (link)

Michigan State Spartan Athletic Foundation VP of Development Michael Walker visited with College.town’s Kristen Eargle to discuss his career progression across the athletic development, the core principles driving successful major-gift fundraising, how to adapt to new leadership as a senior administrator and more. D1.takeaways…

Cal Poly has launched The Stampede, which will serve as the official philanthropic giving program. Mustangs AD Carter Henderson: “The Stampede reflects what is possible when the Cal Poly community rallies behind our student-athletes. Our alumni, parents, fans and friends have always been an essential part of Mustang Athletics. Through The Stampede, they have a clear and meaningful way to invest in our young people—helping them pursue excellence in competition, in the classroom and in life.” (link)

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety (MDPS) plans to deploy the “largest presence” of officers it’s ever assigned to a college football gameday for LSU’s visit today to face Ole Miss, per Nola.com’s Reed Darcey, who notes the agency is assigning 65-70 state troopers and commercial transportation officers to the campus. The expected force is roughly three times the size of what’s typically deployed for UM home games as local officials prepare for more than 90K visitors attending LSU HC Lane Kiffin’s first return to Oxford since leaving the program. Mississippi Highway Patrol is activating its special operations group, air command and mobile command center starting Thursday, with Louisiana State Police to contribute 10-15 troopers to support the visiting team's security detail alongside additional mounted units from Mobile, Ala. MDPS Commissioner Sean Tindell: "Our priority is making sure everyone can enjoy the game and surrounding events safely. This enhanced presence is about being prepared, staying proactive and working together.” (link)

The NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports advanced two health and safety initiatives this week by supporting ongoing substance misuse work from the Prevention and Harm Reduction Advisory Group and approving the charter for the Cardiac Advisory Group. The Harm Reduction Advisory Group will finalize a unified policy framework addressing alcohol, cannabis, and sports betting this fall, while the newly chartered cardiac unit—featuring representatives from the American Heart Association and the Sports Cardiology Society—will convene in 2027 to overhaul cardiovascular care best practices. Additionally, committee members reviewed a recent partnership with the FBI to combat cyber-enabled crimes and "sextortion" targeting student-athletes. (link)

Interested in advertising a job opening in D1.ticker on CollegeSports.jobs? Submit your position here. Jobs from the past 10 days are listed below.

(NEW!) Director of Communications (University of Arkansas at Little Rock / Little Rock, AR): Little Rock Athletics is in search of a Director of Communications who assist the Sr. Associate AD for Marketing & Communications in all phases of a Division I Communications Department. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Men's Basketball Administrative Assistant (University of Arkansas at Little Rock / Little Rock, AR): Little Rock Athletics is in search of a Men's Basketball Administrative Assistant that will report directly to the head coach and oversee the office management of the men's basketball program. More details HERE

Academic Counselor (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill / Chapel Hill, NC): More details HERE.

Assistant Business Manager (University of Texas – Austin / Austin, TX): More details HERE.

Deputy Athletic Director (University of Washington / Seattle, US): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Seattle? Click HERE.

Data Analyst I (University of Alabama / Tuscaloosa, AL): More details HERE.

Assistant or Associate Athletic Director, Business Operations/SWA (Sacred Heart University / Fairfield, CT): More details HERE.

Assistant Director for Business Services (University of Connecticut / Storrs Mansfield, CT): More details HERE.

Coordinator of Operations, Women's Basketball (Stony Brook University / Stony Brook, NY): More details HERE.

Assistant Men's Basketball Coach (United States Naval Academy / Annapolis, MD): More details HERE.

Coordinator of Hockey Operations (St. Lawrence University / Canton, NY): More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Men's Basketball Operations (University of Oklahoma / Norman, OK): More details HERE.

Assistant Rowing Coach (Merrimack College / North Andover, MA): More details HERE.

Director of Operations for Swim & Dive (University of Nebraska / Lincoln, NE): More details HERE

Assistant Softball Coach - Outfield (University of Northern Iowa / Cedar Falls, IA): More details HERE.

Athletics Videographer I/II (Florida Gulf Coast University / Fort Myers, FL): More details HERE.

Marketing & Revenue Strategy Coordinator (Full-Time Temporary) (University of Nebraska / Lincoln, NE): More details HERE.

Program Coordinator, Athletic Video Production (University of Toledo / Toledo, OH): More details HERE.

Assistant Athletics Director of Media & Creative Strategy (Wright State University / Dayton, OH): More details HERE.

Director of Marketing - Athletics (Abilene Christian University / Abilene, TX): More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Athletic Communications Strategy (R0009147) (Wake Forest University / Winston-Salem, NC): More details HERE.

Asst AD - Digital Marketing and Revenue Strategy (University of California – San Diego / La Jolla, CA): More details HERE.

Director of Athletic Multimedia (Virginia Military Institute – VMI / Lexington, VA): More details HERE.

Sports Information Director (University of Alabama at Birmingham / Birmingham, AL): More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Athletic Communications (Virginia Military Institute – VMI / Lexington, VA): More details HERE.

Associate Commissioner for Strategic Communications (Southeastern Conference / Birmingham, AL): More details HERE.

Director of Marketing, Athletics (Villanova University / Villanova, PA): More details HERE.

Associate Director of Marketing & Fan Experience (University of Mississippi / Oxford, MS): More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Athletics Communication (University of Illinois / Champaign/Urbana, IL): More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Bronco Productions (Boise State University / Boise, ID): More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Creative Services (Revenue and Supportive Content) (University of San Diego / San Diego, CA): More details HERE.

Sr. Manager, Engagement (Hurricane Club) (University of Miami / Miami, FL): More details HERE.

Manager, Digital Strategy (University of Miami) (Legends / Coral Gables, FL): More details HERE.

Compliance Coordinator, Athletics (Kennesaw State University / Kennesaw, GA): More details HERE.

NIL Operations Director (University of Minnesota / Minneapolis, MN): More details HERE.

Director of Development (University of Missouri / Columbia, MO): More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Stewardship & Hospitality (University of Missouri / Columbia, MO): More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Development, Leadership Annual Giving, Athletics (University of Denver / Denver, CO): More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director, Development (Washington State University / Pullman or Seattle, WA): More details HERE. 

Major Gift Officer (University of Washington / Seattle, WA): More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Development (University of Missouri / Columbia, MO): More details HERE.

Bulldog Club (Fellow) (Mississippi State University / Starkville, MS): More details HERE.

Director - Premium Seating & Gifts (Athletics) (Georgia Tech / Atlanta, GA): More details HERE.

Development Officer/Senior Development Officer - Athletics (Bucknell University / Lewisburg, PA): More details HERE.

Assistant/Associate Athletic Director, Development (University of Memphis / Memphis, TN): More details HERE.

Assistant/Associate Athletic Director, Annual Fund & Women Sport Initiatives (University of Memphis / Memphis, TN): More details HERE.

Member Services Internship (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill / Chapel Hill, NC): More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Revenue Enhancement (Kennesaw State University / Kennesaw, GA): More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director, Annual Giving and Premium Seating (University of Colorado – Boulder / Boulder, CO): More details HERE.

Associate AD for Development (HR title: Director of Strategic Development) - (DEA00000505) (Southern Methodist University – SMU / Dallas, TX): More details HERE.

Director of Annual Giving (HR Title: Mngr, Athletics Development) - (DEA00000507) (Southern Methodist University – SMU / Dallas, TX): More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (University of Detroit Mercy / Detroit, MI): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Detroit? Click HERE.

Deputy Athletic Director (University of Washington / Seattle, US): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Seattle? Click HERE.

Senior Associate Commissioner for Basketball (Big South Conference / Charlotte, NC): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Charlotte? Click HERE.

Building Manager – Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (Wofford College / Spartanburg, SC): More details HERE.

Athletic Event & Facility Operations Specialist (Fort Hays State University / Hays, KS): (DII)  More details HERE.

Athletics Shipping & Receiving Technician (University of Oklahoma / Norman, OK): More details HERE.

There are currently no job listings in this category.

Athletic Trainer (Men's Basketball) (University of North Alabama / Florence, AL): More details HERE.

Athletic Trainer (Lamar University / Beaumont, TX): More details HERE.

Athletic Trainer - Track and Field/Cross Country (University of Oklahoma / Norman, OK): More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Trainer (University of Maine / Orono, ME): More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Trainer (Virginia Military Institute – VMI / Lexington, VA): More details HERE.

Athletic Trainer, Tennis and Golf (Mississippi State University / Starkville, MS): More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Trainer (Troy University / Troy, AL): More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Trainer - Men's Basketball and Men's Golf (Tennessee Technological University / Cookeville, TN): More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Trainer - Football (Western Kentucky University / Bowling Green, KY): More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Trainer (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville / Edwardsville, IL): More details HERE.

Associate Athletic Trainer (Central Michigan University / Mount Pleasant, MI): More details HERE.

Fellow Athletic Trainer - Baseball (Mississippi State University / Starkville, MS): More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director for Corporate Partnerships (Virginia Military Institute – VMI / Lexington, VA): More details HERE.

Assistant Director - Licensing (University Athletic Association, Inc. at the University of Florida / Gainesville, FL): More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Revenue Enhancement (Kennesaw State University / Kennesaw, GA): More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Ticket Sales & Retention (Auburn University / Auburn, AL): More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Ticket Operations (United States Air Force Academy / Colorado Springs, CO): More details HERE.

Assistant Director Of Fan Relations and Sales (Oklahoma State University / Stillwater, OK): More details HERE.

Assistant Athletics Director, Ticket Operations (Villanova University / Villanova, PA): More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Revenue Enhancement (Kennesaw State University / Kennesaw, GA): More details HERE.