Morning Edition
October 12, 2026
Playfly Sports, the sports industry’s leading revenue maximization company, drives growth for its partners across the sports ecosystem – including 2,000+ brands, 100+ professional teams and 65+ college athletic departments. Playfly operates an expansive portfolio of services with a data-driven and fan-focused approach to maximize revenue yield in key growth areas, such as media, sponsorship, ticketing, premium experiences and fan engagement offerings. Learn more.
The Bulletin Board...
“The companies that get this right over the next three years won’t be the ones with the largest AI budgets. They’ll be the ones that treat each deployment the way a race team treats a new component: tested under pressure, judged on whether it makes the car faster and ripped out if it doesn’t.”
Jeff Dodds
Formula E CEO in an op-ed for SBJ, outlining the racing circuit’s approach to AI.
Check out this morning’s edition of CFO.ticker for more from Dodds as well as year-round venues, direct co-investments, Everton’s sale, Pimco’s bond warnings and more. (link)
D1.dossiers... are ready for Air Force, Detroit Mercy, Duquesne, Incarnate Word, Iowa State, Louisiana, Michigan, Radford, Rice, Rider, South Carolina State, UAB and Western Illinois. Coming soon: Florida State, Jackson State and Sam Houston State. Just $349 for an entire year of access to all dossiers. (link)
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark discusses the economics of college sports with Bloomberg’s Michael Barr, Vanessa Perdomo and Randall Williams. Of note…
➤ Modernizing the conference's internal operations: "When I got here, I inherited 21 colleagues. Today, we have 53. And we are really set up like a professional league or, for that matter, even a professional team when you think about the key verticals and business units that comprise the Big 12."
➤ On his decision to end the conference's 27-year reliance on outsourced sales: "I wanted to in-source our sales efforts. ... We decided we wanted to control a very important part of the business, which is revenue, and we did that and I built out a commercial team and we've been very aggressive about our outbound efforts, aligning with big brands and strategic brands that not only bring the economics to the conference that we need, but also help us grow our narrative and profile and help to glamorize the conference.” (link)
Boston College disputes a recent report labeling its football roster budget as the lowest in the Power Four, with HC Bill O'Brien placing the actual figure between $16M and $20M to align with ACC peers like Wake Forest and Pittsburgh, according to the Boston Globe's Aaron Leibowitz. Eagles AD Blake James confirmed the athletic department distributes the maximum $21.58M NCAA revenue-sharing allotment, allocating 75% (roughly $16M) to football, 15% to men's basketball, and 5% each to women's basketball and Olympic sports. Meanwhile, Leibowitz notes the university received $47M in ACC distributions during FY25 but remains behind the conference's $21-25M average football roster budget and trails in third-party NIL generation. To address the issue, BC has designated six internal staff members for NIL responsibilities and partnered with Van Wagner to hire a dedicated campus representative to bolster commercial efforts following a $2.4M fundraising campaign by the Friends of the Heights collective. (link)
Tulane AD David Harris covers several topics with The Uptown Update podcast, including where things stand with jersey patch negotiations, how the department is allocating its distribution from Green Wave’s College Football Playoff appearance and more. Here are the main takeaways…
➤ Maintaining financial discipline during jersey patch negotiations: "If you're a football program and the value has been determined to be $2M for a jersey patch, you may have someone come around and offer you $1M, $1.5M and you're thinking, ‘Boy, that million dollars would really look good in my budget right now.’ ... But you're trying to have the financial discipline to know that, ‘Hey, let's not undersell what the value is for this particular asset.’”
➤ Utilizing CFP revenue for roster retention: "The money is going to be invested back into the football program and that specifically we would end up using the majority of it on rev share. ... Nothing is more important than our ability to be able to have a rev-share budget that allows us to be able to retain the best players and then attract new ones to come in to replace those who leave."
➤ How a successful athletic department impacts university admissions: "We sense that there is a moment that we can capture and continue to grow our brand, the brand of the entire university, the department, the programs, and continue to keep the name Tulane University in the mouths of prospective students, prospective student-athletes and fans across the country." (link)
Metro Conference Commissioner Travis Tellitocci visited with ESPN+ Host Eddy Occhipinti on the Metro Basketball Tipoff Show. Here are some takeaways…
➤ On the rebrand from the MAAC to the Metro Conference: “The feedback has been very good. Obviously, we had a few simple goals. To get rid of the confusing acronym with the MAC and some of the issues we had explaining ourselves. Being bold and simple with the Metro, it’s pretty straightforward. It looks good on courts. It looks good on uniforms. It looks good on fields. The reception has been very positive. We’re in the process right now of finalizing a lot of our branding elements for our championships, but excited about this year and the new Metro brand.”
➤ Benefits of using Atlantic City as the site of the league’s men’s and women’s basketball championships: “Atlantic City’s been a great spot for us. … They’ve been great partners on ‘how do we continue to make this event better?’ Not only for the student-athletes and our coaches, but for the fans as well. There’s a lot of entertainment options, good restaurants. How do we continue to get people to come to Atlantic City and work with our partners to boast what is a great experience when you get here? The action at Boardwalk Hall and the basketball is important, but the other things you can do in Atlantic City are great for fans as well.” (link)
With the terms “private equity” and “private capital” becoming more familiar across college sports, College.town shares a look at how notable English soccer clubs that have taken the PE step have fared since the transaction. Since 2016, private equity firms, investment funds and pension funds have bought into 19 clubs across England’s top four divisions. The College.town report compares how each of those clubs performed before and after the money arrived, looks at where the capital went, and draws out the patterns. So far, private capital has not reliably improved results on the pitch. Across 19 English deals since 2016, 10 clubs finished higher on average after the money arrived and 9 finished lower for a median change of +0.5 places a season. It’s important to point out, though, that this is meant as context and food for thought for college athletics leaders, not a playbook. Check out the findings (link) and the interactive chart for each team. (link)
Colorado College took a 10% budget reduction across all varsity sports teams to help offset a university-wide $12-14M revenue shortfall stemming from a third consecutive year of under enrollment, according to The Catalyst's Veronica Bianco and Sydney McGarr. Facing a drop in student enrollment to approximately 1,950 students (down from its target of 2,160), the university instituted campus-wide operational cuts, salary freezes, and early retirement buyouts while asking all divisions to cut budgets by 10% over two years. The Athletic Department achieved its cost savings by reducing team travel overnights, scaling back meal provisions, utilizing in-house nutritionists, and leaving an open athletic trainer position vacant following a staff departure to Air Force. Tigers AD Lesley Irvine: "It was going to be really important for me to sit with each of the head coaches and ask them to present to me how they were going to do it. This isn’t changing anything in terms of mission value." (link)
It’s Personnel…
➤ Long Beach State has named former Hawaii AD Craig Angelos as Senior Assoc. AD for Facilities and Capital Projects, per CollegeAD. (link)
➤ Saint Joseph's Director of Major Gifts Joe Logan has been elevated to Senior Assoc. AD for Development. (link)
➤ Additional administrative moves over the past couple of days can be reviewed on The Wire on Collegiate Sports Connect: Air Force, Appalachian State, Arizona, Boise State, Campbell, Hawaii, Illinois State, Kentucky, Liberty, Long Island, Maryland, Miami (FL), Michigan State, New Mexico, Ohio, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers, San Francisco, South Dakota, Stanford, Syracuse, Troy, Utah, Utah Valley, West Georgia, the WCC. (link)
Good stuff here from VCU, which has produced an Office-style women’s hoops team schedule reveal – including at least one instance of a player Jimming the camera! Check it out. (link)
Northern Iowa raised $342.8M from 34,031 donors during its eight-year “Our Tomorrow: The Campaign for UNI” initiative, exceeding its original $250M goal by more than $90M, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch's Brooklyn Draisey. Panther Athletics received $74M in total campaign support, which included $18M specifically dedicated to athletic scholarships and $31M to capital support. (link, link)
The SEC has fined Kentucky $500K after fans stormed the field to celebrate the Wildcats’ 35-34 victory over LSU on Saturday. (link)
Bowling Green held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of Cochrane Plaza as part of the Cochrane Stadium Renovation Project, which includes the installation of a new entrance at Cochrane Stadium as well as a statue honoring Mickey Cochrane, the namesake of the venue. (link)
Utah State is adding field-level suites at Jim Laub Family Stadium for the 2027 football season. The suites will feature 10-16 padded seats, a food and beverage rail, a dry bar with an ice chest, an all-inclusive game-day buffet and more. (link)
East Texas A&M inks a multiyear partnership with Alliance Bank, which will serve as the title sponsor of the Lion women's basketball and softball teams. The agreement also includes the placement of an Alliance Bank jersey patch for both teams’ uniforms for the next three seasons. (link)
Dayton inks a partnership to display the Winsupply logo on the apron of Blackburn Court this basketball season. (link)
Morning Edition
October 11, 2026
The 30-day exclusive negotiating window ended on Friday, but the College Football Playoff yesterday said it would “continue to have ongoing discussions with ESPN” regarding the media rights for a potential 24-team playoff. From the CFP: “The dialogue throughout the window has been constructive, and we will carry these conversations forward with ESPN as we determine the path ahead.” ESPN’s Heather Dinich explains that unraveling the contracts for those conference championship games and determining their value has been a part of the negotiations (potentially $200M in value), as has determining the value of the additional games in an expanded field. (link)
Missouri Valley Conference/Missouri Valley Football Conference Commissioner Jeff Jackson covers several topics during an appearance on the WakeUpCall podcast…
➤ On managing athletic department departures within the conference ecosystem: "When presidents or chancellors tell me that they're having those conversations or they're genuinely thinking about it, I really don't begrudge them because those are decisions that they're making as presidents and chancellors with the support and the advice of their boards and things of that nature."
➤ The regional identity and community importance of Missouri Valley Conference member institutions: "We're geographically sensible... everybody bumps up to that state, we're not all over the place, but there's no doubt it's one of the stronger conferences right now in the non-Power Five space... All of our schools are extremely important to their community. Not just in terms of the athletics, but just the overall fabric of what that community is."
➤ Expanding the NCAA Tournament to 76 teams: "We’re certainly in favor of this. We know Indiana State two or three years ago is in the tournament if it's 76 teams. We know Belmont last year has every chance to be in the tournament if it's 76 teams. So for us, with the expectation that the same model of evaluation is going to be in play, we feel really confident that we're going to have teams that are going to be able to take advantage themselves of the fact that the tournament is expanding from 68 to 76 teams." (link)
Boise State AD Jeramiah Dickey in the news once again with interesting comments to host Jay Tust on The Jeremiah Dickey Show…
➤ On exploring drastic structural reform options: "Someone tell me why wouldn't promotion/relegation work? … Outside of ego, outside of people being grandfathered in, outside of the history and tradition of some of these institutions, why couldn't it work? Why couldn't we create a structure where we have unity from the top? Maybe it lives in the CFP. ... My biggest fear is 10 years from now ... that we look back and say shoulda, coulda, woulda. Right now we're looking back and saying, shoulda, coulda, woulda. How do we stop that mentality? How do we define expectations and how do we create something that can live beyond us and truly represent something bigger than ourselves and the impacts that we're having?"
➤ Legislative momentum for the Protect College Sports Act: "I think we had 77 votes on that and that's awesome. You think about how far we’ve come. We keep making progress. Sometimes it's inches at a time, but those inches add up. ... My assumption is it's going to be, and we're being told [the House vote’s] going to be after the midterms, which makes sense. I would expect to have something hopefully by the end of this year. Then the question is, when is it implemented? ... I think this gives us a foundation to build off of." (link)
More from Memphis AD Dr. Ed Scott on the Bill Rhoden on Sports podcast…
➤ Supporting the "Lane Kiffin rule" in the PCSA to restrict in-season coaching departures: "It prevents coaches from leaving during the season. I actually like that because last year it happened to us. [Former HC Ryan Silverfield] had a wonderful opportunity to upgrade for himself and his family to go to Arkansas, but he left us before the bowl game and that put us in a really tough spot.”
➤ Managing a growing $100M budget at Memphis while operating with less institutional subsidy than Power 4 peers: "When I got here, we had a $67M budget. I've been able to grow that with an awesome team over the last two years to about $100M. ... We produce $78M of that $100M. We get a subsidy from the institution, about $22M. Of that $22M, we have to give back to the university over $10M in scholarships. So when you look at it, really, we're producing an inordinate amount of revenue that most of the Power 4’s on a percentage basis do not have to produce."
➤ Pushing back against market size criticisms in conference realignment evaluations: "When people say, 'Well, the market isn't big enough. South Florida has a bigger market in Tampa.' They do. 'Houston, the University of Houston is in a bigger market than Memphis.' Yes, I can’t deny that. ... Here's what people aren't talking about. … It's what I would call impact to market. The University of Houston does not mean to the city of Houston nearly as much as the University of Memphis means to the city of Memphis. ... In the city of Memphis, there are three pillars that keep the city up and running: St. Jude [Children’s Hospital], FedEx, and the University of Memphis. Those three things mean more to this city than most of the other schools that I just described." (link)
Cal State Northridge AD Ryan Swartwood sat down for a Q&A on the Journey Out West podcast to discuss his return to the university, elevating the CSUN brand in a crowded California market and more. Here’s what you need to know…
➤ Utilizing local demographics to differentiate the athletic department: "We're a Hispanic-serving institution and we're a Black-serving institution as well, which we're very proud of. … Just in the San Fernando Valley, which is where we're located on campus... there's, I believe, about 2M residents. ... We think focusing on the San Fernando Valley is an area of strength for us as we set ourselves apart in what is definitely a busy and crowded SoCal market."
➤ On the unique elements of the university's branding: "I think being the Matadors is a unique mascot. And then I think also we're the only school in the Big West Conference with the color red as well. ... [We] have a beautiful Matador statue in the heart of our campus right by the library. And that statue gets involved in a lot of campus traditions. After students graduate, they'll place a rose on the Matador statue." (link)
Colorado State professor Kyle Saunders has mapped out where more than 1,550 universities stand comparatively based on institutional resilience, post-college market position and artificial intelligence exposure. Institutional resilience is based on the question: “Can this institution absorb financial and enrollment shocks?” Meanwhile, the post-college market position is based on the question: “How well does this institution position graduates for the labor market ahead?” The data has now been refreshed with the latest IPEDS and College Scorecard releases, and the enrollment trend now covers 2019-20 to 2024-25. See where your institution stands, both on its own and relative to others. (link)
ESPN’s College GameDay is headed to Provo next weekend for the first time since 2009 as BYU welcomes Notre Dame. (link)
College.town has compiled a list of the FBS football intro videos for this season, analyzing their similarities and differences. Common threads: voiceovers + radio calls; city /region are the heroes; history, legacy and anniversaries; storms, lighting and fire; mascots and logos; traditions still carry the moment. Texas Tech has the shortest run time (0:47) while East Carolina has the longest (2:26), with the average run time at 1:19. Watch the 32 we’ve collected, and if yours is missing, send it our way. (link)
North Texas Deputy AD for Revenue Generation/CRO Charley Thrash highlights the athletic department's fundraising momentum across its capital projects, NIL initiatives, and annual events during an appearance on The Greenprint podcast. Key notes…
➤ Athletic center expansion: "Phase 2 is going to be just as important as Phase 1. Brand new academic center. ... It'll be unbelievable what we can do from a recovery standpoint once we get that square footage. I think it almost triples in size within the sports medicine [area]. And then our football locker room … we haven't touched that space since the building was built … over 20 years."
➤ Capitalizing on community support to establish a distinct home-field advantage: "If we could just continue to mobilize our alumni base, like we can really do some special things. ... There's going to be a day where we all talk about South Florida, the crowd at South Florida, and eventually I want us to – it'll be fun when that's the norm and we’re not going ‘we’ve got to be like that game against South Florida’. That’s just the norm. And I think our fans with what we're doing as a department and where we're continuing to go, that will be the norm." (link)
Utah has collaborated with audiovisual, broadcast and digital experience integration leader Diversified to open a new Language & Communications broadcast production facility that’s capable of supporting in-venue productions across multiple athletic venues, ESPN+ broadcasts and future opportunities with linear broadcast partners. (link)
TD Garden and parent company Delaware North unveiled the first phase of a $100M hospitality transformation ahead of the Boston Bruins' 2026-27 home opener on Sept. 29. The two-year arena renovation encompasses all 83 Boston Garden Society Suites—with the initial 24 redesigned spaces featuring culinary programs from Patina Group—ahead of a planned 2027 event-level club makeover in partnership with the Boston Celtics and Rockwell Group. TD Garden President and Bruins EVP/COO Glen Thornborough: "The debut of our newly transformed suites marks the first visible milestone in TD Garden’s $100M investment and offers a glimpse of the next generation of premium experiences still to come, including our Level 3 event-level clubs. As one of the industry’s leading sports and entertainment venues, we remain focused on setting new standards through innovative amenities, elevated culinary offerings and exceptional fan experiences that continue to raise the bar – and this season is no exception." (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.
Academics/Student-Athlete Services
Associate AD Academic Services-Student Athletes (Oklahoma State University / Stillwater, OK): More details HERE.
Learning Specialist II (University of Texas – Austin / Austin, TX): More details HERE.
Assistant Professor - Sport Administration (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill / Chapel Hill, NC): More details HERE.
Business/Finance/Human Resources
Director of Athlete Compensation (Clemson University / Clemson, SC): More details HERE.
Associate Athletic Director for Sports Analytics (William & Mary / Williamsburg, VA): More details HERE.
Data Analyst – Athletic Financial Reporting (Texas A&M University / College Station, TX): More details HERE.
Coaching/Operations/Recruiting
Assistant Women's Basketball Coach (Monmouth University / West Long Branch, NJ): More details HERE.
Assistant Women's Rowing Coach (Monmouth University / West Long Branch, NJ): More details HERE.
Head Coach, Men’s Tennis (Belmont University / Nashville, TN): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Nashville? Click HERE.
Head Women's Soccer Coach (Iowa State University / Ames, IA): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Ames? Click HERE.
Head Coach Athletics Pool (Florida International University / Miami, FL): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Miami? Click HERE.
Assistant Coach Athletics Pool (Florida International University / Miami, FL): More details HERE.
Communications/Marketing/Digital/Social
Associate Director, Athletics Creative Content Producer (Texas Tech University / Lubbock, TX): More details HERE.
Graphic Designer - Athletics (University of Alabama at Birmingham / Birmingham, AL): More details HERE.
Associate Director, Athletics Integrated Communications (University of Memphis / Memphis, TN): More details HERE.
Assistant Director, Bronco Productions / Creative Media (Western Michigan University / Kalamazoo, MI): More details HERE.
Director of Fan Experience and Engagement (Murray State University / Murray, KY): More details HERE.
Assistant Director, Social Media Marketing Strategy (University of Wisconsin / Madison, WI): More details HERE.
Assistant Director of Marketing (Loyola University Chicago / Chicago, IL): More details HERE.
Senior Associate Athletic Director for Revenue Generation (La Salle University / Philadelphia, PA): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Philadelphia? Click HERE.
Assistant AD Marketing and Fan Engagement (Oklahoma State University / Stillwater, OK): More details HERE.
Compliance/Legal/NIL
Director of Roster Strategy & Analytics (Clemson University / Clemson, SC): More details HERE.
Director of Athlete Compensation (Clemson University / Clemson, SC): More details HERE.
Assistant Director for Compliance Services (University of Connecticut / Storrs Mansfield, CT): More details HERE.
Assistant Athletic Director of Compliance (Administrator I) (San Diego State University / San Diego, CA): More details HERE.
Associate Director of Compliance (Oklahoma State University / Stillwater, OK): More details HERE.
Senior Associate Athletic Director Compliance (Florida International University / Miami, FL): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Miami? Click HERE.
Director, Governance and Compliance (Mountain West Conference / Las Vegas, NV): More details HERE.
Director Athletic Compliance Eligibility (Florida International University / Miami, FL): More details HERE.
Development/Fundraising/Alumni Relations
Annual Fund Coordinator, Parking Operations (University of Tennessee / Knoxville, TN): More details HERE.
Donor Events & Stewardship Coordinator (ALUMNI EXTERNAL REL SPEC 3) Job 88834 (University of California – Davis / Davis, CA): More details HERE.
Senior Director of Development (Northern Arizona University / Flagstaff, AZ): More details HERE.
Deputy Athletic Director/Chief Development Officer for Athletics - (ATH00000504) (Southern Methodist University – SMU / Dallas, TX): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Dallas? Click HERE.
Associate Director of Development - Major Gifts (Purdue University / West Lafayette, IN): More details HERE.
Assistant Director of Development - Athletics (Ohio State University / Columbus, OH): More details HERE.
Broncos Empowered and Varsity W Club Specialist (Western Michigan University / Kalamazoo, MI): More details HERE.
Manager, Premium Seating & Parking (University of Oregon / Eugene, OR): More details HERE.
Senior Associate Athletic Director for Revenue Generation (La Salle University / Philadelphia, PA): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Philadelphia? Click HERE.
Assistant/Associate Director of Development, Intercollegiate Athletics (Penn State / University Park, PA): More details HERE.
Executive & Senior Leadership
Deputy Athletic Director/Chief Development Officer for Athletics - (ATH00000504) (Southern Methodist University – SMU / Dallas, TX): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Dallas? Click HERE.
Senior Associate Athletic Director Compliance (Florida International University / Miami, FL): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Miami? Click HERE.
Senior Associate Athletic Director for Revenue Generation (La Salle University / Philadelphia, PA): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Philadelphia? Click HERE.
Facilities/Event Operations/Equipment
Assistant Athletic Director Equipment and Apparel (New Mexico State University / Las Cruces, NM): More details HERE.
Internal Operations/Facilities and Event Management Graduate Assistant (Fort Hays State University / Hays, KS): More details HERE.
Director of Sport Administration and Championships (American Conference / Irving, TX): More details HERE.
Director of Event Operations (University of South Carolina / Columbia, SC): More details HERE.
Director of Rentals, Facilities & Operations (Yale University / New Haven, CT): More details HERE.
Facilities Operation Specialist (California State University – Fullerton / Fullerton, CA): More details HERE.
General Administration
Administrative Assistant II (Murray State University / Murray, KY): More details HERE.
Health/Wellness/Performance/Training
Assistant Athletic Trainer (Long Beach State University / Long Beach, CA): More details HERE.
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Pool (Florida International University / Miami, FL): More details HERE.
Assistant Athletic Trainer Pool (Florida International University / Miami, FL): More details HERE.
Athletic Trainer (The George Washington University / Washington, DC): More details HERE.
Assistant Athletic Trainer (California State University – Fullerton / Fullerton, CA): More details HERE.
Athletic Trainer (Towson University / Towson, MD): More details HERE.
Sponsorships/Corporate Relations
Senior Associate Athletic Director for Revenue Generation (La Salle University / Philadelphia, PA): More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Philadelphia? Click HERE.
Ticket Sales/Ticket Operations
Director of Ticket Operations (University of Maryland / College Park, MD): More details HERE.
Annual Fund Coordinator, Ticketing Operations (University of Tennessee / Knoxville, TN): More details HERE.
Assistant Director of Ticket Sales (United States Air Force Academy / Colorado Springs, CO): More details HERE.
Ticket Sales Associate (Marquette University / Milwaukee, WI): More details HERE.
Account Executive, Ticket Services (North Carolina State University / Raleigh, NC): More details HERE.