Mon, May 17, 2021

The Day’s News

Sources Dish on When Penn Will Begin AD Interviews

NCAA Council Unlikely to Recommend NIL Rules as States’ Laws Set to Go Into Effect

• The NCAA Council is not likely to recommend passage of formal name, image, and likeness legislation this week at its upcoming meeting, sources told CBS Sports. This inaction would come just days after NCAA president Mark Emmert urged the membership to pass such legislation by July 1 as pressure mounts nationally with NIL laws in six individual states going into effect on that date.
• It will therefore be unlikely that the NCAA will have NIL legislation in place to regulate its schools in six weeks. Those states’ NIL laws will allow players to receive unprecedented benefits by granting them the ability to market themselves.
• The NCAA Council meets Wednesday. Any recommendation by the group responsible for the day-to-day decision-making for Division I athletics would have to be approved by the NCAA Board of Governors. That board is next scheduled to meet in June.

AD David Coburn Not Among Three Finalists for Florida State President

• Florida’s Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran has been passed over in the hunt for Florida State University’s new president. The university’s presidential search committee narrowed the choices Saturday to Richard McCullough, Harvard University’s vice president for research; Robert Blouin, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s executive vice chancellor and provost; and Dr. Giovanni Piedimonte, Tulane University’s vice president for research and a professor of pediatrics at its medical school.
• The committee bypassed Corcoran, a former speaker of the Florida House. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the accrediting body for higher education institutions in the South, had sent a letter in recent days saying his candidacy posed a possible conflict of interest.
• The committee also rejected the candidacies of two insiders, athletics director David Coburn, and Randy Hanna, dean of its Panama City campus. Also rejected were lawyer Sean Pittman, University of Maryland Vice President Mary Ann Rankin, and Michael K. Young, the retired president of Texas A&M University.

LIU Adding Four New Athletic Programs

• LIU’s sports portfolio continues to grow as the university has announced the addition of four new programs to its athletic offerings.
• Beginning next fall, LIU is adding a men’s volleyball program as well as a men’s tennis team.
• Then in 2022-23, LIU plans to add men’s and women’s rowing.
• With the addition of the four new programs, LIU will now field 35 sports programs beginning in the fall of 2022.

Documents Detail What UWGB’s Next AD Can Expect to Earn

What Hiring George Kliavkoff Means for TV rights, CFP Expansion, NIL, and More

• Roughly four months since the conference announced Larry Scott’s 11-year tenure as commissioner would end in June, its highly secretive search ended in Las Vegas, where Kliavkoff had been serving as the president of entertainment and sports for MGM Resorts International since 2018.
• His appointment is a gamble in the sense that Kliavkoff’s background is not rooted in college sports — a trait many around the Pac-12 felt would be a benefit, in contrast to Scott’s arrival from the Women’s Tennis Association — but his impressive track record as a respected leader in various roles in media, sports and entertainment makes him an intriguing choice to lead the conference into a pivotal era of college athletics.
• For a role as complex as a Power 5 conference commissioner, it’s unreasonable to expect anyone to check all the boxes, but Kliavkoff checked enough of them and quickly emerged from a list of roughly 200 applicants.

Former Vanderbilt AD Malcolm Turner Hauled in More than $2 Million 

• The university’s 2019 federal tax return reveals that Malcolm Turner was paid more than $1.6 million in base salary and credited with nearly $2.2 million in total compensation for 11 months of work in that calendar year.
• Turner’s tenure started on Feb. 1, 2019, and ended on Feb. 4, 2020, but the university tax return only includes his 2019 earnings. Turner, the former NBA G League president, and first-time collegiate athletics director, was forced to resign amid accusations of lavish spending, sources told The Tennessean at the time.
• Vanderbilt’s 2019 tax return is the most recent available. Private institutions are not required to disclose public records like employee salaries upon request. However, they must file a 990 federal tax return about 18 months after the reported calendar year, which was obtained by The Tennessean.

Sources: NEC on the Verge of Adding Men’s Volleyball

Tax Documents Shed Light on Pitt’s Top Earners

• Football coach Pat Narduzzi was Pitt’s highest-paid employee during the 2020 fiscal year, earning $4.81 million during that time, according to tax documents recently made public by the university.
• Men’s basketball coach Jeff Capel earned $3.53 million during that stretch, an increase of about 32.7% from the $2.66 million he made in the 2019 fiscal year, his first at the school after coming over from Duke. Capel’s base compensation went from $2.58 million in 2019 to $3.43 million in 2020 while he earned $17,750 in bonus and incentive compensation after being paid nothing in that category in 2019.
• Athletic director Heather Lyke brought in $805,125, up from $710,000 in 2019.

Sources Breakdown the Many Partnerships that Went Into Arkansas’s New Flagship NIL Program

Pac-12 Eliminates Intraconference Transfer Rule

• Supporting recommendations from the Pac-12 Council, the Conference’s CEO Group approved a number of measures at its annual spring meeting on Monday.
• Among the actions taken by the presidents and chancellors of Pac-12 institutions were votes to provide student-athletes enhanced flexibility in deciding where to study and compete, and to increase their involvement in the Pac-12’s official governance process.
• The unanimous decision removes the requirement that all undergraduate transfers within the Conference serve one academic year in residence at their new institution before being permitted to compete. Moving forward, the eligibility of intraconference transfers will be governed by NCAA legislation. 
• To increase student-athlete representation in the Conference’s official voting governance structure, 12 additional representatives (one from each institution) will be added to the Pac-12 Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT). Previously made up of two student-athletes from each institution, SALT membership will now include at least three student-athletes per school during each academic year, with those three student-athletes representing each sport season (fall, winter, spring).

San Diego Receives $2 Million Gift

• University of San Diego Athletic Director Bill McGillis announced a $2 million gift for the establishment of a new golf training facility — the Purcell Family Short-Game Practice Facility, designed by San Diego native and golfing icon Phil Mickelson.
• The facility will include: A one-acre natural turf short-game area, consisting of a 7,500-sq. ft. putting green, a 1,000-sq. ft. practice bunker and a 40,000-sq. ft. fairway and a rough area designed to practice every possible golf shot plus 1,800 square feet of synthetic turf tee area, consisting of two types of hitting surfaces. 
• In addition to the short-game practice facility, the university’s future plan includes the building of a 3,000-sq. ft. clubhouse to support the golf team. The clubhouse will include a team locker room, team lounge, indoor/outdoor hospitality space, coaches office, storage, study/conference areas, a hitting bay, and golf lab featuring cutting-edge technology and equipment.

Oregon Athletics Projecting $55 Million in Losses in 2020-21

• Oregon athletics’ final projections for the 2021 fiscal year call for a $55 million loss, an improvement of $8 million from two months ago.
• The latest financial projections for UO athletics, which call for $51 million in revenue and $106 million in expenses, are included in materials to be discussed by the university’s board of trustees during its meeting on Wednesday and Thursday.
• The latest figures are $6 million more in revenue and $2 million less in expenses compared to the projections from early March, which called for a $63 million loss for the fiscal year.

Michigan State AD Bill Beekman to Meet with Swim and Dive Members

• In an update to the status of the Save Michigan State Swim and Dive effort, today the official Twitter page of the group announced that the Michigan State Athletic Director has agreed to meet with a dozen members of the group.
• Bill Beekman, the AD of the university, is set to meet with 12 members of the group battling to save Michigan State’s swim & dive programs from elimination on May 20th, at 1:30 pm Eastern Time.
• The tweet also notes that any members of the public who wish to listen in on the meeting will be welcome to, and that the Zoom link will be provided in the coming days.

UConn Chief Operating Officer/ SWA Adrianne Swinney Steps Down

• Adrianne Swinney, who has served as the Chief Operating Officer and Senior Woman Administrator for the UConn Division of Athletics since 2018, has decided to step away from her role and will return to her home state of Mississippi, attending to the best interests of her family and to her educational priority of finishing her doctoral degree. “There is never the perfect time to make this type of a decision,” Swinney said. “However, this is absolutely the right time and right decision for my family and me. It is a bittersweet moment; but, I’ll always be a Husky.”
• Swinney’s final day at UConn will be June 4. During her time at UConn, Swinney’s responsibilities have included running day-to-day operations of the department with oversight for all internal units, communications, and the National C-Club.
• She also served as the sport administrator for football, men’s soccer, softball, swimming and diving, women’s ice hockey, and field hockey while providing leadership to the department’s administrative team and sport administrator council.

Big West Eliminates Intraconference Transfer Policy

• The Big West Conference announced today it has eliminated the league’s intraconference transfer policy for student-athletes, effective immediately. This decision came via a unanimous vote of the Big West Board of Directors.
• The change rescinds a previous provision in the Big West bylaws requiring student-athletes who transferred within the conference in a Big West-sponsored sport to fulfill a residence requirement of one academic year (two semesters or three quarters) before becoming eligible.

2022 Navy-Notre Dame Game Will be Played At M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore

• Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk and Baltimore Ravens President Dick Cass announced on Monday that the 2022 Navy-Notre Dame game will be played on Nov. 12 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The game will be televised by ABC or ESPN as part of the American Athletic Conference television deal.
• The 2022 game will mark the 23rd time the city of Baltimore has hosted a Navy-Notre Dame game and the first time since 2008, when Notre Dame hung on for a 27-21 victory as Ricky Dobbs came off the bench and nearly led Navy to a miracle win.
• Navy and Notre Dame will meet this year for the 94th time on Saturday, Nov. 6 in South Bend.

Colgate Football Coach Dan Hunt Leaves Over School Violation

• Colgate football coach Dan Hunt is leaving to “address personal issues” following an unspecified “violation of university policy not involving students.”
• The school said Monday the decision was reviewed by the athletic department and had the support of the administration and board of trustees.
• Hunt had been with the program since 1995 and had been head coach since succeeding Dick Biddle in 2014. Associate head coach Stan Dakosty, a Colgate graduate and on the football staff since 2007, will serve as interim head coach for the 2021 season.

America East Adds Sierra Whitlock as Assistant Director for Championships & Operations

• America East Commissioner Amy Huchthausen announced today the hiring of Sierra Whitlock as the conference’s Assistant Director for Championships & Operations. Whitlock has joined the conference staff to start her role at America East beginning today, May 17.
• Whitlock comes to America East from VCU, where she has served as a facilities graduate assistant for the last two years.

Clemson Names Tori Niemann Assistant AD/Director of Student-Athlete Development

• Tori Niemann is returning to Clemson as Assistant Athletic Director/Director of Student-Athlete Development, it was announced by Steven Duzan, Senior Associate Athletic Director, Nieri Family Student-Athlete Enrichment Center. As the Assistant Athletic Director/Director of Student-Athlete Development, Niemann will oversee all aspects of student-athlete development initiatives, such as community services and engagement, career development, the Tiger Leadership Academy, and the Tigers United programming, which is focused on Diversity and Inclusion programming for all Clemson Student-Athletes.
• Niemann comes back to Clemson after spending two years at the University of North Carolina as the Director of Outreach, Alumni Relations, and Administration for the women’s basketball program, while also serving as the program’s academic liaison.
• She graduated from WIU in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and went on to earn a master’s degree in sport management in 2015.

Discovery-Warner Medial Deal Could Change the Sports Streaming Game

• A mashup of WarnerMedia’s Turner Sports assets with Discovery’s suite of cable channels doesn’t seem to have any immediate implications for the U.S. sports media market. But as the owner of Eurosport and the continent’s exclusive broadcaster of the Olympics, Discovery is a force to be reckoned with overseas.
• The transaction isn’t expected to close before mid-2022 (upon satisfaction of the standard regulatory approvals and a collective thumbs-up from Discovery shareholders), but the deal is already being seen as a game-changer on the streaming front. 

Jimbo Fisher: No way Texas-Texas A&M Football Game is Restored Before ’10 Years or So’

• Ten years will have passed by this November since Texas A&M and Texas last met on the football field, and Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher wouldn’t be surprised if another decade passes by — at minimum — before the Lone Star Showdown is finally a go once again. During an interview with KLBJ in Austin, Texas, Fisher made it clear that while he wouldn’t be necessarily opposed to restoring the rivalry, he doesn’t expect the Aggies and Longhorns to go at it on the gridiron anytime soon.
• Longhorns athletic director Chris Del Conte has been a vocal proponent of restoring the rivalry since his arrival at Texas in late 2017. It was reported by the Austin American-Statesman several years back that Del Conte attempted to schedule Texas A&M, only to be rebuffed by then-Texas A&M athletic director Scott Woodward, who said Texas A&M’s schedule was full. Woodward is now at LSU.
• The conversation came up at the time after pictures and video surfaced of Fisher talking with then-Texas coach Tom Herman at a Texas High School Coaches Association panel. Alas, Fisher said that the two weren’t talking about any future schedulings. Beyond Del Conte, first-year Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian was asked about renewing a rivalry during his introductory press conference earlier in the year, emphatically stating that he would “love” to see the the return of a rivalry that he believes would be great for the Lone Star State.

Utah has an Assistant AD Opening, Sources Update Us on the Position

Mizzou TradeMark Program Set to Assist Student-Athletes

• With the passage of legislation allowing student-athletes to capitalize on their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) by the Missouri State legislature Friday now awaiting Governor Mike Parson’s signature, the unique and personalized TradeMark program Mizzou first announced last fall will provide its student-athletes with the education and tools needed to build and elevate their personal brands to capitalize on NIL opportunities afforded them as Tigers.
• Last fall, Mizzou Athletics became the first Southeastern Conference institution to enter into a strategic partnership with NIL-oriented business and Nebraska-based Opendorse, to create TradeMark, a platform unique to Mizzou that provides its 550 student-athletes in 20 sports with tools to enhance their personal brands. Opendorse is a leader in the Name, Image and Likeness space with more than 25,000 professional athletes already using the platform to maximize their endorsement value in collaboration with partners on social media.
• Mizzou’s TradeMark program is a comprehensive program that emphasizes personal brand management, social media strategies and financial literacy. “As valuable and powerful as the Mizzou brand is, we recognize that each student-athlete who comes to Mizzou has a chance to cultivate their own personal brand, and leverage that into future opportunities that will reach well beyond athletics,” Sterk said. “Each student-athlete is an extension of Mizzou’s brand, and we are excited to provide them all with the tools to maximize their NIL presence.

UCF Receives $5.35 Million in Revenue as Part of AAC Annual Payout

• UCF received $5.359 million as part of its annual revenue payout from the American Athletic Conference. According to the most recent tax documents available, and obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, the conference reported $111,278,729 in total revenue for the 2019-20 fiscal year. That’s up 52% from the previous year when the league posted total revenue of $73,203,230.
• According to the most recent tax documents available, and obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, the conference reported $111,278,729 in total revenue for the 2019-20 fiscal year. That’s up 52% from the previous year when the league posted total revenue of $73,203,230.
• The increase can be attributed to several factors including a one-time $16.8 million exit fee paid by UConn, which made the decision to move to the Big East last year.

Boise State Softball Coach Maggie Huffaker Steps Down

• Maggie Huffaker announced Monday that she is stepping down from her position as Boise State softball head coach.
• Huffaker, who had spent the last three seasons as head coach, led the Broncos to the second NCAA Championship bid in school history in 2019.

George Mason Names Malcolm Grace Deputy AD for Compliance and NCAA Governance

• George Mason University Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics Brad Edwards announced today that Malcolm Grace has been named the department’s Deputy Athletic Director for Compliance and NCAA Governance.
• Possessing an extensive background built from all facets of intercollegiate compliance, Grace’s career includes more than 15 years in the law profession, six years in NCAA Division I compliance in the Big East and Big Ten conferences, as well as NCAA National office experience as a post-graduate intern with enforcement.
• Grace joins Mason after serving as Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance for Villanova since July 2017.

And that’s that.

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