D1.ticker - News from Monday, January 30, 2017

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New 1.Question: Tim Buckley - The Daily Advertiser - Louisiana AD search chat

A pair of interesting reads with FB's Signing Day coming up tomorrow. Fox Sports' Mandel looked at highly-ranked prospective QB student-athletes & their propensity to transfer. From 2011 to 2014, half of three-, four- or five-star rated QBs have left their original schools. This is a stark change from 2002, "Of the 24 quarterbacks to earn composite four- or five-star ratings, all but five finished their careers at the school they signed with out of high school." Mandel points to "recruiting in the age of social media" as the culprit. Student Sports, which runs the Elite 11 camp, Prez of FB Events Stumpf says social media & the camp culture have made early playing time a major pressure & peer expectations even greater in a quest to get play in the NFL. (link); USA Today's Schroeder focuses on the trend of early enrollment & as has already been noted in this space, 12 of the top 18 prospects as created by 247Sports are already on campus. Oklahoma HC Stoops: "I do believe it will start to become more of the norm. More of these guys out of high school want the opportunity to play immediately, and this gives them a chance." Virginia Tech HC Fuente says he's totally OK with a signee spending his last semester in high school as there are plenty of memorable moments that await. Lots more. (link)

Turnkey Search will be paid $75K plus expenses to help Tennessee conduct its search for a new AD. Per the Knoxville News Sentinel, the other finalists were Parker, DHR & Collegiate Sports Associates. Parker's bid was $70K (or $55K if the new AD's salary ended up being less than $250K), DHR's offer was $112K, CSA submitted $75,500. Of note, Turnkey can't conduct another 'Power 5' search while UT's is still in progress, plus, "If the candidate Turnkey selects is terminated within the first 12 months of employment by UT for willful misconduct, gross negligence or because he/she is unfit to be AD as specified in the position description, Turnkey would conduct a replacement search at no additional fee." (link - article, link - PDF of the Turnkey agreement)

Kentucky Speaker of the House Hoover indicates that his state's version of "the bathroom bill" won't get a hearing with the House of Representatives this year. Similar to North Carolina's controversial HB2 law, this proposed law in the Commonwealth requires transgender individuals to use the bathroom that corresponds with their "biological sex." Kentucky joins Virginia in rejecting such a bill, likely in part hoping to avoid economic ramifications from losing the right to host sporting events within state lines. (link)

Kansas: The Kansas City Star reports MBB student-athlete Vick was investigated on allegations of striking a female KU student multiple times back in 2015. "Based on a preponderance of the evidence" the recommendation from the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access was two years of university probation. No criminal charges are believed to have been filed against Vick. (link); MBB student-athlete Bragg has been charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia & remains suspended. (link)

Times Free Press scribe Wiedmer asks "When will college recruiting reflect our best instead of our worst?" Points to recent headlines out of Baylor, Louisville, Kansas and Vanderbilt involving the questionable behavior of males, "At some point, isn't it way past time for us to take a long, hard look at how we recruit these athletic wunderkinds to Big State U? Shouldn't everything about the recruiting process take a Clorox bath and have its guidelines rewritten by Disney?" UT-Chattanooga AD Blackburn shares lots on the subject, including: "It's got to be totally rethought. We've got to get it across to all our young people that bad things happen, things that ruin lives for both the accused and the victim, whenever you cross those lines. We've just got to do a much better job of respecting each other." (link)

Leading MBB personality Davis provides background & context to the first in-season announcement of NCAA Tourney seedings coming down next month. Indicates coaches were the driving force behind the move & the College FB Playoff's version was a direct motivator. Davis says a full bracket would be interesting, but a ton of work by the Committee. No word on if there will be more regular releases of this nature. More notes. (link); Gonzaga is up to #1 in the polls, but HC Few notes the reality of his job & trying to get to the Final Four, "It’s something we haven’t done. We’re running out of things we haven’t done. That seems to drive a lot of people to question us. I’m not one who signs up for that. If you can get to the tournament 18, 19 straight years, that says enough. […] It’ll morph into another one, ‘How come you haven’t won a national championship?’ ‘When are you going to get back there again?’ ‘You’re not really an established program if you don’t get back there again.’ It never ends." (link)

More on Scarlet Knights finances, this time with perspectives from Rutgers AD Hobbs and RU economics professor Killingsworth. Hobbs contends that joining the Big Ten has boosted revenues and will get the department back in the black once full membership status comes to fruition, or shortly thereafter. Asks for patience from fans as FB and MBB will be a steady climb to the top of the league: "Rutgers can compete at the highest level. It just needs focus, the right coaching talent, good recruitment and a commitment of resources. All of those things are happening now. I am very confident that we can be a big fish in a big pond in the not-so-distant future." And when asked about his longtime disdain on the growing emphasis on athletics in Piscataway, Killingsworth had this to say: "I love sports. I love football. I hate deficits. Most of all, I hate athletics deficits that are financed by taking money from academics. A basic problem with Rutgers athletics is that far too many so-called fans want to ride for free — they want someone else (usually academic programs) to pay for their entertainment. Another basic problem is that the Rutgers Board of Governors and its handmaidens in the administration have always been the prime enablers of athletics. Far from insisting that athletics should raise, or earn, enough money to stand on its own, they have provided millions of dollars in subsidies — far more than most other universities. You don’t have to be a financial genius to see that huge subsidies for athletics are never going to lead to huge efforts by athletics to earn its keep." Killingsworth does see value in the move to the Big Ten, however. (link)

High Point will name its new basketball arena & conference center after current Prez Qubein & his wife. The new home for the Panthers will cost $100M, seat 4,500, have premium seating opportunities, feature all new support spaces for the hoops programs, as well as include a hotel & conference meeting options. Enrollment has tripled under Qubein's watch & $300M has been raised, including $10M from Qubein directly. (link)

Harvard Business Review explores the inefficiencies in sales planning/execution and the disconnect between sales reps and execs, particularly in terms of understanding the goals and job functions of the other group. As a result, senior admins worry that sales processes and people may be suboptimal, while salespeople don't understand how their behavior and routines, which can result in a "competency trap," affect the strategic direction of the company. A cycle develops: "The sales force gets better and better at things that leaders and customers value less and less while remaining unclear about performance expectations." Linking strategy to behaviors, changing approach to training, revamping compensation & performance evals, and changing hiring/recruiting efforts can all improve performance. (link)

The Stanford-Rice FB matchup in Sydney is officially a "go." TLA Worldwide & TEG Live are presenting brands for the kick & Anthony Travel is in for fan travel packages. Owls AD Karlgaard: "This is a unique opportunity for us, one that I’m not sure we will have again in the near future. The Pac-12 has been expanding its outreach in the Pacific Rim the last few years, and we are excited to partner with Stanford for the game in Australia this fall. For our football players, many of whom have never been abroad, this trip will be as much about experiencing a new culture as it will be about the game itself." (link); Notre Dame FB HC Kelly says his Fighting Irish won't head to IMG Academy in Bradenton for some of spring practice. "I just feel like with that rule now officially on the books, it doesn't make any sense for us to do something that they have now legislated out. I don't want to be that team that jumps in there just before they change the legislation." (link)

presented by Anthony Travel

Northern Illinois AD Frazier used Twitter to announce the department's slogan for 2017, "Hard work pays off. Period." Frazier, who has changed the motto every calendar year since 2014, uses the annual rallying cry to represent a "renewed sense of purpose, understanding and commitment in the athletic department." Frazier explained the reasoning behind this year's slogan: "It all comes down to the fact that if you are engaged in hard work, positive outcomes will happen. That’s why you [have] the motto ‘Hard work pays off,’ and the explanation of ‘Period,’ meaning [hard work] will pay off, and that is all you need." (link)

The San Diego State MBB program saw its 80-game, regular-season sellout streak at Viejas Arena come to an end this past weekend when the announced crowd for the Aztecs' game against Colorado State was 11,881, 533 short of capacity. The issues stem from a shrinking student section that not so long ago was famous for its enthusiasm and passion. HC Fisher: "There’s nothing wrong with our fans, including our students, being disappointed that we haven’t won more, and yet we need them even more now. We have taken great pride in the energy created in this building for a lot of years now. It has been generated, as a rule, by our students. They have driven the atmosphere, the vibe, the feel in this arena. It’s been one of the best in the country. [...] We want to keep it that way. Hopefully they want to keep it that way." (link)

Personnel Notes: Stanford AD Muir turns to Illinois Women's Volleyball HC Hambly to take over the same position in Palo Alto. Hambly went 178-86 in eight seasons in Champaign that included six trips to the NCAA Tourney & a 2011 National Championship appearance. Illinois AD Whitman says he'll be looking for a new HC with "Illini values." (link); Oregon State Interim AD/SWA Vydra promotes Asst. AD for Marketing Elcano to Assoc. AD for Fan Engagement & Revenue Engagement. Vydra: "She's an innovator, a great teammate and has tremendous passion for everything she sets her mind to. I'm excited to broaden Sara's scope of responsibility so she can make an even greater impact in the growth of Beaver Athletics." (link)

Builds: Ole Miss will invest $19M into upgrades at Baseball's Swayze Field to include a new weight room, expanded hitting & pitching space, as well as new seats behind home plate with completion expected by this time next year. Deputy AD Ponder: "The new seating along with donations, when you put all that together, will be able to fund the project. It wouldn't be tied to student fees in any way or tuition or anything like that." (link); Marquette opened its new training dome yesterday & AD Scholl believes it can be a big boost to recruiting. Cost: $3.6M paid from an athletic surplus. 86,000 square feet. Lots of pictures. (link); Minnesota received a $1M commitment from the John T. Mooty Foundation to go toward a new indoor training hub for Men's & Women's Golf. Fundraising goal of $3.5M to construct the new digs. (link)

With the Illinois State MBB team off to its best start ever in Missouri Valley Conference play (18-4, 10-0), the Redbirds are looking to honor the seven victims of a plane crash in April 2015 by making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998 when current HC Muller was starring for his alma mater. The passengers, which included AHC Ward and Deputy AD Leetch, were returning from the Final Four in Indianapolis at the time. The program has honored the victims by featuring a wall mural of Ward in the locker room along with a "Redbird 7" logo on the carpet and placing patches with the logo on players' jerseys. Muller: "There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think about those guys on the plane. We wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for Torrey. He recruited half the dudes on the roster." (link)

ESPN lost another 326K subscribers, but @SportsTVRatings hits the reminder button, "ESPN is in fewer homes that it used to be but it's $/home # is bigger than anyone else's by miles." (link, link); Proctor & Gamble Chief Brand Officer Pritchard is going hard line on digital advertising, "The days of giving digital a pass are over. It's time to grow up. It's time for action." Further, Pritchard says he's tired of wasting time & money on a platform that doesn't operate with universal metrics, plus he calls out contract terms with major agencies. P&G spends a few dollars on advertising, so this is a big deal. (link)

USF AD Harlan took to Twitter yesterday to express his commitment to the Bulls with speculation swirling on his ties to Arizona & its open AD chair. "Let there be no doubt to our student-athletes,coaches/staff & supporters that the Harlan's are 100% USF BULLS. Let's continue to build & win!" (link); Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) member Bill Ridenour says the search committee tasked with finding a successor to Arizona President Hart will begin interviewing candidates in mid-February before submitting a group of finalists to ABOR for interviews toward the end of the month. As has been covered in this space, it is estimated that the search committee began with roughly 50 candidates with whom there was mutual interest. A new president could be in place as early as March. (link)

Retiring Cleveland State AD Parry Q&As with Crain's Cleveland Business Journal, "There are a lot of challenges at the midmajor level, which I've enjoyed fighting. […] It's just time for someone to take a fresh look at it. Some of the state funding models are of concern. I happen to work for a guy (university president Ronald Berkman) who's very dynamic and a good fundraiser, very progressive in what he wants to accomplish not only in athletics, but the whole institution." Believes mid-major leaders have to be committed to the student-athlete experience, not sure if major student fee support is a sustainable funding model long-term & points to revenue-generation as the toughest job for an AD. A bit more. (link)

Ohio State boss Smith says he wanted to be a part of the College FB Playoff committee after seeing how it's been executed over its first few years. Admits he was a strong proponent of the BCS system, but likes the NCAA Tourney-esque principles the CFP group has added to the mix. Says he couldn't have joined if it weren't for his strong leadership team in Columbus. Knows he'll be watching more games than normal, but catching matchups when the Buckeyes aren't playing is nothing new. (link)

Mountain West brass circulated a memo to member institutions back in mid-January in an effort to curtail negative behavior on & off the court by basketball coaches & student-athletes. Apparently a clip that appeared here in D1.ticker was referenced in the note. Commish Thompson: "It is for this reason, I feel compelled to write you with the message ‘enough is enough’. The behavior by our men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes and coaching staffs thus far this season has been nothing short of embarrassing." This Albuquerque Journal article includes data on technical fouls as of January 14th, plus a recap of additional incidents. (link)

The family of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman/CEO Adelson issued a statement regarding their withdrawal as investors in the proposed $1.9B football stadium that would house the Oakland Raiders & UNLV FB program. Adelson's statement made sure to mention that he was not happy with how UNLV has been treated in the latter part of the process, "In addition to being discouraged by the surprise submission, I was deeply disappointed for the disregard the Raiders showed our community partners, particularly UNLV, through the proposed agreement." Goldman Sachs will likely serve as a lead financier in place of Adelson. (link)

Also Noticed: LSU's Tiger Athletic Foundation increases priority points for academic gifts to the university. (link); Florida AD Stricklin says he's sensed a high level of positivity from the Gators fan base since his arrival in Gainesville. (link); One person who won't be arriving in Gainesville is top-rated prospective FB student-athlete Robinson, who was believed to be a UF lean, but not any longer after his issues during a recent visit to Ohio State & his follow-up comments. (link); South Carolina WBB HC Staley kept it professional when asked about an interesting foul call that led, in small part, to Tennessee's win over the Gamecocks, "I promised our staff that I wasn’t going to go there. And I’m not going to go there. It’s part of the game. I just want to make sure we learn from it. We have to make adjustment to how the game is played out, how the game is called. Sometimes, you can’t make them quick enough." (link); Georgia Tech MBB HC Pastner says a Super Bowl win by the Atlanta Falcons will help his recruiting efforts. (link); Law360 previews a push by the NCAA & Pac-12 to dismiss a wage-and-hour class action lawsuit. (link); Alabama Strength & Conditioning AC Chapman was arrested over the weekend for DUI. (link); Texas Tech will unveil a new studio for tomorrow's FB Signing Day festivities. (link); The Barclays Center in Brooklyn is breaking ties with the NHL's Islanders. (link); Outgoing ESPN headliner Musburger talks more about his next steps, including a radio show in Vegas on gambling. (link); Saturday night's Kentucky-Kansas MBB matchup was the highest-rated hoops game of the season so far. (link); James Madison MBB ACs Deane & Kontaxis have been suspended for two games a piece for the unknown "violating athletic department policy" line. (link)

The Daily Advertiser's Tim Buckley updated on the AD search at Louisiana late last week & adds more context to the process on today's 1.Q. Buckley begins with notes on the involvement of former Missouri Athletic Director, Mike Alden, then goes on to review the type of skill set that may be best for the Ragin' Cajuns right now. The downturn in the oil & gas industry, as well as the fan base's expectations vs. the reality of the college athletics landscape could make fundraising vitally important, but also a notable challenge. More, including a potential hiring timeline that would surprise Buckley. Listen by clicking the link. - link (length - 11:22)

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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)

Sports Law & Business Lecturer (Arizona State University / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law / Phoenix, AZ): Lecturer will teach 4-6 courses on general sports law as it applies to high school, collegiate, professional sports; will advise JD students on sports research papers. Other duties as assigned. More details HERE.

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