D1.ticker - News from Wednesday, January 25, 2017

D1.ticker - Eliminate the barrage of articles & time-consuming
searches. Efficient D1 athletics news in a daily email.

Akron with a new opportunity below in D1.jobs. Post your openings where thousands of administrators spend time every single morning. Click here.

New 1.Question Interview: Tommy McClelland - Athletic Director - Louisiana Tech

Louisville's response to the NCAA Notice of Allegations in connection to the MBB-Katina Powell saga hit the wire yesterday. Of note, The Compliance Group's Smrt did interview former AC McGee before the supposed tell-all book from Powell was published, though the conversation didn't provide a significant amount of clarity. The university questions Powell's credibility on a number of fronts. HC Pitino argues he did have proper monitoring on his program, including McGee. "Louisville says in its response that the amount of actual cash (not cash value of services) provided in NCAA allegations is $805." WDRB's Crawford covered the latest from virtually every angle & a quick look through his Twitter feed provides a bevy of additional information. (link)

Florida AD Stricklin during a radio interview, "That’s one of the challenges we have, to make sure we stay on the cutting edge and are always trying to be innovative and always try to push the envelope going forward in trying to create a great experience for our athletes and for our fans. I used a quote at my press conference, ‘Success in the enemy of innovation.’ To me, one of the fun things is seeing a challenge and trying to figure out a creative, clever way to not just get around the challenge but to make it an advantage." Also, of note, "The minute you think you’re done with facilities in this day and age in college athletics, you’re getting passed up really quick. We’ve got some great opportunities going forward. We have a need, a desire for a standalone football complex." (link)

Five Kansas MBB student-athletes are listed as witnesses in a police report of a reported rape at the dorm that houses the team and other male students. None of the S-As are mentioned as suspects, no description of a suspect has been released, and KU Police indicate the Athletic Department is cooperating with investigators. HC Self: "From what I have learned, a witness can be many things, including a person who can potentially provide information, whether an eyewitness or not, or has been present before, during or after an alleged incident. All comments moving forward will come from the university or KU police department. If information is brought to us that warrants action at any time, the appropriate action will be taken." (link)

The Chicago Tribune's Greenstein explores the story of Oklahoma FB student-athlete Swenson one year after the former Michigan HC Hoke commit was not offered a scholarship by then-new Wolverines HC Harbaugh. Swenson says he's no longer upset with Harbaugh and is "thankful" that he ended up in Norman. As far as Harbaugh, he was happy to share his side of the story with Greenstein, which left the reporter impressed, "I fully expected the Michigan coach to duck comment, given how harsh I had been to him in a column about the Swenson situation last year. The fact Harbaugh called me within hours of the request, from the recruiting trail, showed a certain thickness of skin. It also spoke to his comfort in how Michigan handled this." (link)

Given the frustration expressed yesterday by Georgia Tech FB HC Johnson over his 2017 schedule, the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Sugiura asks "Does Paul Johnson's complaint have merit?" "The computer models that assemble the schedule do not try to prevent or limit teams from playing multiple opponents after open dates. That seems problematic to me. I recognize that assembling a schedule for 14 teams that also incorporates five games with Notre Dame, the desires of ESPN, exposure for the league, requests from teams, non-conference games and presumably other factors is not easy. But if competitive equity is a goal – it was the first stated objective in the statement given to me last fall – then being wary of open dates and in particular unequal rest ought to be a principle." (link)

Bricks & Mortar: Auburn ready to spend $28M for a new multi-story addition on the southwest corner of Jordan-Hare Stadium. Recruiting space, a club level & a new 16K square-foot locker room for FB all part of the plans. (link); UCF has secured a $1M commitment toward a new Nutrition Center that could run $1.7M in total & be built/open by the spring of '18. One piece of the Knights new 'Rise & Conquer' initiative to also include an expanded FB operations building, athletic department hub & student-athlete 'recovery cove.' (link); I must not have read between the lines closely enough on updates to UCF's 2017 FB ticket pricing approach as on-field end zone cabanas, which include food, drinks & furniture, are coming online next season for $22K a piece. (link); Neat video from Purdue on its new FB Performance Center as AD Bobinski says it's a clear sign the Boilermakers are committed to competing with the top tier of the sport. (link); South Carolina boss Tanner on the new FB operations building in Columbia, "I think that we are going to have a fabulous building that is going to be impactful for the daily necessities of a college football player. I would say there will some bells and whistles, but maybe not to the extent that you have heard at other places." (link); BYU is getting a new aquatics center. (link)

Moves: Georgia Tech Deputy AD Daniels exits the Yellow Jackets department, but will still be in Atlanta as he was named COO for the Metro Atlanta Host Committee, responsible for the 2019 Super Bowl in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (link); Adidas Public Relations lead Ehrlich takes off the Three Stripes to become VP of Marketing Communications at notable sports agency, International Sports & Entertainment (ISE). (link)

Legendary broadcaster Brent Musburger will conclude his storied play-by-play career at the end of the month, with his final two MBB tips being Florida/Oklahoma on Saturday and Georgia/Kentucky on Jan 31. ESPN is adamant that the move "had absolutely nothing to do with" Musburger's controversial comments about Oklahoma FB student-athlete Mixon during the Sugar Bowl, while SVP Druley indicates the network tried to convince him to stay on, but Musburger has plans to start a sports handicapping business in Las Vegas with his family. (link); Another broadcasting note as it's come to light that headliner Erin Andrews battled cervical cancer in 2016. (link)

Penn State Asst. AD for New Business Development & former Bradley AD Cross pens on what he believes are radical changes needed to the recruiting landscape. 1) Eliminate all signing days; 2) Allow signed commitments to happen at any age; 3) Under this deregulated system, if both parties agree to part ways they are free to do so (though there would still be one-time transfer scenarios). Key point: "The problem that needs to be addressed isn't the age of recruiting, which is not a predictor of readiness, maturity or decision-making ability. The problem is the pressure college athletics' fosters through a system of arbitrary dates, indirect communication and 'commitments' that have no meaning." Lots more. (link)

"Please" & "Thank You" Wins: According to the 2016 QSR Magazine's annual drive-thru report, Chick-fil-A is the most polite chain in the restaurant business, while McDonald's placed 14th of the 15 chains surveyed. "While small pleasantries are easy to dismiss in the multi-billion dollar restaurant business, these little things have played a key role in setting Chick-fil-A apart from the competition." Not convinced? How about the average sales per CFA restaurant reached $4M in 2015, compared to Kentucky Fried Chicken's $1M. A study found Chick-fil-A employees said "thank you" in 95.2% of drive through encounters vs. just 84.9% at KFC & a mere 78.4% at McDonalds. (link)

With questions surrounding the future of Qualcomm Stadium, the San Diego Bowl Game Association announces plans to discontinue the Poinsettia Bowl. The Holiday Bowl will still be executed & could move to Petco Park, home of MLB's Padres. Mountain West Commish Thompson: "We are well-versed in the bowl space and are already in the process of vetting future options to ensure postseason opportunities for our student-athletes." BYU officials also say they're already working on solutions as the Cougars had tie ins for 2017 & 2018. (link, link)

presented by Anthony Travel

Part III of the News Sentinel's series with Indiana AD Glass focuses on the global success of Women's Swimmer King & other IU student-athletes at the 2016 Summer Olympics. No direct line fundraising boost, but sentiment around the Hoosiers swim programs has certainly been boosted. Glass: "It was great across the board. It had a real positive impact with the program and across the university. With IU so prominent in the Olympics, it was a point of pride across the campus and the athletic department, too. People think it’s cool that Lilly King is in the lunch line with them. The same with Blake Pieroni and all those who had Olympic success. If they could do it, why not me? They are regular people who did extraordinary things." (link)

Duke MBB AC Capel pens a touching piece in The Players' Tribune on the special bond he and his brother Jason share with their father, a former Old Dominion HC, who is battling ALS. Capel shares a number of stories about how his father's coaching career shaped his own. Writes that family was always the top priority for his father: "The only tree my dad has ever wanted, I now realize, is a family tree. And he’s got one of the best ones around. It is a tree that he has loved, and protected, and nourished, for all of his life — through thick and through thin. And as he enters what I hope will be a very long twilight of that life, and as Jason and I both have kids and families of our own, he can rest assured: that his tree is in full bloom. With a strong base, and a tall trunk, and branches that are only just now beginning to reach out into the world. That’s his tree. And that’s his legacy." (link)

The families of two former UC Davis water polo student-athletes have endowed the men's water polo HC position, the first endowed HC position in Aggies history. With it, HC Leyson also received a five-year contract extension. AD Blue: "A gift of this significance will make an extraordinary positive impact on our men’s water polo program, and is a robust expression of confidence in Dan’s leadership. This gift also sets a positive example for other donors to follow as we continue to strengthen philanthropic support for our programs. Endowing a head coaching position provides a unique opportunity to create highly meaningful support in perpetuity for an Aggie program." (link)

Winthrop WBB HC Cook has been suspended due to what is being reported as a "personnel matter." With the situation unclear, AD Halpin says more details will be released at the appropriate time: "What we put in the release is all we can share at this time. As we find out more there will be more information. There’s no timeline or any more details to share at this time." (link)

Kansas FB HC Beaty said yesterday former Boise State student-athlete Jackson is no longer on his recruiting list. The announcement comes after Jackson announced earlier this week via his Twitter account that he was committed to the Jayhawks. Jackson was suspended with the Broncos after he and two teammates became the focus of a Title IX investigation that was launched after a female student alleged she had been sexually assaulted by the trio. (link)

Watch: Korn Ferry sports sector boss Hughes chats with Forbes SportsMoney's Ozanian. "We have built a proprietary process of the way we're able to develop a position specification. We want to understand what the leadership characteristics are and what the competencies are." Hughes goes on to describe how he & his team think through the combination needs of high-level leadership abilities along side premier execution chops for key jobs in sports, including AD & HC gigs. Uses a sheet with 106 adjectives to build a candidate profile "around the person's assertiveness, sociability, calmness, perfection, conformity & conscious restraint." More.(link)

Check out this 'murder mystery' Snap story executed by the Chicago Bulls earlier in the week. Mascot 'Big Ben' placed in a Clue-style dinner party where he eventually meets his demise. Short story narrative perfect for Snap platform. Included content grabbed from new Spectacle glasses. A sponsor, BMO Harris Bank, was also a part of the execution. (link)

presented by From Now On

Arizona AD search: San Jose Mercury News' Wilner works through his thoughts on who the next boss in Tucson could be. Speculates on eight potential candidates, including Kansas State boss Currie, TCU AD Del Conte, USF AD Harlan, Central Michigan lead Heeke, plus Ohio State Deputy AD Jarmond, Virginia Tech Deputy Reed-Francois (who has a law degree from UofA), Texas A&M Deputy Rempe & the possibility of a non-traditional option. "The challenge at Arizona? It’s not just renovating Arizona Stadium. It’s renovating Arizona Stadium and engaging the community and giving Sean Miller what he needs to succeed and raising truckloads of money and evaluating the trajectory of the football program and representing Arizona’s interests in conference matters and thinking one step ahead, because there’s no silver bullet of cash coming from the Pac-12 anytime soon." (link); The Arizona Daily Star's Hansen keeps moving on the topic, writes on the "not-so-secret-weapon" of Cedric Dempsey for the search & his streak of success at the University. (link)

Rutgers received a $28.6M subsidy to balance its $84M budget in FY16, up from $23.9M a year prior. The 2016 numbers also called for an athletic department loan from the university of nearly $10.5M, labeled in the books as "other operating revenue." AD Hobbs: "We’re committed to Dr. (Robert) Barchi’s plan of reducing the subsidy. We’re still fully confident of where we’re heading and that we’re heading in the right direction. ... I obviously inherited a challenging situation. I’m not going to be able to turn this around magically. It’s going to take strategic effort and planning. It’s going to take at least five years. … I hope people have confidence that as we move forward we’re making the right decisions. I have confidence." Biggest chunk of the increased subsidy ($3.663M) can be attributed to money owed to coaches and administrators who exited in 2015, as then-FB HC Flood and his staff, and then-AD Hermann were dismissed in November. More breakdown: $17.159M in direct institutional support, $11.421M in student fees, $29K in direct state government support. (link)

Fresno State's bottom line will improve with former FB HC DeRuyter landing at Cal as DC. The Bulldogs owed DeRuyter $3.1M over the next two years, but his appointment in Berkeley should reduce that amount by around $1.2M. When considering the same scenario, though different new schools, for former coordinators Kiesau & Ward, total savings could end up in the $2M range. The Fresno Bee's Warszawski points to the launch of Wrestling & Water Polo places the money could be used. (link)

FoxSports.com's Mandel's mailbag addresses a potential time frame for former Oregon FB HC Kelly to land back on a college sideline after his foray in the NFL. Offers that if Kelly does not take an NFL OC position, he could be lined up and ready to go midseason under-the-radar behind an interim, ala the situations with Ohio State's Meyer and Fresno State's Tedford. Mandel does speculate, however, that it would likely take "an awfully special job," to get Kelly off the market early. Not out of the question, however, with Mandel listing potential openings at Notre Dame, Texas A&M, UCLA, Tennessee, Arizona State, and Auburn. (link)

The Boston Celtics & GE have inked a deal that will see a new jersey patch added to the green & white, along with a data & analytics partnership as part of the multi-year pact. WME-IMG advised on the agreement worth a reported $7M annually. (link); Here's a look at the three NBA teams who have sold jersey sponsorships so far. All look pretty tasteful. How long until we see this place in college athletics? (link)

Also Noticed: The new, new Billiken mascot has been revealed, this time St. Louis called on some 17K alumni and survey respondents to help overhaul the smile, eyes, head and skin tone of the new look. (link); UT Arlington AD Baker picks Michigan State AC Wenger to take over the Lady Mavs Volleyball program. (link); Marshall MBB AC Duhon resigns, days after his second arrest in as many seasons. (link); More backstory on the exit of former Toledo Assoc. AD for Finance Zaworski, includes potential inappropriate comments to a graduate assistant & former student-athlete. (link); Oklahoma Prez Boren says FB student-athlete Cobb has been suspended from the university while his legal matters play out. (link); Marquette dinged $5K by the Big East for its fans rushing the floor after Tuesday's big win over Nova. (link); Kentucky is going to attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Records mark for the longest indoor crowd roar during Saturday's high-profile MBB match-up with Kansas. (link)

With Baseball just around the corner, to start this 1.Q I asked Louisiana Tech Athletic Director Tommy McClelland if he handled his search for a new Head Coach after last season differently than he would any other sport, including those of a more high-profile variety. The conversation dovetailed into how advancing administrators can prepare to assist on potential HC searches long before a change takes place. To close, McClelland reflected on becoming an AD at the young age of 25 & how he intentionally built a network needed to navigate the waters of leading an entire department. Listen by clicking the link. - link (length - 13:04)

sponsored by Turnkey Search

Want to learn more about advertising to D1.ticker's audience? Click here.

Interested in advertising a job opening in D1.ticker? Click here to submit your position. D1.jobs is sponsored by Turnkey Search, a national search firm specializing in executive level recruiting in sports and entertainment.

(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)

(NEW!) Assistant Director of Development, Athletics (The University of Akron / Akron, OH): The University of Akron, a NCAA Division I institution and proud member of the Mid-American Conference, is now accepting applications for an Assistant Director of Athletics Development / Z-Fund. EEO/AA Employer/Veterans/Disabled. More details HERE.

Director of Corporate Partnerships (American Baseball Coaches Association / Greensboro, NC): The ABCA Director of Corporate Partnerships will oversee sales and execution of all sponsorships. The ABCA has grown to more than 8,300 member coaches and 5,000 attending the annual convention. More details HERE.

Development Officer - Cowboy Joe Club (University of Wyoming / Laramie, WY): Responsibilities include direct involvement with the annual fund drive; game day parking operations/enforcement; premium seating; assisting with auctions, golf tournaments, outreach activities. More details HERE.

Part-time Ticket Sales Representative, Intercollegiate Athletics (Ball State University / Muncie, IN): Market and sell full seasons, partial seasons, group tickets, and mini ticket plans, through outbound sales activities for all ticketed sports. EEO/AA EMPLOYER/Veterans/Disabled. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (California State University - San Bernardino - CSU / San Bernardino, CA): The Athletics Director is a member of the Div of Student Affairs Sr Management Team. The position directs and administers intercollegiate athletics. Please visit hrd.csusb.edu for more information. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (Long Beach State University / Long Beach, CA): Long Beach State University (LBSU) invites nominations and applications for the position of Director of Athletics. LBSU Athletics is in Division I in the Big West Conference. More details HERE.

Manager, Talent Management (The University of Delaware / Newark, DE): Responsible for fostering a commitment to diversity & inclusiveness throughout the org. incl but not limited to, staffing & programming. Create, execute, evaluate comprehensive Talent Mgmt prog. More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Athletic Communications (Northwestern University / Evanston, IL): Northwestern Athletics is seeking an innovative & multi-dimensional communications professional w/ graphic design & photography exp to assist in the publicity of Chicago’s Big Ten Team. Job ID 30120. More details HERE.

Marketing and Promotions - Graduate Assistant (Ball State University - Muncie, IN): BSU opening for Marketing and Promotions G.A. 2017 fall semester. Admission to a BSU graduate program is required. Weekly commitment includes office hours as needed, staffing sporting events: weekends/evenings/holidays. More details HERE.

Executive Director, Athletics Development (Syracuse University / Syracuse, NY): Syracuse athletics is seeking an executive to lead all development activities for the athletics program, including direct oversight of the Orange Club. This will be a key senior leadership position. More details HERE.

Assistant Men's Soccer Coach - Goal Keepers (Appalachian State University / Boone, NC): Assist the head coach in the development and management of all facets of a NCAA Division I soccer program. More details HERE.

Forward