Impact Report: Atlantic Coast Conference

Florida State Plans to Replace the AD Role with a CRO and an Operations Chief

Florida State President Richard McCullough and Board of Trustees Chair Peter Collins in a conversation with Warchant’s Ira Schoffel outlined an upcoming structural overhaul of the athletics department and Seminole Boosters. Collins highlighted plans to replace the traditional AD role with a dual-leadership model featuring a CRO alongside an operational administrator, and McCullough noted that while the university excels academically, athletic operations require immediate restructuring to maximize revenue and on-field success. More of what you need to know…

➤ Collins on boosting athletic department revenue: “We have some restructuring to do. And there’s been some impediments to that, on a few fronts. We’re knocking down those impediments to get at that. And we have to do a much better job, today, of being revenue-focused.”

➤ Collins on evaluating current roster spending levels against national competitors: “I’ve seen people say that we’re in the bottom of the ACC or behind the pack in the ACC. I would tell you that we’re probably top 20 or 25 in the country. I don’t have any hesitation on that. Now, I would say we’ve been slow to get to that point. And this change is part of addressing that.”

➤ McCullough on establishing competitive expectations for coaches and administrators: “Our goal is to give the coaches and student-athletes everything that we possibly can give them so that they can be as competitive as they possibly could be and to win. That’s what we want to do. And we’re focused on what that formula is. ... I hate to lose more than I like to win. And so we are definitely on it.”

Inside the ACC’s Lobbying Campaign for the Protect College Sports Act

North Carolina and Virginia public-record and Congressional disclosures have revealed an ACC lobbying campaign to shape and advance the Protect College Sports Act across the finish line, per Tomahawk Nation’s Jon Loesche. Notably, league officials engaged in discussions with Senate staff, coordinated with member institutions and partnered with lobbying firm DLA Piper to refine draft language surrounding sports gambling, Title IX compliance and conference realignment. The push reached a climax on July 30, when Senate Commerce Committee Staff Director Brad Grantz issued a “last legislative draft and best-and-final offer” to league leadership, explicitly noting “pencils are down” and conditioning forward movement on Big Ten and SEC endorsement. The final draft featured significant adjustments to Section 205, restricting high-revenue conferences from expanding past 19 institutions or acquiring schools without them serving a five-year independent period. While ACC institutions such as Duke, UNC and Wake Forest individually retained DLA Piper to support S. 4668, the ACC clarified its overarching participation by stating it had worked toward a national solution through federal legislation for several years, consistent with other Power Four conferences.

Grand Canyon AD Jamie Boggs: “What About the 94%?”

Grand Canyon AD Jamie Boggs responds to Murphy’s post, dismissing his proof as “rhetoric,” adding: “Here are the real numbers and the real story: ‘Revenue for college sports is booming.’ Maybe at the very top, but 94% of DI athletics programs spend more than they generate, including 49 of 69 ‘Power’ programs. Great for the SEC that it distributed $1B. That’s 16 schools. There are hundreds of schools in DI. What about everyone else? Maybe you mean the sports supposedly driving all the profits? Still wrong. 76% of DI men’s basketball and 67% of DI football programs don’t generate enough revenue to cover even their own operating expenses. Revenue is NOT profit.” Boggs continues…

➤ “’Women’s sports are growing.’ Great. Let’s protect that. College athletics is intentionally a broad-based participation model. DI schools are required to sponsor multiple men’s and women’s sports. It isn’t a professional league designed to operate only profitable teams.”

➤ “’Ratings prove fans like athletes getting paid.’ No. Ratings prove fans love college sports. Fans support the front of the jersey. Players graduate, transfer and turn pro. The fans remain.”

➤ “’There is no chaos.’ Conflicting state laws. Constant litigation. Rising costs ultimately borne by universities, students, donors and, at many publicly funded universities, taxpayers. That’s not a sustainable way to govern a national system. And turning this debate to race ignores the diversity of the athletes whose opportunities are at stake. There are nearly 90,000 Black student-athletes across the NCAA and more than half compete in sports other than football and men’s basketball. What about them? Their opportunities matter too. Using the economics of a small fraction of DI programs to define all of college athletics isn’t the full story. It’s misleading rhetoric. What about the 94%? … Who pays? And what happens to everyone else?”

Washington Unveils Sundodger Studios, a Next-Generation Broadcast Facility

Washington unveils Sundodger Studios, a new broadcast, production and content facility that provides a home for live-event production, creative content and storytelling for an operation that produces approximately 100 live broadcasts and 120 live video board shows. The facility features four next-generation SMPTE ST 2110-based control rooms; a 1K-square-foot video and photography studio, featuring seven maneuverable LED columns that can operate independently or combine to create a 10-by-27-foot display, providing a flexible environment for broadcasts, original programming, photography and interviews alongside a Pro Cyc Cyclorama wall for photo and video capture; and a 2,300-square-foot multipurpose event space that can support live programming, meetings, educational activities and partner experiences. AJP as project consultant, CTI as integrator, and Grass Valley as a key vendor all worked with UW to develop and integrate the facility and its production systems. Take a video tour.

Grand Canyon AD Jamie Boggs: “What About the 94%?”

Grand Canyon AD Jamie Boggs responds to Murphy’s post, dismissing his proof as “rhetoric,” adding: “Here are the real numbers and the real story: ‘Revenue for college sports is booming.’ Maybe at the very top, but 94% of DI athletics programs spend more than they generate, including 49 of 69 ‘Power’ programs. Great for the SEC that it distributed $1B. That’s 16 schools. There are hundreds of schools in DI. What about everyone else? Maybe you mean the sports supposedly driving all the profits? Still wrong. 76% of DI men’s basketball and 67% of DI football programs don’t generate enough revenue to cover even their own operating expenses. Revenue is NOT profit.” Boggs continues…

➤ “’Women’s sports are growing.’ Great. Let’s protect that. College athletics is intentionally a broad-based participation model. DI schools are required to sponsor multiple men’s and women’s sports. It isn’t a professional league designed to operate only profitable teams.”

➤ “’Ratings prove fans like athletes getting paid.’ No. Ratings prove fans love college sports. Fans support the front of the jersey. Players graduate, transfer and turn pro. The fans remain.”

➤ “’There is no chaos.’ Conflicting state laws. Constant litigation. Rising costs ultimately borne by universities, students, donors and, at many publicly funded universities, taxpayers. That’s not a sustainable way to govern a national system. And turning this debate to race ignores the diversity of the athletes whose opportunities are at stake. There are nearly 90,000 Black student-athletes across the NCAA and more than half compete in sports other than football and men’s basketball. What about them? Their opportunities matter too. Using the economics of a small fraction of DI programs to define all of college athletics isn’t the full story. It’s misleading rhetoric. What about the 94%? … Who pays? And what happens to everyone else?”

A First Look Inside Northwestern Softball’s New Kirkpatrick Stadium

Join the Northwestern softball team for a first look at the brand new Kirkpatrick Stadium, both on the field and in the locker room.

West Virginia Releases New Renderings of the Milan Puskar Stadium West Tower

West Virginia has released fresh renderings of the Milan Puskar Stadium West Tower, which is slated to be open for the 2028 season. The project will extend the tower from eight-yard line to eight-yard line (current tower spans approximately the 30-yard line to the 30-yard line). It also doubles field-facing glass from 125 feet to 250 feet, includes nearly 75K square feet of usable space — approximately seven times larger than the current tower and expands from three floors to four. Have a look.

SoCon Elevates Geoff Cabe to Interim Commissioner

➤ The SoCon elevates Senior Assoc. Commissioner Geoff Cabe to Interim Commissioner, effective immediately. The league has retained Parker Executive Search to assist in finding its new Commissioner.

Tony the Tiger and Cheez-It Out as Sun Bowl and Citrus Bowl Title Sponsors

On3’s Brett McMurphy reports that Tony the Tiger will no longer be title sponsor for Sun Bowl and Cheez-It no longer title sponsor of Citrus Bowl.