September 04, 2025

A Blueprint to Save College Athletics: Add More Athletes

1 hour 24 minutes

College sports are changing… fast. IMG Academy CEO Brent Richard and Drew Weatherford (Weatherford Capital co-founder, former FSU QB, FSU Board of Trustees) join Adam at IMG Academy to lay out a simple, bold solution: Add More Athletes. Instead of cutting “non-revenue” sports, expand roster spots and create JV/“varsity-lite” teams—an on-campus farm system that develops talent, reduces portal chaos, and adds revenue.

We dive into the House settlement, NIL, the SCORE Act, Title IX implications, tuition economics (why “non-revenue” is a broken label), and a 2035 vision where football may operate outside the NCAA while the rest of college athletics becomes more local, developmental, and educational. If you care about athletes, coaches, or college campuses thriving, this conversation is the blueprint.

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CHAPTERS:

0:00 - Intro

3:24 - When Brent knew there needed to be a change in college sports

4:56 - Drew’s perspective on the new era of college sports

7:45 - Brent Richard’s background and career path

11:05 - Drew Weatherford’s background and career path

13:33 - Advice to student-athletes that are interested in entrepreneurship

15:43 - Financial literacy at IMG Academy

17:46 - Bren’t favorite moment as CEO at IMG Academy

22:11 - Making the transition from high school to college easier

23:18 - Drew and his company investing on youth sports

26:05 - Add More Athletes initiative

30:30 - Implementing Add More Athletes at universities

39:45 - Add More Athletes makes the Transfer Portal less chaotic

45:38 - Olympic sports in college

51:50 - Conversations with administrators about Add More Athletes

53:20 - Implementing Add More Athletes legislation

57:00 - Dealing with big change in college sports

1:05:07 - Who needs to support Add More Athletes

1:07:52 - General public being in support of Add More Athletes

1:08:44 - Most pivotal moment of Drew’s career

1:12:36 - Brent on Overcoming Adversity

1:19:15 - Teaching belief in yourself at IMG

1:20:45 - Advice to younger Brent and Drew

On Next Up, college football analyst Adam Breneman sits down with the most influential names in college sports and lets them tell their stories unfiltered, direct to the fans.

Next Up is a Front Office Sports Network show featuring candid, open, and honest conversations with the most impactful figures in college sports including head coaches, athletes, athletic directors, commissioners, entrepreneurs, media personalities, agents, and executives shaping the business of college sports.

Adam is a former All-American, Penn State alum and media personality. Front Office Sports is the leading multi-platform media and news organization covering the intersection of sports, business and culture.

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