Higher Ed Athletics

Pauline Thiros has studied and worked her entire adult life at Idaho State University. The Bengals Hall of Famer served on the president's cabinet as the VP for Advancement before moving into the AD position. Thiros shares the emotional state she found herself in when the opportunity to become the AD appeared, and why she went for it. Thiros talks fan support in Idaho and why she places such an importance of being visible and available in the community. The conversation turns to coaching hiring and evaluation before ending with advice for current and aspiring ADs.

• 0:00 Introduction
• 2:30 Unique Journey to the AD Position
• 7:25 Presidents Look for Institutional Passion
• 11:45 Alumni Advice - Good or Bad Experience?
• 15:40 What It Means to be a Cabinet Member Today
• 18:55 Just How Difficult is it to be a FCS Right Now?
• 22:27 Head Coach Hiring Philosophy
• 26:30 Evaluating Head Coaches
• 30:45 Fan Support in Idaho
• 35:15 Challenges in Communicating Industry Changes to Fans
• 39:50 What Supporters Athletic Directors Can Find On LinkedIn
• 43:45 Final Advice from Pauline Thiros

AD Vantage empowers athletic directors with comprehensive staff data, performance analytics, and AI-powered candidate insights to make smarter hiring, compensation, and retention decisions in an era where every dollar counts. Learn more: https://www.athleticdirectorvantage.com

PILYTIX is an A.I. technology company dedicated to solutions that generate revenue, save time, and reduce costs for universities and sports & entertainment organizations. More Money. Less Time. Lower Costs. Learn more: https://pilytix.ai/

Onrise provides complete mental health Coverage for your Athletes. One call. Same-day setup. Your athletes get immediate access to peer support from retired pros, licensed clinicians, and 24/7 crisis care. Less than one in-house FTE. No hiring hassles. No initiative fatigue. Learn more: https://onrise.care

Game One is the apparel company that can outfit your teams in Adidas, Nike or Under Armour. Learn more: https://www.game-one.com/

Houston Athletic Director Eddie Nuñez joins HEA for a conversation on how he is operating Houston athletics two years into his tenure. Nuñez discusses his working relationship with Chancellor Renu Khator and explains why he intentionally sought out presidents earlier in his career to better understand higher education leadership (and why future ADs should do that today). I asked Nuñez how ADs are blocking out the noise of so much commentary and industry news but still making sure they stay informed. He also responds to my curiosity on which would make fans more happy, Houston's pursuit of a national championship in men's basketball, or the football program making the College Football Playoff. The conversation also explores Nuñez's thoughts on what job descriptions and verticals he needed to make to fit their vision and approach to chase revenue. We also discussed the realities of competing in the state of Texas, both on the field and in the increasingly competitive business environment that now defines modern college sports.

0:00 Introduction0:30 The Modern AD Preview4:25 Thoughts on Ryan Berryman and Jalen Dominguez at New Mexico11:05 Working with Long-Time Chancellor Renu Khator in this Era13:15 How The AD Job is Similar to College Presidents17:50 Blocking Out Industry Distractions and Extracting Good Information20:50 Isomorphism in Higher Education and College Athletics23:30 Competing Against Texas in Sports, Attention and Business 25:11 Men's Basketball National Championship or College Football Playoff Win?29:25 Reconfiguration of Job Descriptions for Revenue Generation Strategy33:48 Advice for Traditional Administrators to Stay the Course but LEARN Outside Comfort Zone

Read the first edition of The Modern AD: https://higheredathletics.com/AD Vantage empowers athletic directors with comprehensive staff data, performance analytics, and AI-powered candidate insights to make smarter hiring, compensation, and retention decisions in an era where every dollar counts. Learn more: https://www.athleticdirectorvantage.comOnrise provides complete mental health Coverage for your Athletes. One call. Same-day setup. Your athletes get immediate access to peer support from retired pros, licensed clinicians, and 24/7 crisis care. Less than one in-house FTE. No hiring hassles. No initiative fatigue. Learn more: https://onrise.careGame One is the apparel company that can outfit your teams in Adidas, Nike or Under Armour. Learn more: https://www.game-one.com/The Future Athletics Director Program from the University of Oklahoma’s Price Executive Academy is designed to help aspiring ADs develop the skills and knowledge necessary to advance their careers. Registration is now open, with a limited number of spots available through July 1. Use discount code EARLYAD at checkout to receive 15% off the registration cost. For more information, contact Executive Director Nick Tobey, MSOD, at [email protected] or visit the program page and registration links below.Program Information: https://priceexecutiveacademy.ou.edu/... (https://bit.ly/OUFutureAD)Register Here: https://bit.ly/FutureADRegistration

New AD interview out on Tuesday with Houston AD Eddie Nunez. Until then...some of you may have listened to me introduce HEA Insider subscription a few weeks ago. I've since rebranded it to "The Modern AD" and I want to share the first monthly edition with you for free. The Modern AD is a monthly briefing on the business, leadership, and evolution of the athletic director position from the perspective of university presidents.

Each edition features insights and short lists for AD openings, unseen AD and college president interviews, leadership hiring trends, conference-wide AD and president backgrounds, cabinet position descriptions, deputy AD profiles, and original articles on the future of the AD position.

Designed for busy practitioners, The Modern AD helps current and aspiring ADs better understand the role of university presidents and the ecosystem they work in. I hope you like it.

The first monthly edition is free and ad-free: https://higheredathletics.com/mad-june-2026/

If you feel like you got $10 worth of knowledge, consider tipping to support HEA: https://higheredathletics.com/mad-june-2026/#tip

If you're ready for next month's paid edition, subscribe today ($20/month) but don't get billed until the next edition in late July: https://higheredathletics.com/mad-june-2026/#subscribe

Dan Bartholomae and I cover a lot in this conversation because there has been a lot going on with the Broncos. Bartholomae starts off explaining how WMU is going to play a hockey game at their football stadium next year and turning it into a weeklong community opportunity to get on the ice. We then talk about the new Kalamazoo Event Center that will be the new home of the WMU hockey and basketball programs. Bartholomae takes me behind-the-scenes of their men's basketball coaching search and that naturally leads into a discussion about scheduling games with the expansion of March Madness. The conversation ends with Bartholomae sharing his department's strategy for uniform patches and why it won't be a failure if they don't have a patch by the fall.

• 0:00 Introduction
• 3:20 Hockey at a Football Stadium
• 8:05 New Arena for Basketball and Hockey
• 14:30 Opportunities with the Old Arena Space
• 20:05 Men's Basketball Head Coach Search
• 28:35 Scheduling Fallout from Expansion of March Madness & CFP
• 33:55 Uniform Patch Strategy
• 36:50 Advice for Almost ADs

AD Vantage empowers athletic directors with comprehensive staff data, performance analytics, and AI-powered candidate insights to make smarter hiring, compensation, and retention decisions in an era where every dollar counts.PILYTIX is an A.I. technology company dedicated to solutions that generate revenue, save time, and reduce costs for universities and sports & entertainment organizations. More Money. Less Time. Lower Costs. Onrise provides complete mental health Coverage for your Athletes. One call. Same-day setup. Your athletes get immediate access to peer support from retired pros, licensed clinicians, and 24/7 crisis care. Less than one in-house FTE. No hiring hassles. No initiative fatigue.Game One is the apparel company that can outfit your teams in Adidas, Nike or Under Armour.

Garrett Klassy has been the AD at Fresno State for almost 2 years and is leading the Bulldogs into the Pac-12 this summer. Expect to hear a lot in this interview, beginning with the evolving profile of the FBS AD position. I asked Garrett if he thinks FBS ADs will always be the key decision-maker for head coaching hires throughout the department or if that will maybe fall off to a deputy AD in the future as the job becomes less day-to-day involvement and more of a big picture role. Klassy is also one of several former ADs that left the chair for a P4 deputy AD job that eventually launched him back into the AD chair at a different level. Has this trend become the norm? He then talks about the relaunch of the Pac-12 and why it makes sense for Fresno State. The conversation ends with some advice for those that may feel like they came up in one area of college athletics and feel typecasted and want to still progress towards the AD job. 0:00 Introduction1:27 Why Garrett Klassy thinks he was the right person at Fresno State two years ago10:14 Will ADs always be the decision-maker on head coaching hires?17:00 ADs becoming Deputies to launch into new AD chair position20:15 Relaunch of the Pac-12 discussion26:55 Pivoting after feeling typecasted to progress towards AD chairAD Vantage empowers athletic directors with comprehensive staff data, performance analytics, and AI-powered candidate insights to make smarter hiring, compensation, and retention decisions in an era where every dollar counts. PILYTIX is an A.I. technology company dedicated to solutions that generate revenue, save time, and reduce costs for universities and sports & entertainment organizations. More Money. Less Time. Lower Costs. Onrise provides complete mental health Coverage for your Athletes. One call. Same-day setup. Your athletes get immediate access to peer support from retired pros, licensed clinicians, and 24/7 crisis care. Less than one in-house FTE. No hiring hassles. No initiative fatigue.Game One is the apparel company that can outfit your teams in Adidas, Nike or Under Armour.

Jovan Overshown has been at Baylor since 2017 and now serves as the Deputy AD/COO providing strategic direction for the athletic department. Jovan shares early in the conversation how she has learned to embrace new opportunities in revenue generation and what industries she looks to for inspiration and creative ideas that can be applied to Baylor. We talk about Leadership Waco and how programs like this can be vital for knowing and appreciating the people in a community. I also felt it was important to ask Jovan about what it's like showing up every day as a P4 Deputy AD/COO for the staff and what mindset she has to have to keep up with the changes. Jovan believes timing and alignment is everything when identifying potential AD opportunities.
0:00 Introduction2:27 Background4:50 Initiatives Javon is Most Proud of at Baylor (The People & The Revenue)6:50 Unlocking Revenue Generation Opportunities9:10 Inspiration for Studying & Replicating Ideas from Outside the Industry12:42 Giving Traditional Athletic Administrators AD Opportunities Versus Outsiders17:00 Leadership Waco20:52 LinkedIn for Analysis + Prospecting + Building New Donor Pipelines22:53 Mindset of a P4 Deputy & Chief Operating Officer25:25 Evaluating AD Opportunities

Next week I'll share insights that you can only get from becoming an HEA Insider. Learn more about the new subscription bundle and help support my business while continuing to build your career with my industry insights on the AD position.

AD Vantage empowers athletic directors with comprehensive staff data, performance analytics, and AI-powered candidate insights to make smarter hiring, compensation, and retention decisions in an era where every dollar counts.PILYTIX is an A.I. technology company dedicated to solutions that generate revenue, save time, and reduce costs for universities and sports & entertainment organizations. More Money. Less Time. Lower Costs.Onrise provides complete mental health Coverage for your Athletes. One call. Same-day setup. Your athletes get immediate access to peer support from retired pros, licensed clinicians, and 24/7 crisis care. Less than one in-house FTE. No hiring hassles. No initiative fatigue.Game One is the apparel company that can outfit your teams in Adidas, Nike or Under Armour.

HEA Insider is a subscription bundle that gives you the most in-depth and focused study of the AD position with weekly (The AD Rundown - HEA Briefings - AD Openings Prediction Analysis), monthly (Behind The Desk) and on-demand (AD Profiles/Hiring Trends) information.

HEA is rethinking how athletic directors are studied, prepared and hired. Becoming an HEA Insider is more than just supporting Travis Smith as an independent analyst - it is an investment in your future as a college athletics leader - giving you year-round access to the conversations, insights, and trends shaping the AD position in a changing model.

Become an HEA insider today for $20/month or save on an annual subscription for $180. https://higheredathletics.com/insider/

Jamaal Walton is a former Keydet football team captain and came back as the VMI Athletic Director in May 2024. Walton shares what it's like coming back as the AD at your alma mater and what others should consider if the same opportunity comes up. Walton then explains the situation that VMI was in when they opted-out of the House settlement and why they decided to now opt-in. The conversation switches to challenges and opportunities at a military academy and then Walton takes me inside his thought process and decision in hiring a new football head coach. I finish the conversation by asking Jamaal how an AD balances the challenges and expectations of winning at a military academy like VMI and I think everyone in higher education can learn from his answer.

0:00 Introduction1:00 Talk about VMI5:45 Why he chose VMI out of High School9:50 Advice for Potential Alma Mater Opportunities15:10 House Settlement Opt-Out & Opt-In18:10 Challenges and Opportunities at VMI28:05 Football Head Coach Search35:35 Balancing Challenges and Expectations of Winning at VMI

AD Vantage empowers athletic directors with comprehensive staff data, performance analytics, and AI-powered candidate insights to make smarter hiring, compensation, and retention decisions in an era where every dollar counts. Learn more: https://www.athleticdirectorvantage.com

PILYTIX is an A.I. technology company dedicated to solutions that generate revenue, save time, and reduce costs for universities and sports & entertainment organizations. More Money. Less Time. Lower Costs. Learn more: https://pilytix.ai/

Onrise provides complete mental health Coverage for your Athletes. One call. Same-day setup. Your athletes get immediate access to peer support from retired pros, licensed clinicians, and 24/7 crisis care. Less than one in-house FTE. No hiring hassles. No initiative fatigue. Learn more: https://onrise.care

Game One is the apparel company that can outfit your teams in Adidas, Nike or Under Armour. Learn more: https://www.game-one.com/

Marcus Hilliard has worked for some incredible leaders during his career, including Danny White, Gerald Harrison, Kevin White, and Stan Wilcox. He is a UT alumnus who fully appreciates getting to work with an incredible team of Vols leaders and colleagues. The first half of the conversation is a deep dive on those leaders and what he's learned. Then we get into how he learns and what he looks for in potential next opportunities. Hilliard is pursuing a doctorate in higher education and we talk about why the higher ed part of the degree is an asset for future ADs. Marcus shares what he learned from the "Leadership Knoxville" program and I talk about why I think more aspiring ADs and current ADs need to consider participating in these types of programs and rethinking their approach to LinkedIn to better connect with the business community. We wrap the conversation talking about the most overrated business advice Marcus has ever heard and applies it to today's college athletics.

• 0:00 Introduction
• 2:58 Initiatives at Tennessee
• 8:35 Working as a UT Alumnus
• 10:37 Leadership Knoxville Program + LinkedIn Approach
• 14:50 Learning from Great ADs (Gerald Harrison, Stan Wilcox, Kevin White, Danny White)
• 21:28 Learning from Dad: Football Coach David Cutliffe
• 22:55 Career Design
• 24:22 Staying Ready - How Do You Study the Position?
• 31:00 PhD in Higher Education
• 39:55 Different Types of Institutions
• 43:18 Most Overrated Piece of Business Advice
• 47:15 HEA Road Trip Update - Thank You PILYTIX.ai & AD Vantage for Sponsoring

AD Vantage empowers athletic directors with comprehensive staff data, performance analytics, and AI-powered candidate insights to make smarter hiring, compensation, and retention decisions in an era where every dollar counts. Learn more: https://www.athleticdirectorvantage.comOnrise provides complete mental health Coverage for your Athletes. One call. Same-day setup. Your athletes get immediate access to peer support from retired pros, licensed clinicians, and 24/7 crisis care. Less than one in-house FTE. No hiring hassles. No initiative fatigue. Learn more: https://onrise.care

PILYTIX is an AI tech company for higher education institutions and sports organizations. Increased Donations. Fast, Effective Targeting. Improved Performance. Learn more: ⁠https://pilytix.ai/

Game One is the apparel company that can outfit your teams in Adidas, Nike or Under Armour. Learn more: https://www.game-one.com/

Tim McMurray is the former AD at the institution we now know as East Texas A&M. Before that he was a senior-level administrator at Maryland, SMU, NIU, Texas State and Lamar. McMurray is now the VP at Game One, an apparel and equipment company that outfits colleges in Adidas, Nike and Under Armour. I was talking with Tim about getting Higher Ed Athletics polos for the show and that turned into me asking him to come on and share his perspective on uniform patches and apparel contracts - including what aspiring ADs need to know. Tim talks to a lot of ADs in this role - are they still having fun? Come for the uniform topics, stay for the great advice from a former AD.

• 0:00 Introduction
• 2:05 Uniform Patches
• 10:30 Breaking Down Uniform & Apparel Contracts
• 18:28 What Tim's Hearing from ADs Across the Country - Are They Having Fun?
• 26:25 Five Pieces of Advice for Aspiring & Current ADs
  

Higher Ed Athletics⁠ is Rethinking How Athletic Directors are Studied, Prepared, and Hired.

AD Vantage empowers athletic directors with comprehensive staff data, performance analytics, and AI-powered candidate insights to make smarter hiring, compensation, and retention decisions in an era where every dollar counts. Learn more: ⁠https://www.athleticdirectorvantage.com⁠

Onrise provides complete mental health Coverage for your Athletes. One call. Same-day setup. Your athletes get immediate access to peer support from retired pros, licensed clinicians, and 24/7 crisis care. Less than one in-house FTE. No hiring hassles. No initiative fatigue. Learn more: ⁠https://onrise.care