Higher Ed Athletics

Sean Frazier joins to talk about Northern Illinois athletics and the future of the AD position in college athletics. Frazier starts the conversation explaining the strategy behind moving football to the Mountain West while keeping other sports regional with the Horizon League. Will they miss MACtion weeknight games? Sean expresses his concern about outsiders coming into the profession without having an understanding of higher education and the importance of realizing that forgetting about any individual sport could cause an AD to lose their job. Frazier discusses what metrics he thinks are most critical when he is evaluating head coach searches. The conversation shifts to the College Football Playoff and Sean shares his opinion on expansion and the idea of a G6 playoff alongside the CFP. Travis asks Sean to recreate his career if he woke up today as a 30 year old administrator and what he would do to stick out on his journey to become an Athletic Director.

• 0:40 Moving Football to Mountain West & Other Sports to Horizon
• 8:10 Will NIU Miss MACtion?
• 12:10 Biggest Concerns for AD Profession in the Future
• 26:20 AD Vantage: Metrics Frazier uses in a Head Coach Search
• 37:52 Thoughts on College Football Playoff & Creating a G6 Playoff
• 46:35 Sean Recreates his Career as a 30 Year Old Administrator

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

HEA has partnered with AD Vantage for AD Insights and Coaching Hires. 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

Julie Roe Lach is the commissioner of the Horizon League for a few more weeks before transitioning into an Executive VP position with Pacers Sports & Entertainment. The conversation begins with addressing that job change and then giving her Mount Rushmore of Horizon memories. We talk about the congressional coalition known as the Tenacious Ten and how the conferences are working together to keep their positioning in the future of D1 membership decisions. Roe Lach shares why soft skills, diplomacy and alignment with the different presidents and chancellors and ADs is so important to be an effective conference commissioner. We discuss her role as chairwoman at the Indiana Sports Corp and that transitions into a discussion about outsiders potentially coming for AD jobs. Julie talks about Northern Illinois and the regional strategy to add them as a full member while the football program goes to the Mountain West. Roe Lach ends the conversation with advice for the next commissioner of the Horizon League. The search is underway with Parker Executive Search.

• 0:10 Starting New Job w/ Pacers Sports & Entertainment
• 3:15 Horizon League Celebration at NFL Stadium
• 6:05 Mount Rushmore of Horizon Moments
• 11:15 Congressional Coalition - The Tenacious Ten
• 16:00 What Commissioners Talk about Together
• 18:00 How to be an Effective Conference Commissioner
• 21:40 Co-founding College Sports Law Practice at CCH+A
• 24:25 Chairing the Indiana Sports Corp to Bring Events to Indianapolis
• 28:38 Potential Outsiders for AD Jobs
• 34:20 Explaining the Northern Illinois Strategy for the Horizon League
• 40:35 Words of Encouragement for the Next Horizon League Commissioner

HEA is presented by PILYTIX, an AI tech company for higher education institutions and sports organizations. Increased Donations. Fast, Effective Targeting. Improved Performance. Learn more: ⁠https://pilytix.ai/HEA has partnered with AD Vantage for AD Insights and Coaching Hires. 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

Amy Folan joins Higher Ed Athletics for a discussion about fundraising as well as her lessons learned and career journey from the Texas Longhorns to CMU. Folan shares her thought process behind the hiring of a new football coach this past offseason in Matt Drinkall who has now led the Chippewas to a bowl berth in his first year. The conversation shifts to creative new revenue strategies her department is looking into and how to refine traditional approaches. Folan discusses the pro sports model ability to be innovative with 1-2 sports but how college athletics needs to take that approach across the entire department. She also mentions how college athletics gets no revenue from sports gambling when it would significantly limit the sports gaming opportunities if they didn’t play those college games.

• 0:00 Introduction 
• 2:15 Decision to Finally Pursue an AD Job 
• 6:10 Experience Working with Former Texas AD DeLoss Dodds 
• 11:45 AD Vantage Question – Football Head Coach Search Paying Off 
• 20:35 MAC Football Night Games – Challenges & Opportunities 
• 25:28 Breaking Fundraising Records 
• 28:52 PILYTIX Question – Is Donor Fatigue Real? 
• 32:35 Creative Revenue Strategies 
• 38:25 Amy Folan During a CMU Basketball Game 

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

HEA has partnered with AD Vantage for AD Insights and Coaching Hires. 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

Power 4 Athletic Director jobs don’t open too often. Baylor is one of only 4 current Power AD jobs open, with the others being Cal, Oklahoma and Colorado. This is the only one that appears to be a quick hire because it was unexpected. There have been 21 Power AD hires since 2024 with 8 of those hires coming from sitting Power ADs and 5 from deputy AD positions at Power schools.

Below are many names I think will be mentioned as potential replacements. Let me be clear, I think some of these ADs would simply say no, but I suspect they’ll get a call from a search firm about the opening.

I am not making a prediction on the next Baylor AD as I look to transition into executive search and I want to put more emphasis on the profile of the position and potential candidates for institutions to consider – not me making predictions on what I’d do. These mentioned names are simply based on my own research and understanding of situational factors.

• 2:00 Jeramiah Dickey - Boise State AD
• 4:47 Wren Baker - West Virginia AD
• 6:05 Jeremiah Donati - South Carolina AD
• 7:15 Jared Mosley - North Texas AD
• 9:20 Bryan Blair - Toledo AD
• 11:25 Amy Folan - Central Michigan AD
• 13:04 Scott Woodward
• 13:44 Hunter Yurachek - Arkansas AD
• 14:41 Ryan Peck - TCU Senior Deputy AD
• 15:56 Marcus Sedberry - Wisconsin Deputy AD/COO
• 16:52 John Daniel - Cincinnati Senior Deputy AD/COO
• 17:50 Brady Hart - Tennessee Deputy AD/CRO

Higher Ed Athletics is presented by PILYTIX, an AI tech company for higher education institutions and sports organizations. Increased Donations. Fast, Effective Targeting. Improved Performance. Learn more: ⁠https://pilytix.ai/HEA has partnered with AD Vantage for AD Insights and Coaching Hires. 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

Justin Sell's AD tree includes Montana State's Leon Costello, Indiana State's Nathan Christensen, and Ohio's Slade Larscheid. This conversation starts with Sell breaking down each of their journeys to the AD chair and what he saw in them. Sell goes into depth on how to run a head coach search and what he looks for in candidates and provides a timeline and stresses anticipation. We talk about Jackrabbit fans and whether there is pressure to join FBS after continued football success.

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

HEA has partnered with AD Vantage for AD Insights and Coaching Hires. 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

I believe aspiring athletic directors need to know more about the role of college presidents and what it means to be a member of the cabinet. I asked Kent State VP & University Secretary Dr. Char Reed to talk to me about her role as the chief of staff to the president. Reed explains why she is heavily involved in athletic director hires and gives some insight into the search that ultimately brought Randale Richmond to Kent State. Get your notebook and pencil ready for this conversation because Dr. Reed gives perspective that every prospective AD needs to hear.Higher Ed Athletics is presented by PILYTIX, an AI tech company for higher education institutions and sports organizations. Increased Donations. Fast, Effective Targeting. Improved Performance. Learn more: ⁠https://pilytix.ai/HEA has partnered with AD Vantage for AD Insights and Coaching Hires. 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

Grand Canyon University is a large private Christian University in Phoenix and they are known for their men's basketball home environment as the Havocs. Those in the industry know GCU has joined the Mountain West and Boggs gives details on the decision and the ROI of the move. We talk about her process of a head coaching hire from A-Z and how she evaluates her head coaches, too. GCU has recently partnered with a local TV network to regularly air multiple GCU sports broadcasts - something I think more athletic departments need to try and replicate. The conversation is bookended with advice for those aspiring to be an AD in this new era of college athletics, including why she puts out social media videos documenting the day in the life of a D1 AD.

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

HEA has partnered with AD Vantage for AD Insights and Coaching Hires. 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: www.athleticdirectorvantage.com

I give my thoughts and predictions on the Charlotte and Austin Peay State AD openings. Charlotte is in a strong position as an institution and athletic department if they can get football to be a winner in the Queen City. President Licari at APSU did an interview with CSA Search & Consulting's Drew Turner and provided lots of clues for what he's looking for in the next Govs AD - I react and give a prediction on the profile background of the next AD.Higher Ed Athletics is presented by PILYTIX, an AI tech company for higher education institutions and sports organizations. Increased Donations. Fast, Effective Targeting. Improved Performance. Learn more: ⁠https://pilytix.ai/

www.HigherEdAthletics.com

Rob Higgins is new on the job but you would never know that if you visited USF like I did this week. He's a former ball boy and alumnus. You cannot use the word "potential" anymore around USF. Instead, I think the Bulls have arrived and USF is set to be the next power conference school. This is the most aligned institution I have ever studied and a plan is in place to win the building, win the campus, win the community, and then win the country. Higgins had been the executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission for 20+ years and brought several large events to the city, including NCAA tourneys, Super Bowls, and WrestleMania. He's now ready to put the new on-campus football stadium to good use with events and naming rights when it opens in September 2027.

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

Jim Dries, CEO of PILYTIX, joined HEA to talk about the increased donor fatigue in the world of college athletics right now, and why coaching buyouts will probably make fatigue worse. He explains why just throwing more fundraisers at the solution is not necessarily the right play. Instead, athletic departments need to rethink their qualified donor pool and use the data they probably are already collecting to be more strategic and efficient in their approach. I ask Jim what future ADs should know about the problem of donor fatigue and future of fundraising best practices to prepare for the interview.