OT: D1

[IUP24]

I always wonder which Homecoming they'll attend in 20 years.

I've thought the same. If you played at 3-4 schools, where do you hang your hat? Which polo do you wear in the office when you are at your corporate job? There has to be an affinity for who initially recruited you, but at the same time, so many players just use that first program as a means to an end.

I recall the days of players having press conferences where they were sobbing announcing they were leaving for the NFL or NBA. It's wild how different that is 10ish years later.

[IUP24]

There's better articles on this topic behind paywalls, but this is free to read.

Ohio State President Says Quiet Part Out Loud About Non-Revenue Sports (brobible.com)

As I said months back, and was accosted by many for having the opinion based on how I figured this would shake out, these major university athletic departments are not bottomless pits of money. Collectives have dried up in many areas, and their power is now less given that NIL is being somewhat reigned in. To participate in the revenue sharing model will result in schools cutting costs (from non-revenue sports) or needing to find secondary streams of revenue (which has been proven harder to find than many assumed).

Even at Ohio State... The university president says that non-revenue sports will likely look a lot like club sports. I didn't say that directly, but I did say that schools were going to have to pick and choose where they spent their money. Building a new wrestling facility at a university needing to keep up or get further ahead in football or basketball may no longer be the best use of funds. It's up to each university to choose how they allocate their money though.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

That’s the real tragedy to me. These young men have no idea how small football (or whatever sport) will be in the totality of their lives for most of them. Unfortunately the degree isn’t the priority for a lot of them and in the end they end up bouncing around and have no real playing career anywhere. Just a closet full of hoodies and swag from a handful of schools.

I always wonder which Homecoming they'll attend in 20 years.

[IUP24]

Pitt AD Heather Lyke is 'under consideration' at Northwestern per the Tribune-Review.

Pitt and Lyke reportedly agreed to a multi year deal last night. It would not have been the end of the world had she left, but that’s certainly the best case for Pitt.

Lyke has been good, not great as Pitt AD. Under her leadership, some of the non-revenue sports have seen big improvements (both soccer programs and women’s volleyball). Pitt football won their first conference championship, and they have seen a ton of facility upgrades within the program. That’s some of the good.

The bad is she wanted to fire Capel, and would have, if not for a bad contract with a huge buyout she dished out. So it’s unlikely Pitt basketball would be back on an upward trajectory. You can also argue she is spending way too much on non-revenue sports when, under this new model, most of that money needs to get aggregated to football and basketball in revenue sharing. It’s pretty well documented as well that she was against NIL (and rightfully so given her compliance background). She wanted fans and benefactors to continue donating to the Pitt Panther Club, rather than start a collective. Pitt eventually started Alliance 412, but it was 12 months too late and that’s a small war chest compared to the rest of the ACC.

I’m happy Lyke is staying. She’s been a decent AD for Pitt. But it wouldn’t have been devastating had she left either.

[EyeoftheHawk]

I do wonder how many of these players -- the program hoppers, per se -- actually graduate (eventually). My guess is a huge number never come close to earning a degree. Students typically lose credits with each transfer. Some of these guys on their 4th school ... Good Lord.

That’s the real tragedy to me. These young men have no idea how small football (or whatever sport) will be in the totality of their lives for most of them. Unfortunately the degree isn’t the priority for a lot of them and in the end they end up bouncing around and have no real playing career anywhere. Just a closet full of hoodies and swag from a handful of schools.

[IUP24]

Pitt AD Heather Lyke is 'under consideration' at Northwestern per the Tribune-Review.

This has been a story for about 8-10 months for those who follow Pitt closely. It just went "public" yesterday.

The inside reports are that Lyke doesn't exactly see eye to eye with the new Pitt chancellor. The massive Victory Heights project (huge athletic facility overhaul on campus) is supposedly not going the way many in the university wanted it to go. Issues with budgets, schedules, other construction related snafus, etc. New chancellor Joan Gabel supposedly wants to reign in things financially, Lyke wants to spend more to keep the project on track, and they are at odds. Her and previous chancellor Pat Gallagher had a phenomenal relationship. Both were aligned very closely on the direction of the university's athletic programs. It's a little over a year into the Gabel tenure, but it's clear her and Lyke aren't aligned.

The inside story of this has been happening for most of the 2024.

At the end of the day, Barry Alvarez tenures at AD are not the norm. Most universities have turnover at the AD job at least once every decade. Lyke was good for Pitt. She did a lot of good in her role. The guy she followed was awful. Permitted they get somebody comparable to Lyke, and not comparable to Scott Barnes, Pitt will be fine.

To edit... Lyke being less than happy with Gabel and the direction of things has been a story for 8-10 months. Her interviewing at Northwestern, obviously, is new.

[IUP24]

Time for this madness to end. That’s insane.

It will. This is the last year of the COVID extra year (amazing how quickly time has gone). Today's seniors were freshmen during the pandemic. Currently in the works is the closing of the spring transfer window. This eliminates the Jordan Addison type transfers. You are no longer going to be able to play your spring game and then decide to transfer on April 30th because somebody had a receiver go down for the year with an ACL in spring practice and they found a bunch of NIL money to convince a top flight guy to transfer.

NIL is also starting to get reigned in some as well.

NIL and transfers are not going away. But the current version of it will. It's organically started to get reigned in based on some of the things I provided here in the earlier parts of the summer. Eliminating the spring transfer window and no longer having the extra COVID year will make things drastically better. It will take some time for the NIL piece to level set, but it likely will eventually.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Pitt AD Heather Lyke is 'under consideration' at Northwestern per the Tribune-Review.

[Chuck Norris]

Was Wheeling/Mercyhurst on the board?

I doubt it would pay well if it was. I wonder if Hurst would even be favored?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I was looking for a huge underdog to use my FanDuel ‘No Sweat Bet’ on and briefly considered Duquesne, but with Toledo being a favorite in the MAC I couldn’t pull the trigger. Went with former D2 Abilene Christian to pull off the straight up stunner against Texas Tech. $10 bet pays $300 if I win. Fingers crossed, lol.

Was Wheeling/Mercyhurst on the board?

[Chuck Norris]

If you want to see madness, actually look at some D1 rosters. 'Home Grown' is long gone (outside of Clemson and a few others).

I was looking a player up on the Duquesne roster and was blown away by the number of transfers. It is insane. I didn't sit there and count, but I'd guess 75% of the roster started somewhere else.

The Dukes are about as thrilling a D1 program as Mercyhurst and play in a total dump of a stadium.

I do wonder how many of these players -- the program hoppers, per se -- actually graduate (eventually). My guess is a huge number never come close to earning a degree. Students typically lose credits with each transfer. Some of these guys on their 4th school ... Good Lord.

For those who don't follow D2 basketball, there's a good story over there. There's a player who will suit up for his FIFTH program this winter. In order, he played at Cal (Pa), Fairmont State, Kutztown, Shippensburg and now UT-Permian. That's a whole lot of SWAG.

I was looking for a huge underdog to use my FanDuel ‘No Sweat Bet’ on and briefly considered Duquesne, but with Toledo being a favorite in the MAC I couldn’t pull the trigger. Went with former D2 Abilene Christian to pull off the straight up stunner against Texas Tech. $10 bet pays $300 if I win. Fingers crossed, lol.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Right on about the last paragraph. I, for one, would certainly want to know why after four years in the mid-Atlantic that a guy suddenly found the attractions of Odessa, Texas, to be irresistible.

Lol. I've spent time in Odessa. Interesting place. I don't think most realize how remote it is.

[Ship69]

If you want to see madness, actually look at some D1 rosters. 'Home Grown' is long gone (outside of Clemson and a few others).

I was looking a player up on the Duquesne roster and was blown away by the number of transfers. It is insane. I didn't sit there and count, but I'd guess 75% of the roster started somewhere else.

The Dukes are about as thrilling a D1 program as Mercyhurst and play in a total dump of a stadium.

I do wonder how many of these players -- the program hoppers, per se -- actually graduate (eventually). My guess is a huge number never come close to earning a degree. Students typically lose credits with each transfer. Some of these guys on their 4th school ... Good Lord.

For those who don't follow D2 basketball, there's a good story over there. There's a player who will suit up for his FIFTH program this winter. In order, he played at Cal (Pa), Fairmont State, Kutztown, Shippensburg and now UT-Permian. That's a whole lot of SWAG.

Right on about the last paragraph. I, for one, would certainly want to know why after four years in the mid-Atlantic that a guy suddenly found the attractions of Odessa, Texas, to be irresistible.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Time for this madness to end. That’s insane.

If you want to see madness, actually look at some D1 rosters. 'Home Grown' is long gone (outside of Clemson and a few others).

I was looking a player up on the Duquesne roster and was blown away by the number of transfers. It is insane. I didn't sit there and count, but I'd guess 75% of the roster started somewhere else.

The Dukes are about as thrilling a D1 program as Mercyhurst and play in a total dump of a stadium.

I do wonder how many of these players -- the program hoppers, per se -- actually graduate (eventually). My guess is a huge number never come close to earning a degree. Students typically lose credits with each transfer. Some of these guys on their 4th school ... Good Lord.

For those who don't follow D2 basketball, there's a good story over there. There's a player who will suit up for his FIFTH program this winter. In order, he played at Cal (Pa), Fairmont State, Kutztown, Shippensburg and now UT-Permian. That's a whole lot of SWAG.

[EyeoftheHawk]

Miami (FL) tight end Cam McCormick is entering his ninth season of eligibility with with Hurricanes.

Dude better have two MBAs.


The AP ran a great article today on this topic (hundreds of D1 players in their mid-20s - and older).

Time for this madness to end. That’s insane.