The NCAA Division I Cabinet has introduced a package of proposals that would end national limits on the number of countable coaches in every sport. Only off-campus recruiters would still be capped, and each sport's oversight committee would set that number. In FBS football, the "countable coach" label would go away, and the Football Oversight Committee would set the cap on off-campus recruiters, which is now 11 for FBS programs. The package would also let schools pay for travel, lodging and entertainment for a prospect plus four people on an official visit, and would set standard dates for the start of practice and for the start and end of the regular season. The Cabinet introduced the package Oct. 6 on a recommendation from the Division I Decision-Making Working Group and could adopt it as early as January. Cabinet chair Josh Whitman said adoption would be "a first step" toward moving more rules from the national level to campuses and conferences.
Sam Houston has retained CSA Search & Consulting to run a national search for its next director of athletics, the university announced Monday. Bobby Williams, who has led Bearkat athletics since 1997 and has worked at the school for 45 years, announced in September that he will retire at the end of the 2026-27 athletic year. He will stay in the job through June 1, 2027, and will lead the department during the search. President Alisa White said the early notice allows for "a thoughtful and comprehensive national search." Williams' tenure included Sam Houston's move to the FBS and Conference USA and more than $110 million in athletics facility construction and improvements. No candidates or timeline were announced.
The College Sports Commission is running longer-term investigations into five to 10 Power Four football programs over possible revenue-sharing cap evasion and NIL violations, CBS Sports reported, citing sources and public records. The programs reportedly include several College Football Playoff contenders, and no investigation has been completed. CBS published part of an August memo to campus leaders in which the CSC said its investigations unit was "actively conducting multiple, longer-term investigations" into cap evasion and NIL violations by schools, athletes and certain third parties. A person familiar with the process told the Associated Press that the CSC has asked questions at five to 10 schools, but that does not confirm a full-scale investigation at each one. The cases center on the $21.5 million per-school revenue-sharing cap and on third-party payments that help schools get around it. The CSC can impose postseason bans, cut a program's cap room or declare players ineligible, and its decisions are subject to arbitration. Neither outlet named the schools.
BYU announced Oct. 9 a long-term partnership with Utah-based PV3 Enterprises that the school calls the largest philanthropic commitment in BYU Athletics history. The deal includes a "substantial" investment in football facilities and a custom NIL program with deals for more than 40 current BYU athletes, mostly endorsements with PV3-owned businesses. As part of the deal, the playing surface at LaVell Edwards Stadium will be named PV3 Field; the stadium keeps its name. BYU and PV3 did not disclose the dollar value. Head coach Kalani Sitake said PV3 offers players "a transformational opportunity ... not just transactional deals."
James Madison is leaving the Sun Belt for the American Conference, the school announced Monday. JMU's Board of Visitors voted unanimously in a morning special session to end the school's Sun Belt membership and to apply to the American. The American's presidents and chancellors then voted unanimously to admit the Dukes as a full member no later than July 1, 2028. Seventeen of JMU's 18 sports will move; field hockey stays in the MAC. JMU said the Sun Belt exit fee is covered by new private gifts and the American entry fee by new corporate partners, so no tuition, student fees or state money is used. ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that the entry fee is nearly $23 million and the exit fee is $5 million. The Sun Belt is expected to discuss and vote on higher exit fees this week, ESPN reported. Commissioner Keith Gill said league leaders will "examine and evaluate all opportunities." JMU joined the Sun Belt in 2022 and was the league's first College Football Playoff team in 2025.
The University of Utah and its new commercial company, Crimson Brand Partners, are planning a $26 million renovation of Rice-Eccles Stadium, The Salt Lake Tribune reported, citing project documents. The plan would refresh suites on the West Tower’s fourth and fifth levels, add six suites and a club on the sixth level, and turn a storage space in the northeast corner into a field-level “Corner Field Club” that could become a second place to buy alcohol at Utah games. The university has started soliciting architects and engineers. If the project is approved, the first phase would finish in August 2027, and more phases could follow. Utah athletics and the university declined to comment to the Tribune.
First-year offensive coordinator Mitch Dahlen’s Oregon State offense set more school marks Saturday in a 66–14 rout of San Diego State at Reser Stadium. The Beavers (4-2, 2-0 Pac-12) gained 651 yards one week after 727 at Colorado State, the first time in program history they have topped 600 yards in back-to-back games, according to Oregon State’s postgame notes. Their 207 points over the last four games set a program record for a four-game stretch, and their 42:18 time of possession was also a school record. Oregon State scored touchdowns on its first five possessions and has won four straight for the first time since 2022. Quarterback Braden Atkinson threw for 409 yards and five touchdowns; per the AP, his 21 touchdown passes lead the nation. Freshman Jesse Legree had 191 receiving yards for an Oregon State-record sixth straight 100-yard game. Head coach JaMarcus Shephard’s team hosts Washington State on Saturday.
First-year offensive coordinator Mitch Dahlen has made Oregon State one of the surprises of the rebuilt Pac-12. The Beavers (3-2, 1-0 Pac-12) opened league play Oct. 3 with a 56-26 win at Colorado State, piling up 727 total yards at 10.2 yards per play, according to the Pac-12 box score. OregonLive reported that the total broke a program record that had stood since 1951 (703 yards vs. Utah). Oregon State scored on eight of its 11 possessions and converted 7 of 8 third downs. Quarterback Braden Atkinson completed his first 16 passes, a school record, and finished 31 of 35 with five touchdowns. Freshman receiver Jesse Legree caught three of them and tied the OSU record with his fifth straight 100-yard game. Dahlen, a former Alabama, Washington and Fresno State assistant with deep Oregon State family ties, was head coach JaMarcus Shephard's first hire. OregonLive columnist Bill Oram calls the Beavers the new Pac-12's most credible challenger to Boise State. The Athletic profiled the turnaround Oct. 9, ahead of Saturday's home game against San Diego State at Reser Stadium (3 p.m. PT, USA Network).
North Carolina has retained search firm ZRG Turnkey to find a permanent general manager for Bill Belichick’s football program, filling the role Michael Lombardi left when he resigned Sept. 3 during the school’s internal investigation of the program. Sean Magee, ZRG Turnkey’s vice president of GM solutions and Michigan’s football GM from 2024 to 2026, will consult for the Tar Heels and support the GM function while the search runs. Magee was previously Michigan’s associate AD for football, Chicago Bears chief of staff, and Navy’s director of player personnel. In a statement, UNC athletic director Steve Newmark said Magee “will be a great resource for Coach Belichick and our staff as we search for a permanent GM.” WRAL reported that Lombardi had signed a three-year, $4.5 million deal, the richest for a college GM. The investigation also led to defensive coordinator Steve Belichick’s resignation. CBS 17 and WRAL reported the announcement Tuesday.
Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham has handed offensive play-calling back to offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo, who ran the call sheet at Tuesday’s practice after the Sun Devils’ 55–19 Big 12 loss to Baylor on Oct. 3. Dillingham had called plays for the previous five games, dating to the 2025 Sun Bowl against Duke, after Arroyo called them through ASU’s 2024 Big 12 title season and the 2025 regular season. “I just wanted to be able to be a head coach again,” Dillingham said, adding that he will spend more time overseeing the full team, including the defense. Arroyo, ASU’s offensive coordinator since December 2023 and a former UNLV head coach, called the switch minimal because the two stay in constant communication. Arizona Sports and The Arizona Republic reported the change.
California head coach Tosh Lupoi confirmed Tuesday that passing game coordinator Pat McCann took over offensive play-calling from first-year offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville midway through Saturday’s 39–31 loss at UNLV. Cal trailed 24–7 at halftime before scoring 24 second-half points, its most productive output against an FBS opponent this season. Lupoi, in his first year as Cal’s head coach, had called the offense’s production “unacceptable” a week earlier and reshuffled staff duties before the trip. Somerville came to Berkeley from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers without prior coordinator experience; McCann was Fresno State’s offensive coordinator for two seasons. ESPN and FootballScoop reported Lupoi’s comments. Cal is 2–3 (1–1 ACC).
Washington State head coach Kirby Moore said Monday he is taking over offensive play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Matt Miller, the first significant staff adjustment of Moore’s debut season in Pullman. Moore, who called plays as Missouri’s offensive coordinator from 2023 to 2025, confirmed Miller remains with the program and said he will stay heavily involved in a collaborative offensive operation. The change follows a 26–6 loss to Fresno State in which the Cougars (1–4) failed to score an offensive touchdown for the second time this season; WSU ranks 133rd of 138 FBS teams at 247 yards per game. The Spokesman-Review reported Moore’s on-record comments. WSU visits Utah State on Friday.
Colorado State head coach Jim Mora said Saturday that defensive coordinator Tyson Summers is no longer with the program after Mora relieved him of play-calling duties during a 56-26 home loss to Oregon State, Colorado State’s Pac-12 opener. Mora told reporters Summers left the sideline on his own after the play-calling change and that co-defensive coordinator Kenny McClendon will be the primary defensive play-caller going forward. ESPN (with AP), the Denver Gazette, and CBS Sports all reported Mora’s on-record comments from the postgame availability. The Rams (2-3) have allowed 193 points through five games and enter a bye before Texas State on Oct. 15.
Presidents and chancellors from Florida State, Miami, Clemson, and North Carolina sent a joint letter to House leadership (Speaker Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer) seeking changes to Section 205 of the Senate-passed Protect College Sports Act, Tomahawk Nation reported after obtaining the letter via FOIA. The schools support the broader bill but ask the House to raise the power-conference membership cap from 20 to 22 and to remove the three-year independence requirement for schools switching power conferences; On3 and WRAL corroborated the asks. In a separate Oct. 2 letter to the same leaders, 21 House Republicans from Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina, led by Reps. Neal Dunn and Mario Díaz-Balart, asked that Section 205 be removed or substantially amended before final House passage, arguing Congress should not set conference size or membership terms. The House remains out until Nov. 9 after the midterms, and any House amendments would return the bill to the Senate.
Ole Miss Athletics and adidas officially announced a seven-year partnership that makes adidas the Rebels’ footwear, uniform, apparel, and sideline partner beginning July 1, 2027, and running through June 2034, ending Nike’s relationship with the school that dates to 1999 when the current Nike deal expires in June 2027. Athletic director Keith Carter said the deal includes increased NIL opportunities and that adidas “understands and respects” Ole Miss’s colors, marks, and uniforms; adidas North America president John Miller called Ole Miss an “ascendant SEC program.” The school did not release financial terms. Earlier reporting from On3’s Brett McMurphy had put the package at more than $20 million annually, with Adidas NIL support described as far exceeding Nike’s prior Ole Miss NIL standard.
The College Football Playoff’s exclusive 30-day negotiating window with ESPN over a 24-team format ended Friday, Oct. 9, without an agreement. In a statement Saturday, the CFP said it continues to have “ongoing discussions with ESPN” and called the talks constructive. CBS Sports reported that CFP leaders planned to give ESPN a final financial proposal Friday, which triggers a five-business-day review. That puts ESPN’s deadline at Oct. 16 or Oct. 19. According to CBS sources, the CFP is targeting roughly $70 million to $80 million above the value of the Power 4 conference championship games it would replace (nearly $250 million), which would put its ask above $320 million a year on top of the current deal’s roughly $1.3 billion annual average. ESPN reported the title games are valued at about $200 million. If ESPN declines, the CFP can take the 10 additional games to other networks, with ESPN keeping certain matching rights. The Big Ten and SEC must settle the format by Dec. 1 for the 2027 season.
Rice University and Houston-based First Community Credit Union announced a 20-year football stadium naming-rights and campus collaboration agreement, with Rice Stadium becoming First Community Stadium beginning with the Oct. 3 home game against UTSA. Interim AD Eric George said the partnership supports athletics competitiveness and student career development alongside the Gateway Project stadium renovation; First Community becomes the official financial institution of Rice Football, Rice Athletics, and the Association of Rice Alumni and will add financial literacy, internships, and campus banking programs. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The Arizona Board of Regents on Thursday unanimously approved a contract extension for University of Arizona athletics director Desireé Reed-Francois through March 2, 2032, confirmed by University of Arizona News and Arizona Daily Star reporting. UA describes it as a five-year deal; Star reporting frames it as a three-year first amendment to her 2024 contract. She is earning $1.35 million in 2026-27, with already-scheduled $50,000 annual escalators continuing to $1.4 million in 2027-28 and $1.6 million in 2031-32; the UA Foundation pays $250,000 annually toward compensation. The amendment accelerates retention bonuses and sets her 2027-28 buyout at $800,000 (declining to $125,000 by 2030-31), while performance bonuses are capped at $250,000 with added postseason and Big 12 Commissioner’s Cup incentives.
Iowa State athletics director Jamie Pollard told KCCI that Saturday’s Homecoming game against West Virginia will be his last home game and last day in the office, accelerating an exit originally framed for as late as June 30, 2027. Pollard said he will attend Big 12 meetings next week and Iowa State’s Oct. 9 game at BYU, then work remotely until the school names a successor sometime in mid-October; no interim has been announced. Longtime senior associate AD Calli Sanders is also finishing this week. Parker Executive Search continues to run the national search for the Jamie and Ellen Pollard Endowed Director of Athletics.
Rice University President Reginald DesRoches told the campus community that the school has formed a search committee and hired Atlanta-based Parker Executive Search to recruit its next vice president and director of athletics. Trustee Elle Anderson chairs a six-member committee with Provost Amy Dittmar, Dean Thomas Killian, Faculty Athletics Representative Leo Costello, and trustees Patti Lipoma Kraft and William Neville; Parker principal DeLaina Sarden is the firm contact. The formal search follows Tommy McClelland’s August departure for Purdue, with Deputy AD Eric George continuing as interim athletics director since August.
Auburn Police arrested David Rudolph Jenrath, 24, of Franklin, Tenn., on Sept. 28 on felony theft of trade secrets and computer tampering charges after sensitive information was allegedly stolen near the Auburn Athletics complex (300 block of South Donahue Drive) and shared with competitors, who returned it. Charging documents cited by AL.com accuse Jenrath of retaining Auburn University Athletics confidential information while employed and disclosing trade secrets to opponents with intent to harass the department; he turned himself in and is held at Lee County Jail on a $15,000 bond. LinkedIn lists him as an Auburn Football player personnel scouting assistant (running backs/special teams) from January–June 2026. Auburn Athletics declined comment.
Western Michigan University President Russ Kavalhuna announced Monday that Alex Gary will become the school’s next vice president and director of athletics, with an introductory press conference set for Oct. 1 in Kalamazoo. Gary arrives from SMU, where he has been deputy AD for external relations since 2025 and previously served five years as AD at Western Carolina. WMU said the hire followed a nationwide search; Gary’s SMU development work included $98.6 million in gifts and commitments in his first year overseeing that operation.
The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees Compensation Committee on Monday approved a new contract for athletics director Greg Byrne running through June 30, 2033, at $2.675 million per year, al.com’s Matt Stahl reported. The deal extends Byrne two years beyond his prior 2024 agreement through June 2031 and raises pay from about $2.09 million annually under that contract. UA president Peter Moeller praised Byrne’s academic and athletic results and leadership amid college athletics’ changing environment. The committee also approved new contracts for six Crimson Tide Olympic-sport head coaches.
Illinois and first-year defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck mutually agreed Sunday to a change in defensive leadership after only four games, head coach Bret Bielema said in a statement released by the program less than a day after a 42-19 loss at No. 7 Ohio State. Hauck, hired in February after retiring as Montana’s head coach, asked to meet early Sunday; both sides said parting was in the best interests of the defense and student-athletes. No in-season replacement was named; Bielema said a plan is being communicated internally. Through four games Illinois ranks near the bottom nationally in total defense. Sources: News-Gazette (Scott Richey), On3.
Louisiana Illuminator’s Piper Hutchinson reports that LSU President Wade Rousse told the Louisiana Board of Regents on Tuesday the athletic department projects a $26 million deficit for the current fiscal year after a $44 million shortfall in FY 2025–26 (confirmed to the Illuminator by LSU spokeswoman Meg Sunstrom). The prior-year gap included the NCAA-max $21.5 million in direct athlete compensation; Rousse said athletics has overspent its budget by a combined $177.5 million over six years and must “stop that bleeding first.” Leadership is preparing a revenue plan with a private-equity component tied to media rights, held pending a brand valuation, and intends to keep control of the LSU brand while aiming first at athletics cash and later system revenue.