Higher Ed Athletics

Travis Smith
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College Athletics is a Decision Sport. Higher Ed Athletics helps aspiring athletic directors get better by interviewing the top administrators in division one college athletics.

  1. 10H AGO

    Narrating the Greatest Hits: Duke's Nina King, Cornell's Nicki Moore, North Carolina's Bubba Cunningham

    In this episode, I narrate parts of 3 previous AD conversations I had with Duke's Nina King, Cornell's Nicki Moore, and North Carolina's Bubba Cunningham. Nina shares about replacing Coach K just a few days on the job and goes in-depth about the Chief of Staff position for an AD. Nicki talked about the difference between being a power school administrator that leaves for a small school AD job. She then talks about the identity change Colgate went through to better align both athletics and the rest of campus. Bubba did this interview 2 days after finishing a quick and confidential search for his men's basketball coach. He talks about how difficult it is to keep that process secret from even some of his most trusted colleagues. He also shares how 20 years at Notre Dame before becoming the AD at Tulsa, Ball State and North Carolina shaped his career. Both Nicki and Bubba share advice to aspirational ADs. HEA is presented by PILYTIX, an AI tech company for higher education institutions and sports organizations. Increased Donations. Fast, Effective Targeting. Improved Performance. 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. 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.

    32 min

  2. 3D AGO

    Deputies I Think Could Become The Next Charlotte Athletic Director (If They Want The Job)

    If the AD search breakdowns and interviews have been helpful, please consider financially supporting HEA with a tip. CollegeAD reported this week that there are 5 finalists for the Charlotte AD job, including 2 sitting ADs and 3 P4 Deputies. I do not think they will hire a sitting athletic director. In this video, I outline who I think those deputy candidates could be or at least outline why the job profiles of each could be a sign of who Charlotte decides to hire. I do not have sources and this is all my own analysis based on studying positions and schools. HEA is presented by PILYTIX, an AI tech company for higher education institutions and sports organizations. Increased Donations. Fast, Effective Targeting. Improved Performance. 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.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.

    12 min

  3. FEB 17

    Ryan Peck: TCU Senior Deputy Athletic Director

    Come for the insights, stay for the Landman behind-the-scenes NIL story. Ryan Peck has learned from some incredible athletic directors, most recently Wren Baker, Jeremiah Donati, and now Mike Buddie. In this conversation, Peck definitely shares what he's learned from the deputy positions, but I wanted to see how an up-and-coming senior administrator is carving out his own experiences in the job, too. Peck was on the steering committee for the university's strategic plan and was able to learn and share insights with other university stakeholders across campus in what will certainly prepare him for the president's cabinet role one day as an AD. Peck also talks about the impact of TCU being heavily featured in the latest season of Landman and how they were able to create NIL deals for their athletes to be extras on the show. I asked Ryan how he considers and prepares for certain opportunities that have or will come his way. To round out the conversation I ask Peck his thoughts on schools potentially looking at more outsiders for AD openings and what his approach is and will continue to be for his career. I hope you like these new installments of interviewing the next generation of athletic directors as college athletics continues to evolve.HEA is presented by PILYTIX, an AI tech company for higher education institutions and sports organizations. Increased Donations. Fast, Effective Targeting. Improved Performance. 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. 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.0:55 Learning from Wren Baker, Jeremiah Donati, Mike Buddie & Others6:20 Onrise: MENTAL HEALTH CARE for ATHLETES8:18 Experience on TCU's Strategic Plan Steering Committee16:13 AD Vantage: COACHING HIRES17:30 LANDMAN comes to TCU - NIL Deals for Athletes as Extras24:08 Decision-Making Process for Career Mapping34:21 How does Ryan Peck Prepare for Job Opportunities40:25 Thoughts on Outsiders as ADs and Learning from Pro Sports for College Role

    47 min

  4. FEB 10

    Army Athletic Director Tom Theodorakis

    Since 2026 is the 250th birthday of America, and I'm reading books about the American Revolution, I thought it made sense to ask Army Athletic Director Tom Theodorakis to join HEA for a conversation. Theo shares what it feels like every day at West Point and why it is such a special place. I asked him what perspective he gets from working at different institution types, including P4 schools, another military academy, and even The Ivy League at Harvard. The conversation turns to outlining his vision going into his second year in the AD chair. We discuss what it takes to put on an Army/Navy game and what it will take to keep it from being changed as the College Football Playoff dates continue to change. It's safe to say the game won't be in July. Theo explains how Army has to continue to think about what college athletics looks like at their institution since they do not do House, NIL, and the transfer portal is not the same for them. He also communicates what athletics means at West Point and what the future leaders of our nation's Army learns from the experience, including failure and trying to build up muscle memory of winning in tough situations. HEA is presented by PILYTIX, an AI tech company for higher education institutions and sports organizations. Increased Donations. Fast, Effective Targeting. Improved Performance.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.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.0:00 Introduction0:40 Experiencing West Point Daily as AD1:55 Perspective from Army, Harvard, UCLA, Arizona, Air Force6:52 Transitioning from 1st Year to 2nd Year as AD11:20 Visit Onrise.CARE for Mental Health Athlete Care12:20 What it takes to put on the Army/Navy Game18:45 How do you protect the Army/Navy Game Date?22:00 Institutional Collaboration at West Point27:05 Deciding to complete a Doctorate in Education31:35 Aspirational Advice: Get out of your Comfort Zone

    35 min

  5. JAN 26

    Akron Zips Athletic Director Andrew Goodrich

    Dr. Andrew Goodrich starts the conversation discussing how the similarities of being an FCS AD (previously at Gardner-Webb) outnumber the differences of being an FBS AD despite the incredibly low number of FBS ADs coming from that background. He then walks through the Akron AD search process being an active AD at the time. Goodrich talks about the decision to pursue a doctorate in higher education and how it serves him today as an AD. The conversation turns to an in-depth discussion about evaluating and hiring head coaches, including what data points he focuses on to complement his qualitative approach. Goodrich says Akron is ready to go with jersey patches and talks about the thought process they went thru in December. www.HigherEdAthletics.com HEA is presented by PILYTIX, an AI tech company for higher education institutions and sports organizations. Increased Donations. Fast, Effective Targeting. Improved Performance. 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. 0:00 Introduction0:25 FCS and FBS Similarities Outnumber the Differences4:50 Tactical Strategy Preparing for Akron Search Process8:45 Did Name Leak Early at Akron?11:10 Decision to Pursue a Doctorate Degree and How it Helps an AD17:40 AD VANTAGE: Importance of Evaluating Head Coaches and Prepared for Searches29:00 Men’s Basketball Optimism This Season34:51 Approach to Jersey Patch and Facilities Naming Rights38:05 Being a Branch of the Kevin White AD Tree

    45 min

  6. JAN 9

    Tennessee Vols Athletic Director Danny White

    Danny White joins HEA to talk alignment with Chancellor Plowman, including how they are both builders and change agents. The conversation first talks about his doctorate degree in higher education as the dissertation design is similar to mine. We then jump back into the concept of collective bargaining in college athletics. White explains his philosophy of building a strong administrative team and why launching former deputies into AD jobs is a good thing despite needing to constantly replenish. I ask Danny about the pro sports model we're seeing in college athletics and how current athletic administrators can keep moving forward despite the hype of outsiders coming for AD jobs. HEA is presented by PILYTIX, an AI tech company for higher education institutions and sports organizations. Increased Donations. Fast, Effective Targeting. Improved Performance. 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.0:00 Introduction2:10 Dr. White's Doctorate Dissertation5:25 Change Agents7:55 Becoming a Builder: Born or Developed?13:35 Collective Bargaining in College Athletics17:25 Danny's CBA Plan & Athletes.Org Plan21:20 Launching Tennessee Deputies into AD Jobs & Replenishing Roles Within31:22 Advice to Administrators Concerned about Outside Industry People Coming for AD Positions

    37 min

  7. JAN 5

    Reacting to AD Hires & Openings Heading into January

    To kick off 2026, I react to recent AD hires at Baylor, Colorado and ULM, and give my thoughts on several openings, including at Oklahoma, Cal, Charlotte, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Washington State, Delaware, New Orleans, Wagner and Austin Peay State. I also share why I don't expect San Francisco to do a search. Watch and subscribe on YouTube: 1:30 Baylor Reaction2:50 California Reaction to Co-AD Model and Candidate Interest4:30 Oklahoma Thoughts & Prediction8:12 Colorado Reaction10:28 New Mexico Reaction & In-House Prediction12:16 Charlotte Hires TurnkeyZRG15:59 UL Monroe Reaction17:50 Rhode Island - Search Firm or Committee Only?18:28 Austin Peay State Thoughts21:10 Washington State Reaction to Interim Activity21:45 Delaware Likely Naming Interim to Permanent Soon22:28 Why I think San Francisco won't do a Search24:03 New Orleans Delayed by System Structure - Possible Rebrand for Next AD?27:30 Wagner goes with Collegiate Consulting HEA is presented by PILYTIX, an AI tech company for higher education institutions and sports organizations. Increased Donations. Fast, Effective Targeting. Improved Performance. 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. Watch my interview tutorial with CEO Tanner Stump as he walks me through a mock head coach hire on the platform.

    29 min

  8. 12/22/2025

    AD Vantage CEO Helps Me Hire a Head Coach

    AD Vantage Founder and CEO Tanner Stump walks me through how to hire a Head Coach with their platform. From a program comparison report and looking at several coaching metrics to creating my own watch list that updates metrics every day, come with us as I hire the next great women's volleyball head coach. 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 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/

    24 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

College Athletics is a Decision Sport. Higher Ed Athletics helps aspiring athletic directors get better by interviewing the top administrators in division one college athletics.

Information

  • Creator
    Travis Smith
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    47
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Travis Smith
  • Show Website
    Higher Ed Athletics