Tag: Clemson Athletics

TEN PROGRAMS SET APR RECORDS; FOOTBALL TIED FOR TOP POWER FIVE

CLEMSON, S.C. – Ten Clemson programs set or tied multi-year records for Academic Progress Rate (APR) in the NCAA’s data release on Tuesday, including six perfect 1,000 multi-year scores, and 14 single-year scores at 1,000. As a whole, Clemson set a …

CLEMSON, S.C. – Ten Clemson programs set or tied multi-year records for Academic Progress Rate (APR) in the NCAA’s data release on Tuesday, including six perfect 1,000 multi-year scores, and 14 single-year scores at 1,000. As a whole, Clemson set a department-record 997, which set a new mark for all sports. The release, which returned after a one-year hiatus, includes the 2017-18 through 2020-21 academic years.

“We’re incredibly grateful to our student-athletes, coaches and Nieri staff who continue to push us to new heights and congratulate them on this accomplishment,” said Director of Athletics Graham Neff. “We often talk about being able to achieve on and off the field at Clemson, and this report validates that.”

Women’s Golf, Men’s Golf, Softball, Women’s Tennis, Men’s Cross Country and Women’s Cross Country comprised the perfect 1,000 multi-year scores, while Football (999), Women’s Track (998), Women’s Basketball (991) and Men’s Track (988) also set program records.

All seventeen of Clemson’s eligible programs were above 967, with 14 of those coming in at 980 or better. Every women’s sport had a single-year APR of 1000 for the 2020-21 year.

Program Notes:

  • Baseball, Men’s Cross Country, Football, Men’s Golf, Women’s Cross Country, Women’s Golf, Softball and Women’s Tennis were each among the top ten percent in their sport, which historically has earned a Public Recognition Award.
  • The football program’s 999 multi-year score matched the highest among Division I Power Five institutions in this data release, and was tied for second behind only Columbia University. During this period, Clemson football won four ACC championships, advanced to four College Football Playoffs, and won the 2018 National Championship.
  • Football has been among the top ten percent of all football programs nationally in ten of the last eleven years.
  • Softball earned a 1,000 in its first data release, one of four ACC programs to record a multi-year rate of 1,000.
  • Baseball’s multi-year rate of 995 is tied for fourth among Power-Five schools, and second in the ACC (Duke, 997)
  • Women’s Golf has recorded a 1,000 in all seven years in which they’ve been eligible.
  • Men’s Soccer’s 989 was its third-highest on record
  • Women’s basketball’s 991 was 13 points higher than its’ previous record, a 978 in 2009-10.
  • Women’s Soccer has been above a 990 for each of the six previous years.

Scores: Multi-Year (2020-21 Only) Bold: Program Record;

Women’s Sports:

  • Basketball: 991 (1000);
  • Cross Country: 1000 (1000);
  • Golf: 1000 (1000);
  • Rowing: 984 (1000);
  • Soccer: 997 (1000);
  • Softball 1000 (1000);
  • Tennis: 1000 (1000);
  • Track: 998 (1000);
  • Volleyball: 995 (1000)

Men’s Sports: 

  • Baseball: 995 (983);
  • Football: 999 (994);
  • Basketball: 980 (1000);
  • Cross Country: 1000 (1000);
  • Golf: 1000 (1000);
  • Soccer: 989 (1000);
  • Tennis: 967 (1000);
  • Track: 988 (1000)

ABOUT THE APR

The Academic Progress Rate is a real-time measure of eligibility and retention of student-athletes competing on every Division I sports team.

The most recent APR scores are based on a multi-year rate that averages scores from the 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic years. Under the revised penalty structure, the Division I Board of Directors has set a cut score of 930 (out of 1,000) as a threshold for teams to meet or face possible sanctions. An APR of 930 projects a 50 percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR). The goal of the NCAA’s academic performance program is improvement, not punishment. Not only does the program ensure accountability for student-athletes, teams and institutions, but also it provides fairness by considering individual circumstances per team and school.

A comparative look at Clemson’s NIL collectives

In less than two months, Clemson has gone from solely being a spectator to having multiple players involved in the name, image and likeness game. The opportunities for the Tigers’ student-athletes to reap NIL benefits doubled late last week when …

In less than two months, Clemson has gone from solely being a spectator to having multiple players involved in the name, image and likeness game.

The opportunities for the Tigers’ student-athletes to reap NIL benefits doubled late last week when Dear Old Clemson, a second Clemson collective initiated by area business leaders, was started. That was preceded in April by the launch of TigerImpact, an NIL collective founded with the help of three former Clemson football players.

Of course, not all collectives are created equal. What are the similarities? What are the differences? And how will athletes benefit from them financially?

The last question can be answered with the collectives’ primary parallel: donations made by fans, donors and businesses go straight into the pockets of the athletes almost in their entirety. According to TigerImpact’s official website, anywhere from 85% to 90% of donated funds will go directly to athletes while more than 90% of contributions made to Dear Old Clemson will do the same, according to that collective’s website.

And while football has been the focal point of NIL conversations nationwide, Clemson’s collectives will provide opportunities for athletes across multiple sports to get a piece of the financial pie, even if they go about it differently.

TigerImpact has raised more than $5.5 million to be paid out to athletes it has partnered with in exchange for those athletes working for and promoting charities of their choice. So far, the collective has partnered with 28 athletes, who are signed to yearly contracts that require them to complete a certain amount of marketing work in order to be compensated, according to the collective’s website.

The Clemson Insider has learned the collective, which initially signed 12 athletes across seven sports, has now partnered with at least one athlete in every sport at Clemson, making it one of the first to do so nationally.

Dear Old Clemson is offering fans and businesses varying memberships for which they will receive exclusive access to events with athletes in exchange for their donations. A “Roy Bus” membership is available for those who want to donate specifically to football players. The Clemson Athletic Club is for those who want to donate to football and other sports, and a Lady Tiger Club option is available for those who want their donations to go strictly to athletes in women’s sports.

Additional money for athletes will be brought in through the sale of signed memorabilia and collectibles at meet-and-greet events, items which will be initially funded out of the pockets of Dear Old Clemson’s founders, said Robert MacRae, CEO of MacRae Consulting Corporation and one of the collective’s co-founders. MacRae said those items will also be sold in a digital marketplace currently being created by the collective.

A portion of the funds generated by the collective will also be used to pay athletes in exchange for their appearance at local businesses, according to a news release.

As for how Dear Old Clemson will decide exactly which athletes its money goes to, MacRae said the collective will rely on the help of its advisors, all former Clemson athletes, to get a feel for who should receive payouts in each sport. The collectives’ advisors include three former football players in Kyle Parker, Shaq Lawson and Adam Humphries as well as former softball player Sam Russ.

MacRae said the two collectives will work together to maximize the benefits for the student athletes.

“This is going to be a collaborative effort between the two collectives,” MacRae said. “This isn’t a competition.  In order for Clemson to be competitive we need to be in the same boat and row together.”

Neff discusses an ACC revenue gap that’s only growing wider

The ACC has long lagged behind some of its Power Five counterparts when it comes to revenue distribution for its member schools. And that gap is quickly growing wider, making it a key talking point during the ACC’s annual spring meetings last week. …

The ACC has long lagged behind some of its Power Five counterparts when it comes to revenue distribution for its member schools. And that gap is quickly growing wider, making it a key talking point during the ACC’s annual spring meetings last week.

“The concern that it’s growing wider, absolutely it’s a big discussion within the league,” Clemson athletic director Graham Neff told The Clemson Insider.

Thanks in large part to the launch of the ACC Network, the conference reportedly generated $497 million in gross revenue for the 2019-20 financial year, a record for the league that saw average payouts of more than $30 million to each of its full-time members (Notre Dame, a member in all sports but football, gets a different cut). Yet it’s a drop in the bucket compared to what the SEC and Big Ten are raking in.

The Big Ten reportedly generated nearly $800 million in revenue in the same year, or roughly $40 million more than the SEC as the top money maker among the Power Five conferences, which also include the Big 12 and Pac-12. The SEC took over that distinction during the 2020-21 financial year with a reported revenue of more than $833 million, or approximately $55 million per each of its 14 members.

Conferences have multiple revenue streams, including bowl payouts and the NCAA Tournament. But none is more substantial than media rights contracts as television networks and streaming services bid for broadcasting privileges. Problem for the ACC is, neither is currently competing to air its games.

That’s because the ACC is locked into a Grant of Rights agreement with ESPN until 2036, a deal that was set to expire much sooner (2027) before being extended nine years when the conference launched the ACC Network in August 2019. And short of Notre Dame joining as a full-time football member, the league’s options for renegotiating are few and far between.

The ACC initially entered the agreement in 2013 in an effort to stabilize itself after Maryland, one of the league’s founding members, left for the Big Ten. If Clemson or any of the ACC’s other current members successfully tried to leave the conference, then they would have to give up their cut of the league’s revenue distribution.

Meanwhile, the money in the SEC and Big Ten is getting bigger. The SEC recently inked a 10-year deal with ESPN reportedly worth $300 million to make the network the exclusive rights holder for the league’s football and basketball games beginning in 2024. The Big Ten is negotiating a new mega TV rights contract that will begin in 2023 and could be worth more than $1 billion, or roughly $71 million per member institution, according to Sports Business Journal.

At Clemson, Neff said the athletic department has been able to somewhat bridge the ACC’s revenue gap “through IPTAY (the department’s fundraising arm) and through people” making donations that help the school fund scholarships and facilities. Neff said it may force league members to further prioritize the allocation of their cut to the sport that’s primarily responsible for creating revenue in hopes that it brings in more money that can be used to financially supplement other areas.

“We talk about brand and how do we invest and how do we prioritize investments and what that looks like on our campuses,” said Neff, who worked as Clemson’s deputy athletic director before being promoted following Dan Radakovich’s departure in December. “I think it goes along strategically with (ACC) Commissioner (Jim) Phillips’ vision of football and elevating football’s brand. That’s where certainly a lot of is driven and certainly a lot of eyeballs within the league and within certainly the football coaches’ room.

“I’m sure in AD meetings, they look to Clemson for that type of example where investment fuels, in theory, success with the right decisions and people, which helps raise boats for a lot of the other departmental investments.”

But with the ACC well behind in the revenue arms race, it continues to leave the conference and its members in a precarious position.

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Neff discusses newest athletic facility projects

Construction is imminent on a pair of on-campus facilities that are designed to enhance the student-athlete experience at Clemson. A 100-yard wellness center and the Clemson Athletic Branding institute are being built in and around the Allen N. …

Construction is imminent on a pair of on-campus facilities that are designed to enhance the student-athlete experience at Clemson.

A 100-yard wellness center and the Clemson Athletic Branding institute are being built in and around the Allen N. Reeves Football Complex. Clemson athletic director Graham Neff told The Clemson Insider that both projects, which have a price tag of $5 million each, are expected to be completed sometime this fall.

Neff said the wellness center, which is an add-on to the football complex, has already started construction.

“It’s an expansion of the training room and some of our applied science and then just growth of those services from a health and wellness standpoint,” Neff said.

The athletic branding institute, which will total more than 12,000 square feet, is being built in conjunction with REIGN, the school’s multi-faceted name, image and likeness (NIL) program. When it officially announced the program last month, Clemson touted itself as the “first athletics program in the nation” to dedicate a space solely to the education and development of athletes’ NIL activity.

Neff acknowledged there’s a lot of focus on football with the facility, which is being constructed adjacent to the football team’s indoor practice facility and weight room. But Neff said the space will also include a photo shoot area, audio studio and media work room in addition to “just some swing space and growth space for future needs of NIL” that all athletes will be able to access.

Neff said the idea of becoming the first athletic department to have a dedicated NIL space happened somewhat by accident. The department, he explained, was in the midst of a fundraising campaign for facility enhancements last summer when the NCAA introduced an interim policy that made NIL profits legal for college athletes. Many states, including South Carolina, followed with their own NIL bylaws soon thereafter.

“July 1 (of 2021) was when NIL was allowable from an NCAA standpoint, so it became one of those where it was like, ‘Gosh, we have an opportunity here to be intentional and focused on what that facility can be right when everyone is trying to figure that out,’” Neff said. “It just kind of evolved.

“There’s other utility with it. There’s an NFL locker room for former players. … We just kind of grew it into having some use for branding and creative studio there that speaks to an NIL standpoint. It just kind of all came to a head with a need for space from a football standpoint, the fundraising aspect of it and then NIL going into effect and how we could be leaders and the first to have bricks and mortar and dedicated space to that from an NIL standpoint.”

Later this year, Clemson will begin expanding the facilities for rowing, lacrosse and gymnastics. Neff said construction on those $27.5-million projects will continue throughout most of next year. The school announced the addition of lacrosse and gymnastics as women’s sports last year.

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Clemson ranked as top-five southern college town

Clemson University is well known for its football program, but it is also quietly one of the south’s best college towns.

Clemson, South Carolina, a city that was once unknown by most, has transformed into the home of one of the most prominent institutions in the southern United States.

Although the city has become a household name across the country primarily because of Clemson football’s success, Clemson has been recognized as a top-five college town in the south.

Here’s what Betsy Cribb of Southern Living had to say about Clemson, which she ranked as the south’s fourth-best college town.

The football faithful will tell you Clemson’s magic lies in Howard’s Rock (players rub it for good luck before every home game), but the Upstate town’s true powers of enchantment belong to its natural surroundings: It’s tucked in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and nestled along Lake Hartwell.

Cribb put three other college towns ahead of Clemson: Auburn, Alabama, Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Athens, Georgia. While all three of those towns are home to notable universities, there is something different about Tigertown.

Located near the South Carolina-Georiga border, Clemson University is a driving distance away from the beach and mountains and is the top-ranked public university in South Carolina, according to the 2022 U.S. News & World Report ranking.

From packed streets on gameday to quiet, peaceful outings on Lake Hartwell, Clemson offers many unique experiences that appeal to thousands.

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Kevin White Joins Clemson Athletic Administration as Deputy AD

CLEMSON, S.C. – The athletic department is taking shape under Clemson Director of Athletics Graham Neff, who announced the addition of Kevin White as Deputy Director of Athletics on Tuesday. The hire was approved by the Board of Trustees …

CLEMSON, S.C. – The athletic department is taking shape under Clemson Director of Athletics Graham Neff, who announced the addition of Kevin White as Deputy Director of Athletics on Tuesday. The hire was approved by the Board of Trustees Compensation Committee. White will assist in running the day-to-day operations of the department as the second in command, filling the position vacated upon Neff’s promotion to AD. White’s role will take on a great deal of responsibility, focused on internal operations, interfacing with key campus and leadership stakeholders, and serving as the sport administrator for the three-time national champion football program.

“I’ve known Kevin and his family for a long time, and I am beyond thrilled to welcome Kevin, Jari and their children to the Clemson Family,” said Neff, who was named AD in December. “His combination of experience at Northwestern, Georgia State and SMU is a clear differentiator, and he is as well-respected an administrator as he is a person. Our values line up incredibly well – His experience at another prominent academic institution is extremely valuable, and he is a great fit with our leadership team. Kevin is going to make an immediate and long-lasting impact on Clemson Athletics.”

“My family and I are thrilled to come to Clemson and I am grateful to President Clements, Max Allen and Graham Neff for their trust in me,” said White. “The alignment at Clemson is special, and I believe in the direction of this department under Graham’s leadership. I’ve had the chance to work alongside tremendous mentors, including sitting ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips and Northwestern AD Derrick Gragg, among others, and I’m thankful for their guidance and friendship.”

Most recently, White has served at Northwestern as Deputy AD and Chief Operating Officer, where he oversaw a $110 million operating budget. He successfully coordinated nearly $450 million in capital project facility financing, managed department contract negotiations, advised on head coach staffing decisions, and collaborated on department strategy under Phillips and Gragg.

During his tenure at Northwestern, he served as a sport administrator for football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and men’s soccer. During that time, the football program experienced two Big Ten West Championships in three years, and the women’s basketball team won a Big Ten Conference Championship in 2019-2020. While at SMU, the men’s basketball program went 82-17 (including a 50-3 home record) which is the best three-year span in school history.

His involvement has also included integral engagement with fundraising groups, developing a multimedia rights strategy, and several other initiatives to increase revenue.

White’s engagements outside of the department included positions on the Big Ten basketball working groups, the administrative council, as well as numerous other leadership committees at the Big Ten and LEAD1.

The Chattanooga, Tennessee native earned a bachelor of arts degree from North Carolina, where he was a member of the junior varsity basketball team. He also earned a master’s degree at Georgia State and an MBA at Kennesaw State. He and his wife Jari have three children, Justin, Kamden and Kinley.

Clemson introduces NIL program

Clemson’s athletic department has announced a name, image and likeness program to help its student-athletes navigate the changing landscape of college athletics. Clemson on Friday unveiled “Reign”, a multi-faceted program that will largely be used …

Clemson’s athletic department has announced a name, image and likeness program to help its student-athletes navigate the changing landscape of college athletics.

Clemson on Friday unveiled “Reign”, a multi-faceted program that will largely be used to educate athletes when opportunities arise for them to make money off their name, image and likeness (NIL), the department announced in a release. The NCAA recently made NIL profits legal for student-athletes, and most states, including South Carolina, have adopted their own NIL bylaws governing how athletes at their colleges can make money.

“We’ve talked for a while about our intent to become more aggressive in the NIL environment, and I feel that Reign personifies that notion,” Clemson athletic director Graham Neff said in a statement. “While many of these services have been available to our student-athletes since last year, our department has worked tirelessly to evolve our NIL philosophy. It’s critical that our student-athletes have the education and tools to succeed in this area and that our coaches have a direct way to address the questions they receive on the recruiting trail. NIL is ever-changing, and we will continue to monitor, adapt and innovate.”

Clemson has partnered with Altius Sports Partners, comprised of sports business and education leaders, for education and policy and is also engaging in the licensing space. The department is also in the process of building the Clemson Athletics Branding Institute, a facility solely “dedicated to the development of NIL activity,” according to the release.

Groups of local businesses have started coming together to help fund third-party NIL collectives for Clemson’s athletes.

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Two groups preparing to make major splash for Clemson NIL

The day Clemson fans have been waiting for is almost here. The community is set to help the Tigers become competitive in the name, image, likeness game. Two name, image and likeness (NIL) groups have been started to raise funds to support Clemson …

The day Clemson fans have been waiting for is almost here. The community is set to help the Tigers become competitive in the name, image, likeness game. 

Two name, image and likeness (NIL) groups have been started to raise funds to support Clemson student-athletes in NIL deals. One group’s owners include Clemson Variety & Frame Shop owner Jason Beaty and The Clemson Insider’s Robert MacRae. Last fall, the group began discussions about how to help Clemson be competitive in the changing landscape of college athletics. Over the past few months, the ownership group has added several significant members. who brought some new ideas, which will help the group take things to another level and have an even bigger impact for student-athletes at Clemson.

Another group that includes Kendall Alley and Rich Davies has been formed to support Clemson athletes using NIL. This group is set to make a substantial impact out of the gate.

Both groups have been working to lay the foundation to make sure Clemson is competitive with the top programs around the nation.  The groups will make a major impact on all Clemson sports, not just football.

More announcements are planned for the upcoming week. Clemson donors, fans and businesses will soon have some options on how they can support Clemson athletes.

Big news for Clemson athletes

The Clemson University Athletic Department and IPTAY value the academic pursuit and achievements of student-athletes. In recognition of this commitment, Clemson and IPTAY have established the Clemson Academic Performance or “CAP” award. Through this …

The Clemson University Athletic Department and IPTAY value the academic pursuit and achievements of student-athletes. In recognition of this commitment, Clemson and IPTAY have established the Clemson Academic Performance or “CAP” award. Through this plan, Clemson student-athletes have the opportunity to earn rewards for their continued achievement in the classroom and progress toward graduation.

A recent Supreme Court ruling in Alston vs. the NCAA case paved the way for student-athletes to receive up to $5,980 per academic year to reward academic progress. The financial awards are on top of the support currently offered by Clemson, such as laptop computers and other educational supplies.

“Our student-athletes compete at the highest levels on and off the field while setting their sights on graduation,” said Director of Athletics Graham Neff. “I am delighted that our student-athletes are now able to earn rewards for academic success at one of the top universities in the nation, and am grateful to IPTAY and our donors for making this possible. Our foundation is built upon the importance of academic success, and this is another way of ensuring we can continue to grow and reward the great work of our students.”

Department-wide, Clemson’s student-athletes have achieved at nearly unprecedented levels in recent years. Clemson’s most recent graduation success rate (GSR) of 95 percent was a program record, the department GPA has finished above 3.0 for seven consecutive semesters, and Clemson routinely earns high marks in Academic Progress.

Beginning in Spring 2022, Clemson’s approximately 450 student-athletes who receive athletic aid will be eligible for the benefit. The CAP will be based on the successful completion of the NCAA’s APR calculation each term – university retention and NCAA eligibility, and the student-athlete must maintain good standing with the University and may not be on disciplinary probation.

–Courtesy of Clemson Athletic Communications

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Longtime Clemson trainer included in South Carolina Hall of Fame Class

Longtime Clemson athletic trainer Fred Hoover highlights the four-member South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame’s induction class of 2022. FULL RELEASE Hoover was hired by legendary coach Frank Howard, and served as trainer of the Clemson football …

Longtime Clemson athletic trainer Fred Hoover highlights the four-member South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame’s induction class of 2022.

FULL RELEASE

Hoover was hired by legendary coach Frank Howard, and served as trainer of the Clemson football team for 40 years (1959-98) and began working the sidelines seven years prior to the existence of Howard’s Rock.

Hoover worked 446 consecutive football games and he was estimated to have supervised 4,500 Clemson football practices. He worked with seven head coaches, 11 ACC championship teams, 16 bowl teams, 38 All-Americans, 16 NFL All-Pro players and first round picks and 110 future NFL players. He ran down the hill 207 times, falling just once.

Hoover has held just about every administrative post with the National Athletic Trainers Association, including Chairman of the Board. In 1981, he was enshrined in the Citizens Savings-Helms Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame for his work in his chosen field. In 1982, Hoover was inducted into the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame.

In 1983, Hoover was the recipient of the Distinguished Service to Sports Medicine Award given by the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine. In 1987, he was awarded the South Carolina Hall of Fame Distinguished Service to Sports Award. He was made an honorary member of the Clemson Alumni Physicians Society in 1990. In 1994, the South Carolina Trainers Association created the Fred Hoover Award for excellence in Athletic Training.

After a year-long absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame’s Induction Banquet honoring the classes of 2022 and 2020 is set for Monday, May 23 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.The 11-individuals will be forever enshrined with the Palmetto State’s highest athletic honor.

The SCAHOF Banquet is the largest annual celebration of Palmetto State sports stars under one roof. The traditional introduction of past inductees, the “Walk of Legends”, is one of the event’s highlights. The affair, which includes a reception and dinner, begins at 5:30 p.m. Table sponsorships may be purchased online at https://www.scahof.com/purchase.

–Release courtesy of the SC Hall of Fame and Clemson Athletic Communications

–Photo courtesy of Clemson Athletics

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