Tag: Texas A&M Athletics

University of Tulsa hires Justin Moore from Texas A&M as next athletic director

“I’m excited to join the University of Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane has a rich athletics history with competitive teams and bright athletes.”

The University of Tulsa has hired Justin Moore as it’s next director of athletics.

ESPN college football senior writer Pete Thamel broke the news on Tuesday night. Moore previously served as the executive deputy athletic director at Texas A&M.

“I am excited to join the University of Tulsa,” Moore said in a news release. “The Golden Hurricane has a rich athletics history with competitive teams and bright student-athletes. I believe in the direction of the university under president Carson’s leadership. I am eager to build relationships with so many great people – the coaching and administrative staffs, donors, fans, student-athletes, alumni and the Tulsa community – and get to work advancing this amazing program.

“I first came to admire the University of Tulsa when we played during my time with Houston. There is truly something special in Tulsa. I look forward to amplifying Rick Dickson’s success in the coming years.”

Moore became an Aggies alumnus in 2004 before starting his career as a Texas A&M special athletics assistant in 2006.

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TAMU AD Trev Alberts weighs in on biggest financial issue in college athletics

Texas A&M AD Trev Alberts provided the quote of the day regarding the future financial changes in college athletics

The landscape of college athletics as we knew it has been altered. The House vs. NCAA settlement will bring immense financial change for every University as we advance.

On its face, the NCAA will be responsible for nearly $2.8 billion in backpay to athletes from the last decade-plus. At the same time, every athletic department will compensate its athletes with a reported 20% payout via annual media rights revenue.

While this is just the start of what’s to come, every Power Five Conference athletic director, including new Texas A&M AD Trev Alberts, must become even more creative than usual to handle revenue sharing within every department.

After leaving his AD postion at his alma mater, Nebraska, Alberts has already made several staff changes to prepare for the future. On Tuesday, Alberts took the podium in Destin, Florida, during the annual SEC spring meetings, providing what I would consider the quote of the day regarding the ongoing handling of department expenses:

“We’ve just always had enough increasing revenue to overcome dumb expenses. I’ve said it 100 times, and I’ll say it again: We don’t have a revenue problem in college athletics, we have an expense problem.”

This quote will be dissected and likely criticized by most who read it with a narrow lens. However, a great example of “smart” spending with the upcoming changes is the proposed $80 million renovation for Texas A&M baseball’s Blue Bell Park and Olsen Field. This renovation will further increase revenue for one of the University’s most popular and successful programs.

It may be tough to hear for some, but credit to Alberts for keeping things realistic.

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‘Top 15 deal’: Texas A&M Athletics signs 5-year, multi-million dollar agreement with Adidas

“In the market of sports apparel and college athletics, it’s really a top 15 deal,” former athletic director Ross Bjork told The Eagle.

The Texas A&M Athletics Department has agreed to a new multi-million dollar merchandise deal with Adidas according to a recent report.

Per Travis Brown of The Eagle, the agreement is for five years and $47 million to keep the German giant as the Aggies’ exclusive uniform and apparel provider.

Before leaving College Station in January to become the next director of athletics at The Ohio State University, Ross Bjork took part in the negotiations.

“In the market of sports apparel and college athletics, it’s really a top 15 deal,” Bjork told The Eagle. “In a suppressed market, with Under Armour being out of the market, there’s two players: it’s Nike and Adidas. When we went through the negotiation, it was clear that Adidas was the best option, financially — equipment, apparel, all the components that they do from a marketing standpoint.

“They’ve just become a good partner here at A&M.”

The contract is effective from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2027, according to Brown. Per Bjork, Texas A&M and Adidas “operated on a term sheet for approximately a year of the deal as they continued to iron out the final contract,” the report stated.

The Aggies have been partners with the iconic three-stripe brand since 2007 after previously working with Nike.

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Texas A&M names its Whataburger Players of the month for March

March’s Whataburger Players of the month were recently announced.

Each month, Texas A&M athletics recognizes two athletes as the Whataburger Players of the Month for their achievements in their respective sports.

For March, A&M chose junior outfielder Braden Montgomery from the baseball team and junior Adela Cernousek from the women’s golf team. Check out their accomplishments below for March, earning them the honor of player of the month.

Braden Montgomery – March Snapshot

  • SEC Player of the Week
  • Helped Texas A&M to a 17-3 record in the month
  • Batting Average – .338
  • Hits – 29
  • Home runs – 13
  • RBI – 35
  • Fielding – 1.000

Adela Cernousek – March Snapshot

  • Helped Texas A&M to two runner-up finishes
  • Mountain View Collegiate – Sixth place finish
  • Clemson Invite – Second-place finish
  • On pace to set A&M’s single-season record for scoring average

Congratulations to Montgomery and Cernousek for being named March’s Whataburger Players of the Month.

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Come officially welcome new athletic director Trev Alberts to College Station on Monday

The 17th director of athletics in Texas A&M history will be formally introduced to the 12th Man on Monday afternoon with a welcoming event.

The 17th director of athletics in Texas A&M University history will be formally introduced to the 12th Man on Monday afternoon with a welcome event celebration.

The event is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be hosted at the Ford Hall of Champions, through entry three at Kyle Field. Free parking is available for the general public at the Stallings Garage and West Campus parking garage.

TAMU President Mark A Welsh III officially hired Alberts on Wednesday afternoon following reports about the potential move surfacing that morning. Alberts spent the last three years as athletic director at the University of Nebraska.

Remember when ESPN senior NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper went off on the Indianapolis Colts for passing on quarterback Trent Dilfer in the 1994 draft? Well, the player they drafted was Alberts.

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BREAKING: Texas A&M hires Trev Alberts from Nebraska as next director of athletics

After Ross Bjork departed Aggieland in January to become the next athletic director at Ohio State, interim AD R.C. Slocum began his search.

After Ross Bjork departed College Station in January to become the next athletic director at The Ohio State University, interim AD R.C. Slocum began searching for Texas A&M‘s next director of athletics.

According to a report on Wednesday morning from Brent Zwerneman, Aggies writer for the Houston Chronicle, Texas A&M chose Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts as its next AD. That report was immediately confirmed by Yahoo Sports college football writer Ross Dellenger.

Sources close to ESPN college football senior writer Pete Thamel said the contract offer is pretty lucrative. The deal is reportedly for five years and would make Alberts not only one of the highest paid ADs in the SEC but also among the top 10 in the nation.

Following Zwerneman’s report, his colleague Greg Rajan shared an entertaining anecdote. Remember when ESPN senior NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper went off on the Indianapolis Colts for passing on quarterback Trent Dilfer in the 1994 draft? Well, the player they drafted was Alberts.

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Report: Texas A&M has named R.C. Slocum as the interim athletic director

Legendary Aggies Head coach R.C. Slocum has been named Texas A&M’s interim Athletic Director.

According to multiple sources, including The Eagles’ Travis Brown, former Texas A&M head coach R.C. Slocum (1989-2002) will serve as the Aggies’ interim athletic director after now-former AD Ross Bjork departed for the same position at Ohio State earlier this month.

For those who have followed Slocum’s Texas A&M coaching career, he remains one of the more trusted voices in the Aggie community, and after serving as the school’s interim athletic director during the 2019 season, resuming the position while the search continues for Bjork’s permanent replacement was simply a no brainer.

To this day, barring new head coach Mike Elko’s impending success, Slocum remains on top in Aggie lore, holding an impressive 123-47 coaching record, including 78-28 in conference play in both the Southwest Conference and the Big 12.

After former Texas A&M AD Scott Woodward departed for LSU after the 2018 season, Bjork would come on board soon after seven years at Ole Miss, so without any more information regarding the continued search, experience, and progressive outlook tied to the ever-changing college athletics landscape make up the traits needed for the future permanent choice.

Note: R.C. Slocum’s employment as Texas A&M’s interim athletic director will begin on Thursday, Feb. 1.

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The NCAA has proposed cutting the transfer portal window by a significant amount

Texas A&M and every other Division 1 program will feel the brunt of the NCAA’s newest future cut to the transfer portal window.

Here we go again, folks. On Wednesday, the NCAA Division I Council proposed changes to the transfer portal window for every major collegiate sport, potentially reducing the total number of days student-athletes can enter the transfer portal from 60 to 30, according to ESPN writer Tom VanHaaren.

With a focus on college football, the portal opens just one day after the announcement of the College Football Playoff selections, which then stays open for 45 days and re-opens from April 15 to the 30th. VanHaaren states in his article that undergrads can choose their next destination anytime if their name has been submitted during the transfer window period.

“Undergraduate student-athletes must enter their name in the transfer portal during those windows to be granted immediate eligibility at their next school of choice. They are not required to transfer within those dates, as long as their name is entered prior to the closing of the respective transfer window.”

One reason for the proposal comes from statistical evidence the committee relied on, revealing that a majority of transfers entered the portal at the beginning of the period. Still, as we know, not every statistical revelation can be relied on when considering human beings.

Out of the over 2,000 players that entered the portal after the 2022 season, Texas A&M added twelve players of their own, including several future starters and critical backups on offense and defense, utilizing what may be the last of the 60 days as players will now have to make a quick decision that could cost them future playing time as campus visits will likely decrease in the process.

As the NCAA Council continues to study the issue and gain feedback from student-athletes, their meeting in October may include a final vote on the matter, once again changing a large part of the college sports landscape for better or worse.

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The NCAA’s targeting of Texas A&M’s 12th Man+ NIL Initiative is nonsensical

Sports Illustrated Senior Writer Ross Dellenger details the alleged targeting of Texas A&M’s 12th Man+ Initiative by the NCAA

On Wednesday, March 1st, Sports Illustrated Senior Writer Ross Dellenger detailed the alleged targeting of Texas A&M from the NCAA just a mere two weeks after the school announced their brand new NIL Initiative named the “12th Man+ Fund”, a completely separate entity from the University, funded by alumni, and briefly described as the following:

12th Man+ is a new avenue of support through the 12th Man Foundation designed to compensate student-athletes for promoting the organization through charitable marketing services.

So, On Monday, the NCAA sent out a Memo to schools with a “friendly” reminder that Universities are not allowed to compensate for any Name, Image, and Likeness related activity, though it is blatantly clear that the Aggies were the primary example being used in the email from NCAA executive vice president of regulatory affairs Stan Wilcox, stating,

“The NCAA’s current interim NIL policy, the Division 1 Board of Directors NIL guidance, and NCAA rules prohibit an institution from compensating student-athletes for the use of their NIL. This prohibition also applies to entities acting on behalf of the institution.” 

Well, that’s where it gets tricky for the 12th Man+ Fund, as Ross Dellenger notes, provides tax-deductible donations, while the athletes associated with the initiative are persuaded to post about the fund on social media to spread awareness, technically on “behalf” of the University. However, this is highly ambiguous from an NCAA Executive team that seems to change its mind on a daily basis.

Texas A&M Athletic Director Ross Bjork defended the initiative, explaining that everything was done in a legal manner in regard to the NCAA, stating,

“When we were approached by the 12th Man Foundation, we made sure their initiative followed state law and NCAA guidelines,”

Personally, I see this as progress for NIL in becoming more regulated and accepted among college sports, and if Texas A&M is at the forefront as the “progressive” university in funding athletes in a fair and legal manner, that’s a good thing in my book.

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Aggies Volleyball Head coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn has been relieved of her duties immediately

Aggies Volleyball Head coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn has been relieved of her duties immediately

On Monday, Nov. 21st, it was announced that longtime Texas A&M women’s volleyball Laura “Bird” Kuhn was relieved of her duties, effective immediately. Athletic Director Ross Bjork gave a brief statement regarding the firing, stating,

“The goal for all our teams at Texas A&M is to perform at a consistently high level and compete for conference and national titles,” Bjork stated. “Given the recruiting base in Texas and support for volleyball, we believe that we can and should be better and that is what the 12th Man deserves. Coach Kuhn is a great person, and we appreciate her service to Texas A&M. We wish her well in her future endeavors. We will begin a national search for a new leader of our volleyball program as we continue toward our mission of creating opportunities through championship athletics.”

Kuhn spent five years in the head coach postion, accumulating a 76-60 (.559) overall record, yet had a major dropoff during the 2022 season, as the team went 13-16, with a glaring 5-13 record in the SEC. Under Kuhn, the Aggies made the postseason only once during the 2019 season, reaching the regional finals before falling to the eventual national finalists Wisconsin Badgers.

As expected, Kuhn made a farewell statement while recognizing her career with the Aggies:

“I’m thankful for this opportunity,” Kuhn stated. “I’ve learned and grown so much in my time here. I love all the players that have come through and all the people that have impacted us as a staff. Texas A&M is a really special place and I appreciate all the energy, resources and the people. Going forward, I know they are going to be great. This is a great place and it’s going to be a great program.”

Good luck to Laura Kuhn on her next coaching opportunity.

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