Welcome to the second annual Sizzling 25 rankings — the Hotline’s have a look at the 25 most influential folks in faculty soccer, with a twist: These are the important thing movers behind the scenes.
We have now excluded coaches, athletic administrators, convention commissioners, NCAA executives and media personalities.
Did we miss somebody? In all probability.
The intent of the train is to light up the game’s difficult, layered equipment and establish the individuals who form the terrain.
Right here we go.
1. Jeffrey Kessler (co-executive chairman at Winston & Strawn) and Steve Berman managing companion Hagens Berman)
The plaintiffs’ lead attorneys within the groundbreaking Home vs NCAA antitrust lawsuit have been a straightforward name for the highest spot after creating the period of income sharing throughout main faculty sports activities. The settlement cast with the facility conferences final spring should be authorised by Decide Claudia Wilken in April (and can face authorized challenges). However no matter last kind, there might be no going backward from the case filed by former Arizona State swimmer Grant Home. The faculties should share tens of millions with the athletes annually.
2. Paul Cairns (EA Sports activities chief enterprise officer) and Daryl Holt (EA Sports activities senior vp)
Few occasions in 2024 generated extra consideration than the return of EA Sports activities’ celebrated Faculty Soccer online game franchise after a decade-long shutdown as a result of O’Bannon antitrust case. The hype was justified: Faculty Soccer 25 was the top-selling online game of 2024 and have become the best-selling sports activities online game ever. Cairns and Holt performed important roles and, for the needs of this train, are representing everybody concerned within the endeavor.
3. Jimmy Sexton (Artistic Artists Company co-head of soccer)
Probably the most highly effective agent in faculty sports activities had a good 12 months, which started with the retirement of 1 consumer, Alabama’s Nick Saban, and featured hefty pay raises for a number of others, together with Texas’ Steve Sarkisian, Florida State’s Mike Norvell and Washington’s Kalen DeBoer, who turned Saban’s substitute in Tuscaloosa. Oh, and Sexton additionally represents Georgia’s Kirby Sensible, Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Penn State’s James Franklin and Mississippi’s Lane Kiffin — simply to call eight.
4. Burke Magnus (ESPN’s president, content material)
Technically, the org chart in Bristol begins with chairman Jimmy Pitaro. However Magnus has been the community’s prime mover on faculty sports activities (strategic selections and media rights offers) for years. And as we’re reminded on a near-daily foundation throughout an NCAA competitors calendar that runs from late August into June, ESPN runs faculty sports activities.
5. Mark Silverman (Fox Sports activities president) and Jordan Bazant (Fox Sports activities govt vp)
Fox can’t match the sweep of ESPN’s sport stock — and it doesn’t need to — however the community has a momentous affect on faculty soccer nonetheless. Along with the broadcasts on Fox and FS1, the corporate owns a majority stake of the Large Ten Community. (In different phrases, it controls the Large Ten’s media rights.) We must always notice Bazant’s cross-sports affect overseeing improvement of the Faculty Basketball Crown, a brand new postseason occasion that might, ultimately, turn out to be a foil to the NCAA Event.
6. Linda Livingstone (Baylor president)
Few college presidents or chancellors perceive faculty sports activities in addition to Livingstone, who’s the chair of each the NCAA Board of Governors and the Large 12 board of administrators. She’s on the middle of the continued effort to protect the muse of upper schooling inside a multi-billion-dollar business changing into ever extra professionalized. We want her the most effective in that struggle.
7. John Preston Bailey (District Decide, Northern District of West Virginia)
Bailey issued the momentous restraining order in late 2023 that gave second- and third-time transfers the power to compete with out establishing a yr of residence. The ruling led to a settlement between the NCAA and a set of state attorneys basic, within the spring of 2024, that created the period of rapid eligibility irrespective of what number of instances an athlete transfers.
8. Alan Gold (CAA Evolution head of media), Dan Cappetta (CAA Evolution vp) and Dean Jordan (Wasserman Media Group managing govt)
The powerhouse consultants — Gold and Jordan, particularly, have been concerned in transformative faculty sports activities media offers over time — teamed as much as negotiate the Faculty Soccer Playoff’s new contract with ESPN, which is reportedly value $7.8 billion over six years (beginning with the 2026 season). The settlement gives the muse for the CFP’s new income distribution mannequin that may spin off roughly $20 million to every college within the SEC and Large Ten and $13 million to every member of the Large 12 and ACC.
9. Len Perna (TurnkeyZRG chair) and Chad Chatlos (TurnkeyZRG managing director for athletics)
Turnkey has emerged because the business’s dominant govt placement agency, main the method to establish a number of Energy 4 commissioners and even NCAA president Charlie Baker. Moreover, Chatlos runs level on quite a few searches for athletic administrators and head coaches, not too long ago serving to Wake Forest land Jake Dickert (to quote one instance). Perna is a key participant behind one of many faculty soccer super-league ideas, though these have but to achieve traction.
10. Dan Rascher (SportsEconomics founder and OSKR companion)
The College of San Francisco sports activities administration professor has supplied testimony in NCAA authorized circumstances for years. Most not too long ago, he was the plaintiffs’ professional witness within the Home lawsuit anticipated to lead to billions of {dollars} being shared with athletes by the damages and injunctive parts of the settlement.
11. AJ Maestas (Navigate founder) and Jeff Nelson (Navigate president)
The valuation and analytics firm has an extended listing of purchasers at each the convention and campus ranges. In 2024, Navigate took a number one function within the business’s main realignment transfer: The Pac-12’s determination so as to add 5 faculties from the Mountain West and Gonzaga. (That course of is just not full — the convention wants yet another full-time member — and Navigate stays closely concerned.)
12. Karen Brodkin (WME co-head of sports activities) and Hillary Mandel (IMG Media govt vp)
Brodkin and Mandel work as a group and have suggested conferences on main offers and realignment selections lately, together with the Large 12. They’re presently main the Mountain West’s membership restructuring and media negotiations.
13. Brett Goetz (South Florida Categorical founder)
Goetz is without doubt one of the most influential figures in recruiting, overseeing a 7-on-7 program that produced Geno Smith, Amari Cooper, Devin Bush, Asante Samuel Jr., and quite a few different faculty stars. However for our functions, the current issues most. And the Categorical delivered three members of Ohio State’s receiving corps, together with Jeremiah Smith.
14. Mark Keenum (Mississippi State president)
As chair of the Faculty Soccer Playoff’s board of managers, Keenum is finally chargeable for all the most important CFP selections. Up to now yr, the listing of motion gadgets contains approving the brand new media contract with ESPN and the revamped income mannequin that may deal with the SEC and Large Ten in a different way from everybody else.
15. Walker Jones (Collective Affiliation vice chair, Grove Collective govt director)
Jones, a former Mississippi linebacker and sports activities agent, serves as president of the college’s title, picture and likeness initiative, the Grove Collective. However he has turn out to be a number one nationwide voice within the NIL world, as properly. The Collective Affiliation advocates for athletes and collectives alike, together with teams affiliated with Michigan, Oregon and Washington.
16. Dave Brown (Gridiron founder and president)
The previous ESPN govt runs the dominant scheduling service in main faculty soccer. Gridiron basically performs matchmakers for groups in want of non-conference video games. Brown additionally gives strategic recommendation to groups and conferences within the intricate world of scheduling.
17. Dennis Miller (The CW president)
Miller stepped down late in 2024, however not earlier than he led a two-year push that gave The CW a bit of the ACC’s media package deal (by a sub-licensing deal) and the unique settlement with the Pac-12 in 2024. Don’t low cost the potential of The CW changing into a significant participant within the faculty sports activities media house in years to come back. It’d seize a bit of the Pac-12 rights beginning in 2026, actually.
18. Casey Schwab (Altius founder) and Tommy Grey (Altius CEO)
Altius is thought for helping athletic departments with their NIL operations however has expanded its function not too long ago, consulting on income technology endeavors and bills administration. (When you haven’t been paying shut consideration, the faculties want a number of assist with their expense administration.) Schwab stepped away from main the corporate each day final summer time, handing off duties to Grey.
19. Patti Phillips (Girls Leaders in Sports activities CEO)
An business dominated by males could be much more out of stability on the gender entrance if not for Phillips and her affiliation’s work over time. That function might be magnified in coming months because the business debates and (presumably) resolves how Title IX impacts the Home settlement and the way forward for Olympics sports activities.
20. Jack Swarbrick (marketing consultant)
The previous Notre Dame athletic director’s fingerprints are all around the sport: Swarbrick employed Irish coach Marcus Freeman and was one of many 4 architects of the brand new CFP format, which created a pathway for Notre Dame to stay Unbiased whereas competing for the nationwide title. His work as all-around consigliere over the previous few months has been noteworthy: Swarbrick is without doubt one of the energy gamers, together with former Disney executives, behind the Venture Rudy super-league idea.
21. Gerry Cardinale (RedBird Capital founder)
Within the faculty sports activities house, Cardinale is greatest often called the founding father of Collegiate Athletic Options, which is poised to supply tens of tens of millions of {dollars} to athletic departments when — not if — they make the leap into non-public capital. of notice: Cardinale partnered with Weatherford Capital on the CAS enterprise.
22. Carrie Cecil (CEO of ANACHEL)
Cecil is a disaster communications specialist in an business inundated with crises, working with coaches, athletic administrators, college presidents, convention commissioners and bowl video games alike on points throughout the authorized and legislative spectrum.
23. Ramogi Huma (Nationwide Faculty Gamers Affiliation govt director)
The previous UCLA linebacker has been a number one advocate for gamers rights for years and helped spark the title, picture and likeness revolution. His group opposes the Home settlement due to the caps it locations on income sharing and roster limits.
24. Cole Gahagan (Learfield CEO)
Learfield may be greatest identified to followers because the lead sponsor of the Administrators’ Cup rankings of probably the most profitable athletic departments. But it surely performs a key function behind the scenes as a multimedia rights dynamo (e.g., native radio offers and sponsorships) and counts Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and Texas amongst its a whole bunch of purchasers.
25. Claudia Wilken (Senior District Decide, Northern District of California)
Wilken beforehand dealt with Ed O’Bannon’s landmark case that sparked the NIL period. In October, she granted preliminary approval to the Home vs NCAA settlement. However the massive day is April 7, when Wilken will oversee a last approval listening to. Put one other manner: She may very properly be No. 1 in subsequent yr’s Sizzling 25 rankings.
Additionally thought-about: Hint Armstrong (sports activities agent), Jason Belzer (Pupil Athlete NIL founder), Nick Carparelli (Bowl Season govt director), Wealthy Clark (Faculty Soccer Playoff govt director), Brian Davis (California Energy Athletes founder), Clint Dowdle (sports activities agent), Jay Ezelle (antitrust lawyer), Dan Margulis (ESPN senior director), Matt Kelly (contract lawyer), Mike Locksley (Nationwide Coalition of Minority Soccer Coaches founder/Maryland head coach), Daniel Parker (search agency govt), Matt Roberts (D1.ticker founder), Drew Weatherford (non-public fairness investor)
