FB: American Southwest Conference

[CNU85]

FWIW Sully charges $11.52 per semester hour for "athletic fees".  That's in addition to tuition of $225.80 per hour (state residents), "student service fees"of $22/sh, $5/sh for "student center fees", $43.87/sh for "institutional service" fees, and one time fees of $100 for recreational sports and $34 for medical services.  Out of state students pay the same except $645.80/sh for tuition. 

Interesting. I just looked up CNU's fees for Intercollegiate athletics and intramurals. $117.46 per credit hour.

I believe they stop at 12 credit hours because everything is listed as the cost for 12-17 hours per semester.

12hrs X 117.46 X 4500 students X 2 semesters per year. That's $12.7 million to cover athletics and intramurals. Plus ticket sales and donors. On another board I recently calculated that football and basketball ticket sales are approx $500k. I know the donor amount but am not allowed to say other than it is 7 figures per year.  Throw in merchandise on campus, on line and in numerous local stores and also toss in proceeds from CNU Captains Lager and it all adds up quickly.

[Riley Zayas]

Yes, that's a good point on the athletic fees, Ron. Completely my bad on misinterpreting the scholarship structure. It does appear MavChamp was correct in noting that in Texas, funding is given to state schools for athletic operating expenses, but scholarships themselves stem from the athletic fees, fundraising, and donations. I do remember Sul Ross needing approval from the Texas State System Board of Regents before it could apply and begin the transition to Division II, because at the time, it sounded like their athletic budget would need to be expanded, and the board would need to approve that aspect before steps towards D2 could be fully taken.

I think the D3 model makes better sense, especially at a football school, for a number of reasons. It wouldn't be the biggest surprise if SRSU eventually opted to return to D3...it would certainly help if a couple of LSC schools decided to go D3 as well and expand the ASC's West Texas footprint.

[TheChucker]

"This agreement underscores the commitment of all member institutions to providing a faith-based collegiate environment that values a challenging academic and spiritual experience enriched by robust athletic competition, offering exceptional opportunities for student-athletes to grow, compete, and excel."

The above quote is a key sentence from the recent ASC 10-year agreement. "Faith-based" is the first descriptor. I'm skeptical that the ASC wants to go back to a private/public school mix. 

[Ron Boerger]

But other than SRSU there really are few public candidates these days.  Nearly all the D3 schools in the region have some religious affiliation, albeit some more tightly than others.

[Etchglow]

Edwin Lopez is in the portal too:
https://x.com/EdwinLopez1810/status/1912285009383227558

Kind of surprising how many guys have gone into the portal around the time spring ball started. 

[Crubacker]

Damn, it's like rats leaving a sinking ship.  That's what, 3-4 starters that have left in the past 2-3 weeks?  WTH?

[Etchglow]

Damn, it's like rats leaving a sinking ship.  That's what, 3-4 starters that have left in the past 2-3 weeks?  WTH?

Gacayan has at least 10 D1 offers from what I've seen already...  A lot of the starters who have left have already landed at the D1 level. 

[Etchglow]

https://x.com/CoachJCaraway/status/1912562021154894120

10k kids active in the portal... Kind of insane.

[Etchglow]

Dang... Dorien Hill in the portal...

https://x.com/dorien355/status/1912894866922537019?s=19

[TheChucker]

Might as well do what D1 fans figured out a couple years ago. Don't even fret over a roster until it's set and the players show up in August.

Most D3 players at some point dreamed about playing D1 or getting a football scholarship, but odds of that happening were small prior to the portal. Hoards of G5 and FCS players moving up and/or out via the portal are leaving roster spots to fill. There's more opportunity now for the best players. 

[Crubacker]

UMHB has always had very good linebackers----it's been one of the strengths of their defense for years.  Hope that doesn't change with this loss.  I don't think we have any coming back that have considerable experience.

[Ron Boerger]

I wish someone would do a study of how many players end up in the portal and end their careers / return to their original team / actually find a home elsewhere and at what level.

[Crubacker]

Etchglow----------there's a task for ya!

[Etchglow]

Etchglow----------there's a task for ya!

There have been studies done at the d1/d2 level iirc. I want to say something like 50 percent of the kids who entered the portal never played another snap. I wish I had access to the portal to do some number crunching like that though!

[Kuiper]

I wish someone would do a study of how many players end up in the portal and end their careers / return to their original team / actually find a home elsewhere and at what level.

I don't know about where they end up athletically, but studies suggest that athletic transfers graduate at a lower rate than those who remain at their home institutions

This freedom of movement has been widely hailed as a major victory for student-athletes from athletic, financial and ethical perspectives. But as a college professor, I would be remiss if I did not raise an important potential cost of this new era of free agency in college sports. What is the impact of the increase in transfers on graduation rates going to be?

Graduation success rates (or GSRs) have increased to record highs in recent year, including in the sports of football and men's basketball. The NCAA reports that . . . graduation rates for students transferring between four-year institutions is lower than that of students who remain at the same institution.

This makes sense. Few (if any) undergraduate athletes are entering the transfer portal for academic reasons. In addition to the decreased focus on academics in favor of athletics, the loss of credits during the transfer process, a poor fit between the student's academic ability and interests and the institutional offerings, the level and quality of academic advising and support, as well as differences and difficulty in assimilating to a new campus culture are all challenges faced by those who transfer. The addition of the potential pursuit of NIL dollars as a factor motivating the decision to transfer adds yet another layer of complexity.