Q&A

What did you find attractive about NDSU as a football member?

It’s what they’ve built. This isn’t a recent couple of seasons of success. They’ve been building, investing, and creating a very, very strong program over time.

What do you think they do for the Mountain West?

I think they’ll be competitive. I think they make us better in football.

What do you think NDSU fans should know about the Mountain West?

We occupy a really interesting place in this constantly changing ecosystem. We’re kind of in that sweet spot. We’re not Power Four, but we’re competitive. We’re that “next up.” We find and develop talent, and I’m not just talking about student-athletes, but coaches, athletic directors, presidents— you come to the Mountain West, and you get better. We elevate.

What’s it like being in your position with all the craziness in college athletics right now?

It’s certainly a job that has changed over the decades. It used to be a little bit sleepy and governance, compliance, and championships. Now we’re a media business and a revenue-producing company. But what I love about the Mountain West is we really pride ourselves on the mission of educating young people through sport and higher education. And we’re really good at it.

What do you see the future of the conference looking like? Beyond the new media rights deal—what else are you exploring?

Yes, and it really ties to football media and basketball media. In one of the recent “state of the conference” updates, we talked about an internal reorganization we’re doing to free up bandwidth in our business office. That’s so we can focus on business development and monetization.

Historically, a conference sells media rights, holds championships, creates schedules, and assigns officials. But the next year to four years for us will be really about business development—intentionally dedicating ourselves to monetizing opportunities we’ve known were there but hadn’t made central to our strategy.

How involved were the other Mountain West schools in the decision to add NDSU?

Everyone was involved. One of the things people ask about being commissioner is what it’s like, and I always say, I have very little independent authority. Everything is by consensus. The athletic directors vet it. The board has to approve it. So yes, everyone was involved.

What were some of the positive reactions around the Mountain West to adding NDSU?

A lot of the early questions were about what we knew and what we needed to learn. But frankly, there was already a high IQ in our room about NDSU’s football success at the FCS level. And I think there was a lot of pleasant surprise when we really got under the hood, looking at how they’re built, academics, facilities, and infrastructure.

What message do you want to give to bison fans?

The main message is that this is part of a strategic build for us. We were at a solid number. We want to continue making ourselves stronger. We believe this is a great fit academically, geographically, and athletically. And I’d encourage Bison Nation to travel to games, come to our championships, engage in the platform, and support their student-athletes in the Mountain West.