As a member of the NCAA Cabinet, here are some of the items that we considered while at Convention:  

Business Session Legislative Item. 

• NCAA Division I Proposal No. 2025-27 – Division Membership -- Revenue Guarantee -- Revenue Distribution Formula -- Basketball Performance Funds -- Final Four Performance Units. The NCAA Division I Membership adopted Proposal No. 2025-27, to award Men’s and Women’s Basketball Performance Funds units for wins in the semifinals and finals of the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. The proposal is effective immediately. 

NCAA Division I Cabinet Legislative Items. 

• Proposal No. 2025-35 – Use of Commercial Trademarks or Logos on Equipment, Uniforms and Apparel. The Division I Cabinet did not take action on Proposal No. 2025-35 but plans to meet again in the near future to discuss potential amendments before voting on the proposal. 

• Proposal No. 2025-30 – Recruiting -- Tryouts and Sports Camps and Clinics -- Local Sports Clubs, Private Lessons and Attendance Restrictions at Camps and Clinics -- Fencing. The cabinet adopted Proposal No. 2025-30, in fencing, to (a) Eliminate the requirement that all prospective student-athletes participating on a local sports club an institution’s coach is involved with live within a 50-mile radius of the institution; (b) Permit an institution’s athletics department or an institution’s athletics booster group to sponsor a local sports club that includes prospective student-athletes; (c) Permit an institution’s coach to provide private lessons to prospective student-athletes; and (d) Eliminate camp and clinic attendance restrictions. The proposal is effective immediately. 

• Proposal No. 2025-31 – Playing and Practice Seasons -- Women’s Stunt -- First Date of Competition. The cabinet adopted Proposal No. 2025-31, in stunt, to specify that if February 1 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or Monday, an institution may engage in its first date of competition with outside competition on the Friday preceding February 1. The proposal is effective August 1, 2026; however, a blanket waiver was approved by the NCAA Division I Sports Oversight Committee on August 20, 2025. 

• Proposal No. 2025-32 – Championships and Postseason Football -- National Collegiate Championships -- Women’s Acrobatics and Tumbling. The cabinet adopted Proposal No. 2025-32, to establish a Women’s Acrobatics and Tumbling National Collegiate Championship beginning in Spring 2027 and the NCAA Women’s Acrobatics and Tumbling Committee. The proposal is effective immediately. 

• Proposal No. 2025-33 – Championships and Postseason Football -- National Collegiate Championships -- Women’s Stunt. The cabinet adopted Proposal No. 2025-33, to establish a Women’s Stunt National Collegiate Championship beginning in Spring 2027 and the NCAA Women’s Stunt Committee. The proposal is effective immediately. 

• Proposal No. 2025-34 – Division Membership, Personnel, and Playing and Practice Seasons -- Emerging Sports for Women -- Women’s Flag Football. The cabinet adopted Proposal No. 2025-34, to add women’s flag football as an emerging sport for women and establish legislation related to athletics personnel, playing and practice seasons, and membership, as specified. The proposal is effective immediately. 

• Proposal No. 2025-41 – Recruiting -- Notification of Transfer -- Basketball -- Undergraduate Window and Head Coach Departure Exception. The cabinet adopted Proposal No. 2025-41, as expedited legislation, to modify the notification of transfer window in basketball to a 15-consecutive-day period beginning the day after the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship games, respectively, and to amend the head coach departure exception. Specifically, in basketball, a student-athlete may initiate the notification of transfer process for a period of up to 15 consecutive days, as specified, if one of the following occurs between the opening of the notification transfer window (e.g., April 7) and January 2: (1) School hires or publicly announces hire of new head coach, the 15-consecutive-day period begins five calendar days after the hire or public announcement (whichever occurs first); or (2) If school does not hire a new head coach within 30 days of departure or announcement of departure, the 15-consecutive-day period begins on the 31st day. The head coach exception may not occur prior to opening of the notification of transfer window (e.g., April 7, 2026), and the 15-consecutive-day window may not extend beyond January 2. The proposal is effective immediately. 

• Proposal No. 2025-42 – Recruiting -- Notification of Transfer -- Men’s Wrestling -- Undergraduate Window. The cabinet adopted Proposal No. 2025-42, as expedited legislation, to modify the notification of transfer window in men’s wrestling to April 1-30. The proposal is effective immediately. 

• Proposal No. 2025-43 – Recruiting -- Notification of Transfer -- Track and Field -- Remove Undergraduate Window After Selections for the Indoor Championships. The cabinet adopted Proposal No. 2025-43, as expedited legislation, to eliminate the undergraduate notification of transfer window that follows selections for the Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships. The proposal is effective immediately. 

• Proposal No. 2025-44 – Recruiting -- Notification of Transfer – Men’s Ice Hockey -- Undergraduate Window and Head Coach Departure Exception. The cabinet adopted Proposal No. 2025-44, as expedited legislation, to modify the notification of transfer window in men’s ice hockey to a 15 consecutive day period beginning the Monday following the conclusion of the Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship and to amend the head coach departure exception in men’s ice hockey, as specified.  Specifically, in men’s ice hockey, a student-athlete may initiate the notification of transfer process during a 15-consecutive day period beginning five calendar days after the hire or the public announcement of a new head ice hockey coach. If a new head coach is not hired or announced within 30 calendar days after the departure of the previous head coach, the 15-consecutive day window begins on the 31st day, provided the 31st day occurs after the Monday following the conclusion of the NCAA championship. The head coach exception may not occur prior to the notification of transfer period (e.g., April 13, 2026) and the 15-consecutive day window may not extend beyond January 1.  The proposal is effective immediately. The cabinet did not amend the proposal to add women’s ice hockey at this time and directed the NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey Committee to consider whether it supports similar changes to the head coach departure exception for Division I women’s ice hockey student-athletes. 

• NCAA Division I Proposal No. 2025-39 – Infractions Program -- Public Disclosure -- Immediate Need Exception. The cabinet did not take action to adopt Proposal No. 2025-39, as expedited legislation at this time. The proposal was introduced into the April 2026 legislative cycle and can be revisited by the Division I Cabinet during a future meeting. 

Other Items. 

• Legislation for Decentralization/Deregulation. The cabinet approved a timeline for review of legislation for decentralization as directed by the NCAA Division I Decision Making Working Group and the review of legislation included in the legislative audit to identify areas for potential deregulation. 

   KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE NCAA DI BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING   

A big thank you to our lobbying efforts and our collective Coalition of 10 Conferences on this first one! 

• Threshold for Amendments to Legislation Governing Membership Requirements. The NCAA Division I Board of Directors adopted NCAA Division I Proposal No. 2025-37 as expedited legislation. This proposal specifies that adoption of an amendment to a membership provision requires a majority that is greater than the number of votes available to autonomy representatives, including autonomy student-athlete representatives, on the governance entity (e.g., NCAA Division I Cabinet, Board of Directors) authorized to consider such an amendment.  In August 2025, the board adopted a resolution that specifies, for a period of five years, institutions and conferences that remain in compliance with membership standards in place at that time will retain their active Division I membership status. Proposal No. 2025-37 establishes a permanent elevated threshold that must be met in order to amend Division I membership criteria. 

• Eligibility Review. The Division I Board directed the Division I Cabinet to formally evaluate the eligibility legislation consistent with the modern collegiate model and broader environmental factors. 

• Review of Institutional Revenue Share Agreements. The Division I Board directed NCAA staff to collaborate with conferences and institutions to conduct a detailed review of institutional revenue share agreements to identify potential inconsistencies between contractual provisions and NCAA rules. 

• NCAA Division I Board of Directors Finance Committee Update.  The Division I Board received an update from the January 8 joint meeting of the Division I Board Finance Committee and the NCAA Board of Governors Finance and Audit Committee. The board discussed the pending Ray settlement and the possible funding payment structure of the settlement over a three-year period beginning spring/summer 2026. Additional information will be shared with the membership soon, including a spending prioritization survey that will be sent to the NCAA membership in February. 

• Application of Interim Regulatory and Adjudication Flexibility.  In 2024, the Division I Board permitted regulatory affairs staff and infractions committees to apply discretion when resolving select matters involving NIL, tampering and recruiting inducements for an interim period. The board received an update on the application of interim regulatory and adjudication flexibility since this discretion was given. The board discussed the discretion’s impact on select outcomes and directed staff to charge impermissible contact violations with significant penalties when appropriate and publicize the number of resolved cases more broadly. 

• Decentralization of Certain NCAA Regulatory Areas.   The Division I Board received an update on cabinet's approved timeline for reviewing legislation for decentralization and deregulation as directed by the NCAA Division I Decision-Making Working Group. Moving forward, the cabinet will determine which legislation may be decentralized or deregulated, referring items to appropriate committees in the governance structure (e.g., academics and eligibility, sport oversight) as needed.  

   MEDIA REPORTS ON NCAA AND LEGAL MATTERS   

• The highlights from NCAA President Charlie Baker’s “State of the NCAA” address.  (link)  Also, his pre-address interview (link) 
• U.S. District Court Judge William Campbell has denied the preliminary injunction in the Patterson case that sought to permit the five plaintiffs to have a fifth year of eligibility in 2026-27. (link) 
• The NCAA secured another legal victory yesterday when U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell Jr. denied a preliminary injunction in Patterson v. NCAA, blocking a bid by Vanderbilt LB Langston Patterson and other plaintiffs to secure a fifth year of eligibility for the 2026-27 season. Campbell, who previously granted an injunction for Vandy QB Diego Pavia, ruled that plaintiffs failed to show that the NCAA's procompetitive benefits could be achieved through "substantially less restrictive means" and cautioned against the court second-guessing "degrees of efficiency" in eligibility limits. With this ruling, the NCAA has now won 26 of 36 injunction decisions in eligibility disputes. (link); Heitner Legal Founder Darren Heitner offers more context: “The decision leaves open the possibility that the plaintiffs could prevail on a more fully developed record at trial, but signals that some courts remain hesitant to dismantle longstanding eligibility rules without compelling evidence they're patently stricter than necessary.” (link 
• In a federal indictment unsealed Thursday in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 20 men have been charged as part of a point-shaving scheme involving more than 39 college basketball players on 17 NCAA Division I teams, resulting in more than 29 games being fixed, per ESPN’s David Purdum. Overall, 20 of the 26 defendants played college basketball during the 2023-24 and/or 2024-25 seasons, while some have played this season. Purdum: “The scheme … began around September 2022 and initially was focused on fixing games in the Chinese Basketball Association. The group later targeted college basketball games, offering bribes to college players ranging from $10K to $30K to compromise games for betting purposes, according to the indictment.” (link). 
• U.S. Reps. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Michael Baumgartner (R-WA) have dispatched a missive to NCAA President Charlie Baker urging the Association “to limit the emergence of private equity in college athletics,” per Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger. In their letter, the legislators are seeking answers to seven questions by Feb. 15 that include in part: “What private equity deal structures has the NCAA observed being considered or pursued by member universities or conferences?; Has the NCAA considered developing enforcement mechanisms to investigate and prevent instances of “de facto control” or unacceptable conflicts of interests at member universities?; and what risks does the NCAA assess that these arrangements pose for Title IX compliance and non-revenue sports? More. (link)  
• Three preseason exhibitions, a foreign tour every year, eliminating the restriction that limits skill-related instruction to four of the eight hours allowed per week & up to six staff members who may contact or evaluate prospective student-athletes off campus, with a limit of four staffers per day. The DI Men’s & Women’s Basketball Oversight Committees proposed these changes to legislation that will be reviewed by the DI Cabinet in April. And one more specifically for Men’s Basketball, “... proposed allowing prospects to take unofficial visits starting with their freshman year of high school. This aligns men's basketball with the women's recruiting rule in this area.” (link) 
• The Los Angeles Times’ Ben Bolch digs into UCLA Men’s Basketball’s struggling attendance numbers this year. The Bruins’ home average of 5,211 fans entering its game against Maryland tonight at Pauley Pavilion ranks third to last among the 18 Big Ten teams, topping only Northwestern (4,886) and USC (4,280). (link)   
• The College Sports Commission released updated guidance yesterday focused on MMR-related NIL contracts, as well as its enforcement policy regarding incremental scholarship counting. Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger points out some key context: “The CSC has serious concerns about some of the deal terms being contemplated and the consequences of those deals for the parties involved.” Dellenger goes on to provide more commentary from the CSC: “Investigations into unreported third-party NIL deals are progressing and some schools should expect to hear from the CSC next week.” (link - incremental scholarship counting, link - MMR + NIL, link - “Enforcement will be happening”) 
• Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger reports that Learfield on Friday distributed an email to school clients “providing clarity on its role in NIL, emphasizing that, while it issues ‘interest’ letters to prospective athletes, it does not guarantee athletes NIL compensation. In the email, Learfield says language in the interest letters is rooted in ‘reasonable efforts’ to secure sponsorships for athletes. While letters may include a financial ‘target,’ it's not a guarantee, and the organization will not advance NIL dollars before deals are executed. Learfield says in the email that it is capping the amount of athlete NIL marketing funds at 20% of a school’s total sponsorship business/budget to assure deals are legitimate.” (link) 
• The latest NIL Deal Flow Report has been released by the College Sports Commission with 17,321 total deals listed as cleared, for a total value of $127.21M, and just 524 deals that haven’t been cleared ($14.94M). Since the platform’s launch on June 11, 2025: 52% of submitted deals have been resolved within 24 hours; 73% of deals reached resolution within seven days following submission of all required information; 10,848 unique student-athletes have had at least one cleared deal, 44% of whom play a sport other than Football or Men's Basketball; and student-athletes playing more than 40 unique NCAA sports have registered at least one cleared deal. Since the last NIL Deal Flow report was released in early November, 5,146 deals have been cleared with an aggregate value of $39.71M. Overall, the platform now boasts 35,306 student-athlete, 1,263 institution and 4,202 representative users. (link) 
• In a joint statement, Arizona President Suresh Garimella, Georgia President Jere Morehead, Virginia Tech President Timothy Sands and Washington President Robert J. Jones implore their peers to sign the College Sports Commission’s Participant Agreement. More. (link) 
• The General Manager position in college sports has become a lot more prevalent, per Extra Points’ Matt Brown, who analyzes various GM contracts to understand how the role continues to evolve. Highlighting that at least on the college basketball side, most schools in multi-bid leagues have GMs.  More. (link)     
• UC San Diego launches Tritons Rise, a $2M matching initiative to provide philanthropic support for scholar-athlete financial assistance, including NIL, with all new gifts or commitments to the Triton Champions Fund being matched 1:1. (link)  
• UC Davis highlights a pair of strategic adjustments to its sport sponsorship model, effective in the 2026-27 academic year. Equestrian will transition from NCAA varsity to club sport status, while STUNT will be elevated from club sport to NCAA varsity status beginning in July 2026. UC Davis will sponsor equestrian as a varsity program through the 2025-26 academic year and the department will coordinate with affected student-athletes to provide guidance and support during the transition. (link)   
• Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger reports that deep frustration over the NCAA and College Sports Commission's inability to enforce tampering rules is driving power conference leaders to explore "conference-only" governance models, where leagues would enforce their own rules and potentially compete solely against members. Here’s what you need to know… 

  • Dellenger notes that SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey “cautions any suggestion of the long-discussed ‘breakaway’ by the SEC and other power leagues. Nobody wants to ‘rush there,’ and the SEC remains committed to a ‘national organization,’ he says. However, ‘there are limits to that,’ Sankey said. ‘The frustration level is building. I anticipate that there’s a lot of people that are saying, ‘This might not work for us.’ Those people exist well beyond the SEC’s footprint, even if they remain in the background.”  

  • One Big Ten AD tells Dellenger: “There is support among other memberships for a similar model. Each league governs itself and plays only games within the league.”  

   QUOTE OF THE DAY   

 “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl — but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” 
— Martin Luther King Jr. 

Please take care of those that take care of your student-athletes, and say hello to your athletic trainers, who likely did not get a break during the holidays while taking care of our student-athletes. 

As we close another busy and consequential week, I am reminded that moments of uncertainty are often the moments that define leadership. While the national landscape continues to shift, The Big West remains focused on what has always mattered most — providing opportunity, stability, and a championship-level experience for our student-athletes. Thank you to our membership for their continued engagement, partnership, and trust as we navigate these challenges together. The work ahead is significant, but so is our preparation — and our collective resolve to lead with purpose, integrity, and unity. 

Be Bold! 

Dan