Syracuse’s John Wildhack: College football needs wholesale changes

Syracuse athletic director John Wildhawk is the latest voice calling for serious reforms in college football, including a holistic rethinking of the calendar, collective bargaining with athletes and consolidation of TV media rights to build a sustainable future.

Wildhack told ESPN that he believes it is imperative for college sports — and football in particular — to embrace the current moment as an opportunity to make wholesale changes to address ongoing issues such as the transfer portal, in-season coaching departures, player eligibility and revenue gaps.

“We tend to look at things at one glance and we need to look at the game as a whole,” Wildhawk said. “When you’re in a moment when you have popularity and fan support, you have to take it further and make it better.”

Wildhack, a former ESPN executive who has served as an AD at Syracuse since 2016, said the popularity of sports should not be an excuse to avoid addressing major issues, but rather a support for finding solutions now. His concerns have been echoed in recent days by other power brokers in the sport, from Georgia State President Jair Morehead to Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.

At the American Football Coaches Association convention in Charlotte this week, The coaches attempted to deal with a portion of the eligibility issues by unanimously supporting a plan to increase redshirt eligibility. Any player who appears in fewer than nine games in a season.

Meanwhile, a subcommittee of coaches and athletic directors met in Charlotte outside of the AFCA’s formal agenda to discuss changes to the calendar, which one athletic director described as “very productive” with a focus on “progress not perfection.”

Nevertheless, Wildhack’s public support of collective bargaining and television media consolidation remains one of the most vigorous efforts toward significant reform from a current athletic director.

“Collective bargaining is needed,” Wildhack said. “Players should get paid, there’s no question about that. But with collective bargaining there are rules that have been negotiated. It’s a legal document that everyone is required to follow. That’s where we need to go.”

Wildhack said an agreement with “real teeth” is also needed to deal with schools that are “blatantly disregarding” the guidelines set by the College Sports Commission.

Wildhack also called for an overall reimagining of the college football calendar, which has been a hot topic among coaches and fans after former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin left for the LSU job, before the Rebels began a playoff run that ended in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. After that loss to Miami, Kiffin and Ole Miss fought over how many of the departing assistant coaches would be available to the Rebels instead of joining the rest of the new LSU staff in Baton Rouge.

Amid the calendar debate, the commissioner of college football is scheduled to meet this weekend to discuss expanding the College Football Playoff beyond the current 12 teams.

The final – and perhaps most intriguing – piece of the puzzle, Wildhawk said, is revenue generation.

With a $20.5 million revenue share cap introduced this year, schools have been forced to struggle to cover costs, and in the process have widened the revenue gap between the biggest brands in the major conferences and the “have-nots” in the smaller leagues.

But Wildhack pointed to strong ratings for bowl games and this year’s College Football Playoff as evidence that sports are leaving big money on the table by failing to negotiate TV deals as a unified block.

Wildhack pointed to the ACC’s new success initiatives and brand distribution model, saying there’s still a ways to go to ensure the biggest brands in college football won’t take a financial step back by agreeing to consolidated TV rights, but said it’s in everyone’s best interest to consider options to grow TV revenue nationally rather than within the conference.

Wildhack said, “There is no 100% approval rating, but take what we have now and make it better.” “The time is right and there are a lot of opportunities that are being left on the table. If we address the key issues and can start to make progress, we can make it better for everyone, and the sport will grow. There’s no question about that.”