Why Tennessee AD Danny White has an advantage as college football moves toward a major change
A major change to college football — that will change the sport as we know it — is likely on the way sooner than expected. And Tennessee Vols athletic director Danny White is going to have a major advantage when it comes to navigating that change. On Tuesday morning, Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger detailed a […]
A major change to college football — that will change the sport as we know it — is likely on the way sooner than expected.
And Tennessee Vols athletic director Danny White is going to have a major advantage when it comes to navigating that change.
On Tuesday morning, Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger detailed a recent meeting between a group of college athletic stakeholders that featured Maryland athletic director Damon Evans telling that group that he believes college athletics will move toward a revenue-sharing model with student-athletes within five years.
Evans thinks part of that revenue-sharing model will include a "great split" that will separate the major conferences (the SEC, Big 10, etc) from the smaller conferences.
There are several different ways this new age of college football could look, some of which is detailed by Dellenger in his report.
What's interesting about Dellenger's report in regards to Tennessee's athletic director is that Kevin White, Danny's father, is very much involved in these changes that are on the way.
Kevin White, who was previously an athletic director at Notre Dame and Duke, works for the consulting company, The Huron Group.
According to Dellenger, the elder White remains active in college athletics and has unique insight into some of the potential changes on the way, including some insight on potential models that he's been "sworn to secrecy" on.
From Yahoo Sports: “Futuristically, we need to recreate or relaunch the NCAA. We have a good leader in (NCAA president) Charlie Baker who can do that. There is some modeling going on,” said White, who remains active within college athletics as a leading member of a consulting company, The Huron Group.
“There are a number of models being created,” he continued. “Some I’ve been sworn to secrecy on. I sat in a room and listened to a model. There is no end to the models, the next iteration and what it might look like.”
After the meeting, White spoke more to Yahoo Sports about the models, some of which would have the power conference schools “leave and take their resources with them,” he said. That’s something he believes will negatively impact college athletics’ broad-based, Olympic sport system.
I don't know what kind of advantage this will create for White and Tennessee. But knowing what's going on behind the scenes with some of these discussions (and I think it's fair to assume that White and his father could have some "off the record" conversations) could certainly be valuable as White leads UT athletics into a new era that will include a lot of unknowns.
College sports have already experienced significant change over the last few years. More change is clearly on the way. And Tennessee is fortunate to have the best person possible leading the athletics department as those changes near.
Tennessee Vols fans will strongly disagree with recent comments from Shane Beamer
Not sure we can agree, Shane
