James J. Phillips, Northwestern's Combe Family Vice President for Athletics & Recreation, will become the next commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the conference announced Monday. (Mitchell Northam / Pittsburgh Sports Now) CHARLOTTE, N.C. As he spoke in clichs and metaphors, dancing . Suddenly, the tethering of higher education to major college football and mens basketball seems flawed. 2:24 pm ET, Charges dropped against Georgia WR Rara Thomas, UCLA, Kelly agree to extension through 2027, Four Pac-12 programs renew contact with Big 12, NCAA committee approves new college football rules, Saban sounds off on proposed permanent opponents. Sign up to receive our email newsletter in your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. As a former athletic director at Northern Illinois and Northwestern, Phillips understands that plight. Don't be so sure of that.. He will assume the role in February 2021. For his part, however, Phillips believes there's genuine . Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. The Wildcats feel-good sentiment is losing its luster down the stretch. His long tenure with Ohio State makes him a natural fit since he is intimately familiar with the successes and failures of the conference's previous to commissioners. Phillips spoke during a news conference with reporters at the ACC's football media event in Charlotte. Gone are traditions, history and the old ways. The Irish went undefeated during their ACC regular season, lost the league championship game to Clemson and earned their second College Football Playoff appearance. Sure, its on the table, Phillips says, but is it really a solid solutionto decrease dollars to the weak and further enrich the strong? Phillips is accustomed to nine conference games in the Big Ten, but again is not inclined to advocate change so early in his tenure. How large might the ACCs new media rights deal be in light of the fact that ESPN is paying in the low $300 million range annually for their new deal with the SECa figure six times larger than the SECs last deal. Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 20, 2022. Selling Northwestern football in a city that has entrenched fan bases who passionately follow the Bears or any number of other Big Ten teams isnt a small task. Jim Phillips has been a remarkable leader for the past 13 years, and his legacy includes excellence both in the classroom and on the playing fields, President Morton Schapiro said. This is not NBA lite. Syracuse RB Sean Tucker tops the list for top running backs in the ACC, According to a report from Ken Sugiura with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia Tech head football, The ACC's standing as the premier basketball conference could once again help the sustainability of, A top prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, GG Jackson, will de-commit from North Carolina, Head coach Tony Elliott and Virginia football land a commitment from 3-star linebacker Kamren Robinson,, With the addition of 4-star DE Jaybron Harvey, North Carolina has it's top 2023 commit,, North Carolina's 2023 recruiting grows by one: 3-star defensive back Zachary Tobe commits, thanks to, The Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference and ESPN today announced the formation of the ACC/SEC, Fresh off a 2021-22 season that sent five teams to the NCAA tournament and three, The Atlantic Coast Conference today announced its 2022-23 mens basketball conference schedule. Phillips holds a Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Tennessee, which he completed in the summer of 2007. At the top of that agenda: in-depth discussions about scheduling and divisions. He was second nationally to Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, who received a total compensation of $3.05 million this year, the database showed. How does he view name, image and likeness [NIL] and transfer policy? Considering Phillips just got the job as ACC commish last year, one fan on Twitter wrote he may not want to leave a position he was just hired for. We reviewed, briefly, last weeks COVID-disrupted ACC mens basketball tournament, but the focus was the future. 2 on the list with a total salary of $1.57 million. Phillips acknowledged the serious revenue gap between the ACC and the Big Ten and SEC but said the conference is constantly exploring new ways to generate revenue. . The Big Ten is a better job with more resource and a more promising future, and it isn't stuck in the mud with a long-term, ESPN-friendly media rights deal. Who will follow Warren in the Big Ten? As the Big Ten and SEC consolidate more and more bargaining power, the ACC is faced with trying to keep up. This goes beyond just games; the league clearly wants more content, including live events, that it can build out as primetime events. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. In March 2017, he was appointed to the NCAA Division I Mens Basketball Selection Committee, Northwestern's first representative in 50 years. ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said Wednesday he believes his conference is the cream of the crop amid widespread realignment within the Power Five. Jim Phillips says if there "comes a time" that Notre Dame joins a league, he "feels really good" that the Irish would join the ACC. Its just not possible. But will such a deal really add that much more value to the leagues? Too often, organizations handcuff their own abilities to expand philosophically and practically due to an adherence to outdated thinking about best fits. Bowl season, per Phillips, matters to the ACC and the future of college football. Though he didnt detail those, they are quite obvious: (1) add membership; (2) partner with another league; or (3) adjust the leagues revenue distribution model. 2 min read. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, Kirby Smart States the Conditions Surrounding the Pandemic Left Him Burnt Out, partnership between the ACC and Pac-12 remains alive, SEC Media Days Begins Series of First for LSUs Kelly. Kevin Warren's departure from Big Ten commissioner to president/CEO of the Chicago Bears comes at a critical juncture -- not just for the Big Ten, but college athletics as a whole. Candidates to replace Kevin Warren as Big Ten commish, Report: Big 12 in recent contact with Pac-12 schools, Rules committee proposes change to speed up games, Saban unhappy over proposed permanent rivals, USC coach Lincoln Riley builds the perfect QB. Anything that undermines that, its just not going to work. Phillips made reference to Oklahoma and Texas, along with USC and UCLA, sticking with their current conferences through the end of their own media rights, as opposed to leaving early. 1. We could use a couple of dunce caps in college football. Getty The Grant of Rights gives the league control over the TV rights for all member schools home events. By Kevin M Wall @kwallcuse Feb 3, 2022, 1:00pm EST Dr. Jim Phillips will be leaving his role as, Athletics Director at Northwestern to join the ACC as their next conference commissioner. It will be about what we do together., Terry Holland, who coached the University of Virginia basketball program to a pair of Final Fours and nine NCAA tournaments in 16 seasons, die, Georgetown transfer Dante Harris is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Virginia star guard Kihei Clark, finding success with the Cavaliers d. He did not shut the door on. Three teams, three conferences and three time zones. See the full schedule and, Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner Jim Phillips answers a question during an NCAA college football news conference at the ACC media days in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, July 20, 2022. Northwestern AD Jim Phillips (left) congratulates football coach Pat Fitzgerald as he was being honored for being named Big Ten Coach of the Year on Dec. 21, 2018. Phillips was the clubhouse leader last time until the Big Ten presidents made a left turn and picked Warren. In the 2021 fiscal year, the SEC generated a reported. I think its fair to say those things equate to generating additional revenue, when you think about football and television and the network and distribution.. All options are on the table, he says. When asked why later, he referenced the agreement Notre Dame made with the ACC when it joined in all other sports. Phillips replaces John Swofford, who announced earlier this summer that the 2020-21. Never did [the ACC Medical Advisory Group] feel, or did we feel, that the tournament was in jeopardy, he said. At Northwestern, Phillips worked in the nation's richest conference, the Big Ten, where average annual distribution to schools exceeds $50 million. Offsides! (Given his frustrations with NIL, it doesnt seem like Phillips would be concerned with playoff expansion resulting in more unpaid work events for college football players.). Jim Phillips is President/CEO at Sunkist Growers Inc. See Jim Phillips's compensation, career history, education, & memberships. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). Why are we at eight? He was elected inaugural chair of the NCAA Division I Council in February 2015. That just comes with a little bit of time, he said of distribution contracts, and Im really optimistic that were going to make a dent into that.. He was the athletic director at Northwestern from 2008-21 and at Northern Illinois from 2004-08. 2 remains a possibility. That make sense; football is a violent game that can do serious damage to its participants. Furthermore, Phillips as many in college athletics administration do stated that college sports and the NCAA arent professional leagues, catering to a limited number of stakeholders. Jim Phillips watches from the sidelines of the Northwestern-Maryland football game in October. Phillips, who has been with the Bears organization in some capacity since 1983, has been team President for 23 years and will step down at the end of the 2022 season. He has worked in conjunction with the network through multiple media rights deals, including the recent Big Ten contract that also includes CBS. Kenny's experience with those strategies, coupled with the conference's familiarity with him as an employee, would make him an attractive option. Phillips enthusiasm and affability were evident throughout our 70-minute phone conversation, his first extended interview since succeeding the retired John Swofford in February. CHARLOTTE, N.C. Six years ago, ESPN executives, then-ACC commissioner John Swofford and conference presidents . Its an uphill battle, for sure, and one that Phillips seemed foggy on in terms of key directives. All Rights Reserved. The $270 million Walter Athletics Center, the lakeside home of the school's football team and other programs. Once they arrived, they were rested regularly at the Coliseum. In terms of total average compensation to athletic directors, the Big Ten ranks third of all major conferences, behind the ACC and the Big 12 (Swarbrick swings the ACCs average tremendously). Earlier this year, Jim Phillips took over as ACC commissioner, and by late last month, he had hired Newmark, a Texas-based real estate advisory firm, to help him decide where the conference headquarters should be located. Converting Notre Dame into a full-time member of the ACC, with football, is a white wale of sorts for Phillips. #jokesandgarbage alert. Jim Phillips, the ACC's commissioner, took to the microphone at the start of the 2022 ACC Kickoff, backdropped by much interest and angst. Who will succeed Ted Phillips as the next Bears President? He eschews any talk of pay-for-play as it would adversely impact Olympic sports. And while I believe Trace Armstrong is someone on the Bears wish list, I dont think hes interested.. Phillips also locked up Chris Collins and Pat Fitzgerald with lengthy contract extensions last spring. Phillips is proud that his department didnt lose our compass academically and encouraged athletes to engage in community service and social justice matters. During Phillips 13 years as AD, Northwesterns programs thrived, buoyed by marquee infrastructure upgrades approaching $500 million. Additionally, Phillips oversaw a transformational expansion in new and renovated athletic facilities for all 19 varsity programs and more than 500 student-athletes, supported by record fundraising success. For instance, he wants to leave championship events unchanged, such as the NCAA basketball tournaments, when others suggest cutting out the little guys.