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USD A.D. Jon Schemmel, part 2 - FCS vs FBS ("JV" vs "varsity), how to boost Yotes' attendance, Travis Johansen so far
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It was the X (Twitter) shot heard 'round the FCS world last week.
South Dakota athletic director Jon Schemmel fired back at Sacramento State president Kevin Wood, who had publicly called FCS football — where the Hornets reside — "JV" football. When the FBS oversight committee recommended the NCAA to deny SCSU's entry into the FBS ("varsity") Schemmel posted something that became hot fodder for FCS enthusiasts:
"All of us JV programs are excited to compete against a varsity program!"
(Since then, the NCAA Div. I council officially denied SCSU's attempt to enter the FBS on the basis it needed a conference affiliation, which it hasn't found.)
Schemmel, who has led USD athletics for about 18 months, had no idea the kind of wildfire one public social media sentence would trigger. But he never took down the post and stood his ground in talking about the post in Part 2 of his 75-minute conversation on Happy Hour with host John Gaskins.
This led to a discussion about USD's desires, or lack thereof, to move from FCS — where the Yotes finished as a Top 5 team in 2024 — up to FBS to have a (likely very long) shot of playing in the College Football Playoff and receiving the mother load of money that'd come with it.
Schemmel does not shy away from acknowledging where USD stands in both FCS achievement, attendance, interest, and financial strength compared to the Coyotes' two biggest rivals, and perennial powerhouses, SDSU and NDSU.
Why is there such a gap, and how does USD narrow it, particularly in drawing more fans (and revenue) to the major sports of football and basketball (men's and women's)?
Finally, Schemmel gives his assessment of first-year head football coach Travis Johansen's navigation through spring practice and a transfer portal that plucked away several top players for far more NIL money at FBS schools. And, an update on the retired Bob Nielson, who Johansen replaced.
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