Higher Ed Athletics
Travis Smiths hosts the conversation on university leadership in public and gives the advice in private.
For nearly a decade this show has gone inside the offices of the people leading college athletic departments. Candid conversations with athletic directors about leadership, strategy, culture, and what the job really demands.
75+ available episodes in the archives.
The Modern AD & The Mid-Major AD
Monthly Digital Magazines for College Athletics Leadership.
These AD publications delivers insight, analysis, and perspective on the business of college athletics — written for the people running it at the level of their institution. The Modern AD is specific to FBS while The Mid-Major AD is primarily written for FCS and I-AAA institutions.
“Travis has done the homework — doctoral research, direct AD interviews, actual contract data — and it comes through in every section. This isn’t commentary, it’s real intelligence on what’s happening in our industry and why it matters. The AD hire reactions, the press conference breakdowns, the deputy spotlights — all of it is practical and specific in a way that’s hard to find. But what’s pushed my own thinking the most is the content around the college presidency. If you’re serious about the AD chair, you have to understand the world your president operates in, and Travis lays that out clearly because he’s worked for a president and understands it. I’ve found myself coming back to pieces of this in conversations throughout the month. For the price, there’s nothing else like it.”
SEC Executive Deputy AD
Available by monthly subscription ($15/$10) or single issue purchase ($20/$15)
D1 AD Hiring Tracker
College athletics leadership is in constant motion. This tracker follows every Division I athletic director hire in real-time — who’s moving, where they came from, what institutions are looking for, and what the data tells us about where the profession is headed.
How Can TRAVIS Help?
Let’s Talk.
Whether you are leading a search, building toward an athletic director role, or looking to become a sponsor of an HEA publication — let’s talk.