Nik Rule @NikRule

Commissioner - Heart of America Athletic Conference | BOSCA Associate | Former College AD & Coach | Athletics Consultant heartofamericaconference.com Heart of America, USA Joined March 2009

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Nik Rule @NikRule

12 hours ago

I agree that having the right people in the room matters. A laser focus on the criteria is vital, and the coaches associations have an equally important responsibility to make sure those criteria measure the right things. Committee members must take that responsibility very seriously and put in the work to evaluate teams nationally. I have a high level of confidence in the process and the national office’s work in selecting these individuals. I’m not sure whether committee membership will be released publicly, but I know who is serving on all of them, and the football committee is very strong. These committees include some of the top administrators in the country, at different stages of their careers, many with backgrounds in the sports they’re evaluating. Frankly, if I were on the football committee, I would be watching more games… as I will for the committees I serve on… and I would be watching your show every week. The national perspective you bring has real value.

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Nik Rule @NikRule

18 hours ago

The @NAIA’s first National Selection Committee polls came out and are a meaningful step forward. Moving to administrator-only selection committees is a positive change for the integrity of the process. As a coach, I served as our conference’s rater and participated in national tournament selection. Before my very first rating, a veteran coach called to explain an “unwritten rule”: rank teams from our region a little higher to counteract perceived bias from coaches in other regions. This was one of several requests I received from different coaches during my five years in the role. I did not adopt any of them. I also participated in selection committee meetings where coaches didn’t want to consider another team from a particular conference because they felt that conference already had too many teams in the national tournament. Every team deserves to be evaluated on its own merits against the established criteria. As an athletic director, I knew of coaches receiving information from selection committees that should have remained confidential, including matchups and locations. Across all three roles, I constantly heard from coaches in these key positions that programs deserved extra respect in the ratings because of their history. I respect that history. But a team’s opportunity to compete for a national championship should be earned through its current results and the established criteria. I’ve always believed the majority of coaches serving in these roles approached the responsibility with integrity. But a process this consequential needs consistent criteria application, objectivity and confidentiality throughout. It has to be 100%. Administrator-only selection committees won’t eliminate every challenge, but it is a meaningful step toward a fairer process…one that gives student-athletes confidence their teams are being evaluated on what they’ve earned. Credit to the @NAIA National Office and leaders in the association like @DrewWatsonAD for spearheading this needed change.

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Nik Rule @NikRule

19 hours ago

Been saying this for a few years. Many of these smaller division 1’s will have to take a honest look as to where they belong.

NIL 𝘯𝘰𝘵 NLI @NILnotNLI

20 hours ago

The University of Louisiana System hired a consultant to see if its member schools, like LA Tech, should leave NCAA D1 (via @ByPiperHutch) So... Should financially struggling Athletic Depts drop to FCS or even D2 or D3?? *(literally 94% of the NCAA is financially struggling)

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Nik Rule @NikRule

4 days ago

I don’t think those are competing questions. The public good matters….education, access and opportunity should be central. But none of that exists sustainably without a financial model that supports it. There are roughly 1,000 small colleges across NAIA, DII, and DIII that operate very differently than the Power 4 and mid-majors. Understanding those different economics matters if we want to preserve the public good without assuming every institution can finance it the same way.

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Nik Rule @NikRule

4 days ago

Today is a significant day for college athletics. As the Senate prepares to vote on the Protect College Sports Act, I keep coming back to one thing: College athletics is not one business model. What makes sense for the largest schools in the country may not make sense for the hundreds of small colleges where athletics drives enrollment, creates opportunity and is deeply connected to the institution’s overall health. Whatever comes next, understanding those differences matters.

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NAIA @NAIA

4 days ago

FOUR NEW MEMBERS ADDED Welcome Christian Brothers (Tenn.), Manchester (Ind.), Salem (W. Va.), and Yavapai (Ariz.) to the NAIA! Learn more here: bit.ly/4xLneg7 #TheRightWaytoPlay

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Nik Rule @NikRule

4 days ago

Great visit to @GUjackets last week. We had a 90-minute town hall with its athletic staff, heard valuable feedback from leaders of the Association of Student Athletes, and spent time with President Schrock. Great meetings!

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William Payne @TweetsbyCoachP

5 days ago

The NAIA isn’t a “level”. It’s an association. D1, D2, and D3 aren’t “levels”. They are divisions within an association. “JUCO” isn’t an association or level. There are at least 4 different associations in the US that have member institutions offering collegiate athletics comprised, or primarily comprised of 2-yr institutions. Most people have no earthly idea what they are even talking about and are advising young people on decisions for their future.

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Nik Rule @NikRule

5 days ago

Worth every second of your time if you love college athletics.

NIL 𝘯𝘰𝘵 NLI @NILnotNLI

5 days ago

Big Ten legend and current University of Nevada Head Basketball Coach Steve Alford has seen decades of the evolution and devolution of college sports... As he prepares to retire, his takes on the current NCAA landscape deserve our attention...

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Nik Rule @NikRule

5 days ago

College athletics is having a national policy conversation. But we still make the mistake of talking about “college athletics” as though it is one business model. It isn’t. That distinction matters more than ever right now.

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Nik Rule @NikRule

6 days ago

@YouKnowMahmood @collegeofidaho @YotesFootball @NAIA Reagan is the best!

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Division 1 Rejects @D1_Rejects

6 days ago

Small School Saturday LIVE from Bemidji State x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

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Heart of America Athletic Conference @TheHeartConf

6 days ago

𝙎𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩. 🏈 Today’s football lineup. #TheRightWaytoPlay | #TheHeartsWaytoPlay

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Nik Rule @NikRule

7 days ago

@WinterSportsLaw @SilverWaveMedia Well deserved!

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D2 Baseball @divIIbaseball

7 days ago

🚨Realignment News per WBOY🚨 @SalemUTigers has submitted an application to rejoin the NAIA. If approved, they potentially would be in the NAIA as soon as next year. More details to be determined. #D2Baseball wboy.com/sports/salem-u…

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NAIA Hoops Report @NAIAHoopsReport

7 days ago

🚨Another NCAA D2 program is applying to join the NAIA! Salem (WV) has their application for membership submitted! wboy.com/sports/salem-u…

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Alex Fernando @Fernanman42

7 days ago

Be sure to check out Episode 4 of Inside Heart Football! Another great week of games in @TheHeartConf and our Clash of the Week should be a fun one. Full analysis and breakdown with the link below! 🎙️🏈 youtu.be/zHvGZupu1G8?is…

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NIL 𝘯𝘰𝘵 NLI @NILnotNLI

a week ago

Former Notre Dame President Rev. Theodore Hesburgh on NCAA college sports: - "We're not in the entertainment business, nor are we a minor league for professional sports" - "The fundamental difference between intercollegiate and professional athletics is that in college the players are supposed to be students first and foremost"

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Nik Rule @NikRule

a week ago

@RavenMBB @steveminnis President Minnis is a fantastic leader.

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NAIA.ticker @NAIAticker

a week ago

Top stories in today's NAIA.ticker: ➤ PCSA amendments & progress ➤ @NikRule on DC discussions & the shifting role of administrators ➤ @gsacsports' new streaming partner ➤ @UnionBulldogs move to free admission Read more: archive.wearecollegetown.com/p/naia-ticker-…