From the Desk of Jeremiah Donati, No. 1

Dear Gamecocks:

I trust this finds you well!  It has been one month since I started as athletics director here and in that time, I have visited with many of our teams, attended practices and games, met many fans and donors and attended many meetings.  I can understand why the phrase, “Forever to Thee” is so tied to our University.  We have wonderful people in an amazing place, a mission and vision that represents us so well.  I am excited about what the future has in store for us.

I will be sending you newsletters like this each month.  I like to use this platform to let you know what is going on in all phases of our department.  The hope is that you not only get to hear what is going on and what is on my mind but that you feel better connected to all the work our staff, coaches and student-athletes are doing!

You have heard so much about the developments around federal litigation regarding the House vs. NCAA case and its impact on Gamecock Athletics.  I want to start by updating you on that:

Since I began we have been working diligently to best position our department for handling the financial challenges, the changes in scholarships and roster sizes and the benefits allowable for student-athletes that are part of the settlement process.

There are four major issues that we have been tasked with handling during this time:

• Institutional Revenue Sharing
• Roster Limits and Scholarships
• The Future of NIL
• Financial Implications

Institutional Revenue Sharing

One of the features that has generated the most headlines from the anticipated settlement is that institutions like ours – and all other Power 4 schools – will be permitted to share revenue with student-athletes.  We believe the initial “cap” will be in the neighborhood of $20.5 million and will gradually rise over time commensurate with increased revenues.  While this is an un-budgeted expense we are fully committed to supporting our student-athletes at the maximum level of revenue sharing.  There are many details regarding distribution that are yet to be determined but we are anticipating beginning to share revenue under this new model beginning July 1, 2025.  Also worth noting is that outside entities will still be able to support student-athletes through NIL post July 1 but will have different rules of engagement per the terms of the settlement.  We will make sure to continue to educate our fans to this end as NIL support will continue to be an important part of our teams’ success under this new model.

Roster Limits and Scholarships

As part of the proposed settlement, scholarship limits set by the NCAA for each sport have been eliminated.  Instead, new roster caps will be created for each sport in a given year.  Similar to revenue sharing, our plans are not yet finalized but I can tell you we are planning to offer additional scholarships in many sports.  The final numbers and budget impacts are to be determined.

The Future of NIL

As the settlement is currently written NIL will look a lot different post July 1 when these new rules are adopted.  For example, all deals between third parties and student-athletes over $600 will be subject to an independent fair-market-value analysis on a case-by-case basis.  Deals that are above FMR – after being reviewed by a clearing house – will not be permissible for student-athletes to accept.  This model is much different than what is currently being offered by NIL collectives and NIL supporters around the country.  While much work needs to be done to have this system in place we need to prepare for this fast approaching date while continuing to monitor how it will change in the coming months.  Regardless of where we land on this NIL support will continue to be important for Gamecock student-athletes and it his imperative that we continue to support them in our business community.

Financial Implications

As you can see the realities of the House case have vast financial implications for not only our athletics department and university but for college athletics as a whole.  These additional costs were not budgeted and come at a time with already existing financial pressures across our sports.  In short, being resourceful with our dollars will be as important as ever to continue to be successful and national competitive.  Identifying new and additional revenue streams will also be key to continued success and finding our path to fly higher than ever before.  I assure you we are putting in the work to plan for the future and ensure we are doing so in a sustainable way.

Gamecock Club membership on the rise

Membership in the Gamecock Club is currently on pace to surpass last year’s record membership level. We have a record number of Junior Gamecock Club and Student Gamecock Club members.  Thank you Gamecock Club members!

Clyde Wrenn Player Entrance

The Player Entrance at the Long Family Football Operations Building is now named the Clyde Wrenn Player Entrance.  A fitting honor for a special person who has done so much for Gamecock football.  Congratulations Clyde!

More sports success

We currently have nine athletic teams ranked in the Top 25 this year, including women’s basketball and women’s golf in the top five of their sports.  In the sports’ last completed seasons, 15 of our 21 sports finished in the top 25 – an outstanding accomplishment.

Student-athlete academic success

Congratulations are in order for our student-athletes and academic support staff.  Our student-athletes ended the Fall 2024 semester with a departmental grade point average of 3.47, the second highest semester departmental GPA in our history.  It also marks the department’s 36^th consecutive semester with a departmental GPA above 3.0.  As you can see our teams’ record of success and excellence goes well beyond the competitions.

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Viewership

Our bowl game matchup against Illinois in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl was the fifth most-watched non-CFP bowl game of the post-season, with 4.26 million viewers.  Bowl game viewership has been good for us – eight bowl games rank in the Top 30 of most-watched Gamecock athletics events in history, and among the Top 20 of Gamecock football games.

More Viewership Numbers

According to a survey done by collegefootballnetwork.com, Gamecock football was the 25^th most-watched college football team in the nation, with almost 23 million viewers.  The 3.27 million average viewers per game ranks 17^th among all college football programs.

More Viewership Numbers 2.0

Our women’s basketball NCAA Championship Game win over Iowa was viewed by 18.8 million people, which was the third most-watched college sporting event of the 2024 calendar year.  It was also the most watched Gamecock sporting event of all time.

Spring Football & Baseball Games

Friday night under the lights is set! Spring football practice will commence with the annual Garnet and Black Spring Football Game presented by Palmetto Shirt Company on Friday, April 18 in Williams-Brice Stadium.  It should be a fun time to come out and get a look at one of the hottest college football teams in the nation.  Get an early start on that Friday by watching our baseball team take on Ole Miss at Founders Park at 4 p.m.

Gamecock Football on Netflix

This summer, be on the lookout for Gamecock football on Netflix.  The Netflix Sports Series followed Gamecock football as well as other SEC programs.  Box-to-Box Films produced the series.  The group has done major productions worldwide, including Formula 1 racing, Break Point (tennis), Full Swing (golf), Sprint (track) and others.

Congratulations Coach Beamer

Coach Beamer was named a finalist for the Bear Bryant Award, Eddie Robinson Award and the Bobby Dodd Award and semifinalist for the George Munger Award for national coach of the Year.  He also was named the SEC Coach of the Year by the Associated Press.  A great honor for an outstanding coach!

Congratulations Steve Fink

Senior Associate Athletics Director Steve Fink will receive his 25-Year Award from the College Sports Communicators organization at its convention this summer.  The award recognizes individuals for a quarter century of standout service to the college athletics communications profession.  Congratulations Steve!

Thanks for tuning in!  I will also be filming a quarterly podcast with our Director of Content and women’s basketball radio voice Brad Muller that will be on Gamecocks+.  These are exciting but anxious times in college athletics.  Obviously there is a tremendous amount of uncertainly and we have a lot of work to do.  However, one mission remains the same – to serve our student-athletes.  I look forward to sharing their stories and achievements with you.

Forever to Thee!

JD