Part two of our series examining the transfer portal from a Non-FBS perspective was published earlier this week. Part two included insight into why athletes consider entering the portal and the consequences for an athlete who enters while receiving athletics aid. Part one, which looks at the educational effects of entering the portal on undergraduate FCS and Division II players, can be found here.

FCS

Last week, the Blitz reported that Texas A&M’s Board of Regents would soon consider whether to change the name of Texas A&M-Commerce to Texas A&M-Dallas at Commerce. Those who responded to a request for comment on the potential name change were overwhelmingly against the proposal. Not one person responded in support of the move. The reasons against changing the school’s name again were multiple.

As one astute observer pointed out on X/Twitter, “As much as A&M loves traditions, the brass are bungling the one big time.” One alum of Texas A&M-Commerce forwarded an email sent to members of the Texas A&M University System (TAMUS). This person recalled her mother, a 1980 graduate of Texas A&M, signing the Aggie War Hymn to them as a lullaby and pointed out the paramount importance of “tradition and traditional values at Texas A&M.” 

Many alums remain upset at the loss of some traditions when TAMUS changed its name from East Texas State in 1995. Some imagine the stir Aggie alums would cause if the Board of Regents considered changing one of their honored traditions and wonder why TAMUS is willing to mess with their “Lion spirit and pride.” 

One thing immediately apparent on my first visit to Ernest Hawkins Field was how proud Lion alums are of their traditions and athletics programs. Very few schools in the Non-FBS landscape in Texas rival the passion of Lions fans. 

One person asked why TAMUS hasn’t renamed “Texas A&M-College Station to Texas A&M-Houston at College Station.” Others suggested name changes for other TAMUS institutions. Some examples were renaming Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to “Texas A&M South Padre Island Corpus Christi” and replacing Tarleton with “Texas A&M Fort Worth at Stephenville.” FCS Fans Nation podcaster and notable Stephen F. Austin alum Dustin Helton asked, “Are they going to change TAMU-Galveston to Texas A&M university at Houston-Galveston campus?”

Regarding geography, Texas A&M-Commerce president Dr. Mark Rudin held open forums on Thursday and Friday to discuss the possible rebranding. A photo obtained from the presentation showed a map of the “Geography of DFW Metroplex as Defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.” 

While Commerce is located in the far northeast corner of DFW, according to the generous map presented by Dr. Rudin, one person noted that Commerce is the same distance from the Oklahoma border (43.4 miles) as they are from Rockwall. 

Some respondents understand the desire to connect the university to Dallas with hopes of increasing enrollment. However, respondents expressed skepticism. “I guarantee this is a really old person’s idea of marketing the school to ‘the kids,’” one person wrote. Another respondent noted the school is losing more of its identity and said, “It’s just giving desperate vibes.” 

Others pointed out that the Dallas campus consists of two to four floors of a high-rise building, and one source confirmed the school does not own the building. Many are skeptical that the public outcry will produce results, with one person noting every member of the Board of Regents is a Texas A&M graduate. However, one source explained that the Board of Regents is averse to negative attention and could be pressured to vote against the potential rebranding.

UTRGV announced it will host Texas A&M-Kingsville on Sept. 4, 2027, in a contest that will be a showdown between two universities nearby. 

NCAA Division II

Our condolences to everyone affected by the tragic passing of incoming UTPB freshman defensive end Luke Miller, who was a second-team All-District 5-5A selection at Frisco Lone Star last year.

Multiple sources have confirmed the Lone Star Conference is expected to announce a media rights agreement with FloSports in the coming weeks. The deal will likely be for six figures and last three years, with the money equally distributed among the conference’s 17 members. One source mentioned their school would receive roughly $10 thousand more per year under the agreement with FloSports, and the money is expected to be paid upfront.

These sources confirmed that each school must have at least three cameras for every broadcast in every sport during year three of the contract. Many schools currently use one camera for football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and other broadcasts. Some administrators within the LSC are concerned that the increase in staffing will be challenging to find when their budgets are being drastically cut, and finding people to man their current setup is often arduous.

In addition to these concerns, many in the LSC are pushing to add a replay system for every sport. The LSC uses replay for football and men’s and women’s basketball. The agreement needs approval from the university presidents, which is considered a formality.

West Texas A&M has named Doug Lipinski, the former deputy director of athletics at Grand Valley State, its vice president of athletics. Lipinski will begin his duties on Aug. 28. “I personally spoke with some of the best Division II athletic directors in the country, and Doug’s name came up time and again,” WT president Dr. Walter Wendler said in a statement.

Multiple sources indicate Dr. Wendler heard from multiple alums and donors unhappy with the candidate pool. For recommendations, the university president contacted athletic directors at the top 30 schools in the most recent Learfield Director's Cup rankings. Following a campus visit last week, the search committee quickly moved to secure Lipinski.

Multiple sources say the UTPB athletic director search has narrowed down to six finalists. Among the finalists are a current deputy athletic director in Conference USA, a current Sooner Athletic Conference athletic director, an athletic director in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, a current American Southwest Conference athletic director, a former Lone Star Conference athletic director, and another candidate out of state.

Division III

The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference announced a multi-year media rights agreement with FloSports. The SCAC is the fourth Division III conference to join the upcoming FloCollege platform. The deal includes the creation of SCACtv Network beginning during this academic year. Texas Lutheran initially opted out of the agreement and will continue to offer all home games for free on its YouTube channel, TLU+.