Utah State AD Jerry Bovee Talks NIL, Conference Realignment

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah State Interim Athletic Director Jerry Bovee joined the KSL Sports Zone on Wednesday to talk over the state of college athletics, hiring Danny Sprinkle, and Aggie football.

The introduction of NIL deals has permanently changed the landscape of collegiate athletics. It isn’t uncommon for highly-touted athletes to receive deals in the millions.

“I don’t think, at our level here in Logan, we can compete with the power fives,” Bovee said. “The pricing at the collegiate level is starting to happen like it is in the pro market. Every position has its own dollar figure. We’re not going to be in that situation.”

Utah State Athletics Celebrates the Success of Its Student-Athletes#AggiesAllTheWay https://t.co/1CAhD8JY9F

— Utah State Athletics (@USUAthletics) May 16, 2023

Utah State brought in Danny Sprinkle from Montana State to lead the men’s basketball program. Bovee said that his search was focused on fit rather than the biggest name.

“It was a great opportunity,” Bovee said. “Just to show the folks here at Utah State another dimension to what I’m capable of. I’ve hired coaches, a lot of coaches, and successful coaches. It was more finding the right fit for what we felt Utah State needed at this time.”

RELATED: Utah State Names Danny Sprinkle New Men’s Basketball Head Coach

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟏 ➡️ 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬!

🤘 @USUCoachSprink#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/KMV1oqqJj5

— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) April 11, 2023

Collegiate athletic directors oversee players, coaches, and entire programs. Sometimes, hard decisions have to be made for the better of the program or the entire school.

“You hear leaders say, ‘I do a once-a-year evaluation’,” Bovee said. “Well, that’s a faulty way to go. You should be evaluating every day. If you’re doing that right, then there’s not going to be a surprise at the end.”

Conference realignment has been at the forefront of college sports fan’s minds the past few years. With conferences like the Big 10 making big changes, many speculate that the Mountain West Conference could see some changes very soon.

“At that point, it’s where do you get better value,” Bovee said. “Is it better to jump into a conference that potentially could be imploding? Or, is it better to stay with the group that you are solidified with and invite a couple of others to join you?”

Our campus >>> pic.twitter.com/pLOvm5hV0d

— USU Gymnastics (@USUGymnastics) May 17, 2023

The Aggies football team finished the 2022 season with a record of 6-7. With big changes this offseason, USU fans may be wondering what to expect in the fall.

“We lost 31 kids to the portal,” Bovee said. “Some of those kids jumped into the portal because they want to play. I think you’re going to see an offense that’s pretty high-powered. Our receiving core might be better, from top to bottom, than we were two years ago when we won the league. Defensively, still remains to be seen.”

Chandler Holt is a Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter at @ChandlerHoltKSL.

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