Boise State paid more than $100,000 in consulting fees during search for AD, football coach
Boise State paid Collegiate Sports Associates at least $105,500 in consulting fees during its searches for a new athletic director and head football coach, according to documents obtained by the Idaho Statesman through an open records request.
The university paid $75,500 plus approved expenses for its search for an athletic director, which culminated in the hiring of former Baylor associate vice president for intercollegiate athletics Jeramiah Dickey.
After former football coach Bryan Harsin left Dec. 22 for Auburn, Boise State contracted CSA to also aid in its search for a new head coach, paying an additional $35,000, plus approved expenses. That search ended with former Boise State player and coach Andy Avalos returning to his alma mater.
It’s not uncommon for universities to hire consulting firms to help with national searches. Schools in the SEC have spent about $2 million on consulting firms since 2011, according to a story published in 2019 by AL.com, which also reported Georgia paid Carr Sports Consulting $42,175 during its search for football coach Kirby Smart.
On average, Power Five schools spend between $50,000 and $125,000 in consulting fees during a national search for a head coach, according to Sports Illustrated.
The issue at Boise State is the added expense comes at a time when it’s already dealing with budget shortfalls thanks to canceled events and the delayed football season because of COVID-19.
Former Boise State Athletic Director Curt Apsey said last August that the university stood to lose as much as $20 million if the football season was canceled, with most of it coming from ticket sales, seat contributions, corporate partnerships and revenue from TV and the College Football Playoff.
Ultimately, the Broncos ended up playing seven games — instead of the usual 13 or 14 — and the university will see a major decline in revenue from ticket sales after Boise State allowed about 1,100 fans to attend just two of its games — a loss to BYU and a win over Colorado State. In 2019, the football team brought in $5.6 million in ticket sales.
Boise State has already taken steps to lessen the financial blow.
In April, it announced all employees making at least $40,000 a year — including coaches — were required to take furloughs. In July, the university disbanded its baseball and swimming and diving programs, which Apsey said would trim about $2.2 million off the budget.
Members of the athletic department making more than $40,000 a year faced salary reductions and another round of furloughs in September.
Boise State President Marlene Tromp said part of what the university was looking for in an athletic director was a background in fundraising, and Dickey certainly has that.
At Houston, he helped the Cougars set fundraising records seven years in a row. He was also instrumental in securing a 10-year, $15 million naming rights partnership with TDECU, an agreement that ranked third nationally among all collegiate facilities for corporate naming agreements.
At Baylor, he led the way for $200 million in athletics initiatives as part of the university’s Give Light Capital Campaign. Dickey’s initial contract at Boise State is expected to pay him at least $410,000 a year.
This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 5:05 PM.
