The conference, which wants to balance control of start times for its athletic events and exposure, is in talks with several providers.
UNLV Football
The university is negotiating for a new shoe and apparel contract to replace the one with Nike that expires May 31. Nike had an exclusive negotiating window that ended April 1.
All 17 UNLV teams achieved an Academic Progress Rate multiyear score of greater than 950, well above the 930 required by the NCAA to be eligible for the postseason.
Las Vegas took one step closer Friday to landing major college postseason events such as the Final Four men’s basketball tournament and the College Football Playoff National Championship.
The gap between the Power Five and Group of Five conferences continues to grow. It leaves schools such as UNLV in a difficult spot.
Sexual harassment allegations triggered an investigation of Eric Toliver, then-compliance director for UNLV’s athletic department, by an outside law firm earlier this year. Toliver quit Feb. 9 and hasn’t been heard from since.
The Boyd Gaming Corp. has pledged $5 million to UNLV’s athletic department over a multiyear period. It is the largest corporate gift ever for UNLV athletics.
UNLV athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois saw a lot of positives in her first year, with five conference championships coming from Olympic sports. But she knows most of the focus is on football and men’s basketball.
Seven UNLV sports broke or tied their previous Academic Progress Rate highs, according to data released by the NCAA on Wednesday.
The NCAA has at least temporarily changed its policy toward legalized sports betting, clearing the way for Las Vegas to bid on championship events such as the Final Four.
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a nationwide ban on single-game legalized sports betting outside of Nevada. That could help Las Vegas’ case to host NCAA championship events, which currently is prohibited.
UNLV hired Eric Nepomuceno to be in charge of compliance for the athletic department. Athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois also has restructured the compliance office, so Nepomuceno will report to her as well as the president’s office.