South Dakota State AD Justin Sell was on the Higher Ed Athletics podcast, which included a discussion about his approach to hiring head coaches: “The world has changed. Ten years ago, I probably had a couple weeks to put out feelers and find a coach, bring in and interview several. My roster would stay solid and then we could hire somebody and manage it forward. And now it's at a point where if there's even a rumor that your coach is leaving, the churn starts and the roster piece in student-athletes getting contacted and those things, you're trying to really shrink those gaps. … Do I have people that I'm interested in talking to, a list in the pocket, whatever you want to call it. Yeah, I definitely do. … What do you think in terms of what we can do at South Dakota State and ultimately what assistants are you bringing along? … Because it's really about the staff. It's not just the head coach. And so I try to stay true to that. … There are processes we have to follow, so we frontload a lot of that. If we have any inkling that something's coming up or there's even a coach interviewing, I'm working with our president and working with our Board of Regents to have all that stuff taken care of, ready to go, pre-approved in a sense that if we get to that spot, we can move quick.”
higheredathletics.com
Justin Sell’s AD tree includes Montana State’s Leon Costello, Indiana State’s Nathan Christensen, and Ohio’s Slade Larscheid. This conversation starts with Sell breaking down each of their journeys to the AD chair and what he saw in them. Sell goes into depth on how to run a head coach search and what he looks for in candidates and provides a timeline and stresses anticipation. We talk about Jackrabbit fans and whether there is pressure to join FBS after continued football success.
0:00 Introduction
1:40 Sell’s Athletic Director Tree
16:55 The Main Show in Town
20:05 Does College Athletics Today Feel the Same to your Fans?
26:13 Thoughts on the Greatness of the FCS Playoffs
32:48 Head Coach Hiring Process and Strategy
38:01 AD Vantage
39:30 Overlooked Strategic Advice for Aspiring ADs
46:24 Justin Sell Reacts to HEA’s D1 AD Hiring Trends + Tracker
South Dakota State Jackrabbits AD Justin Sell
Justin Sell’s AD tree includes Montana State’s Leon Costello, Indiana State’s Nathan Christensen, and Ohio’s Slade Larscheid. This conversation starts with Sell breaking dow…
higheredathletics.com
Justin Sell’s AD tree includes Montana State’s Leon Costello, Indiana State’s Nathan Christensen, and Ohio’s Slade Larscheid. This conversation starts with Sell breaking down each of their journeys to the AD chair and what he saw in them. Sell goes into depth on how to run a head coach search and what he looks for in candidates and provides a timeline and stresses anticipation. We talk about Jackrabbit fans and whether there is pressure to join FBS after continued football success.
0:00 Introduction
1:40 Sell’s Athletic Director Tree
16:55 The Main Show in Town
20:05 Does College Athletics Today Feel the Same to your Fans?
26:13 Thoughts on the Greatness of the FCS Playoffs
32:48 Head Coach Hiring Process and Strategy
38:01 AD Vantage
39:30 Overlooked Strategic Advice for Aspiring ADs
46:24 Justin Sell Reacts to HEA’s D1 AD Hiring Trends + Tracker
