The Role of a Deputy Athletics Director: KU's Collin Sexton Prepares for the Union Jack Classic:

By Simon Carroll

Ahead of the inaugural Union Jack Classic game between the Kansas Jayhawks and Arizona State Sun Devils at Wembley Stadium in September, Simon Carroll caught up with KU Deputy Athletics Director Collin Sexton to discuss the team’s preparations for London:

Athletics Administration: the Cogs that Drive College Sports

College athletics is a big deal.

For as long as anyone can remember, collegiate sports has been not just ingrained into the culture of America, but for most at the heart of it. No other country in the world has a system that ties sporting and academic success together like the USA does, one that seemingly prepares elite athletes for a professional career in their discipline of choice, and for the rest at least provides them with an education and experiences they can carry through the rest of their lives.

The interest in college sports means that success is big business. Winning a national championship can drive enrollment applications. Alumni pump money into the various programs in the hope they’ll see them achieve new heights. To manage all of that, every FBS school in the country has a framework of operations staff supporting the pursuit of excellence.

Akin to what NFL fans would know as a general manager leading the ‘front office’, in college sports the role of an Athletics Director is the person responsible for attaining this success. At Kansas University that job belongs to Travis Goff, born and bred in the Sunflower State who has led the Jayhawks’ since 2021 after stints at Tulane and Northwestern. But KU is a big school with thriving basketball, baseball and volleyball programs, not to mention the super-charged growth of their football team under head coach Lance Leipold.

As such, Goff shares the load with assistant Collin Sexton, who was in London making preparations for the Jayhawks’ visit to Wembley Stadium for the Union Jack Classic this coming September. Sexton followed Goff to KU in 2021, and is also Chief Strategy Officer as well as the sport administrator for the Kansas Football program. When asked what an average day in the life of a Deputy Athletics Director looked like, Sexton gave a wry smile:

“The day job is ever-changing. It’s all things that have to do with anything that is not X’s and O’s on the football field, or on the basketball court, or any of our other sports. A large part is the business side of it, the revenue side of it, the sponsorship side of it. It’s fiscal responsibility, it’s coaches’ contracts, it’s making sure our players get the right contracts. It’s health & safety, the well-being of the student-athletes and the staff, and the sports team’s partnerships with campus, the state, and a bunch of constituents that have an interest in the University of Kansas and Kansas Athletics. It’s a constant, ever-changing landscape, and no day ever looks the same. And I love it!”

Growing the Game

Presiding over an athletics department that projects approximately $135 million in total revenue for the 2026 fiscal year is no mean feat. Kansas Football delivers the majority of that revenue despite the historical success of KU’s basketball program; this growth on the gridiron has seen investments in the “Gateway” infrastructure project, a total redevelopment of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium and the infrastructure surrounding it. As such, most of Sexton’s time is taken up by football – and part of that the last nine months has been planning the logistics of playing a Big 12 game at Wembley Stadium.

Attending an Elite Series Coaching Clinic in London, Sexton got a first-hand understanding of how football has become an international sport, despite the ‘American’ prefix that people outside of the States attribute to it.:

“It’s amazing to see the growth of American football internationally. It’s a sport that we all love, and we all know so well, and we grew up with. It’s ingrained in our culture that, on Saturdays and Sundays, you’re sitting on the couch and you’re watching American football. It’s a lifestyle. So to come over here, where the real football, the original football, ‘soccer’ as we call it, is king, and to see all of these men participating and wanting to get better at the sport and learn more about the sport, it’s incredible to see the growth and the interest that there is. It’s awesome that we get to come over here and people are looking and listening to someone as well regarded as Coach Leipold and growing their knowledge with one of the best. It’s surreal to see that and feel that really. But it’s a privilege to witness it.”

It wasn’t all work for Sexton during his time in the capital, and the Union Jack Classic made sure to indulge their guests with some of the sights – and tastes – of London. As far as the cuisine goes, the Deputy Athletics Director might be a convert:

“Oh I’ve been loving the food! When we’re living in Kansas, you’re in the most landlocked state out of the entire country. You couldn’t be more in the middle of America. And so, if you get seafood in the middle of Kansas, Godspeed. Because it’s probably the last thing you want to get! So, anytime we’re around any type of body of water at all, it’s like you got to get fish – and the fish and chips here are amazing. I, for one, actually have enjoyed the food, the environment and the culture here. It’s been a great experience, and we all can’t wait to come back in September.”

Blighty Bound

Fans of college football this side of the pond will be gearing up for a momentous occasion when the Kansas Jayhawks and Arizona State Sun Devils do battle on September 19th. The inaugural Union Jack Classic follows hot on the heels of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, giving another opportunity for people in the UK and Europe to see for themselves what makes the sport so special to millions of people in America. If you don’t have a ticket yet, don’t wait too long – this is an event not to be missed.

For Sexton and his colleagues, there’s a lot more to be done than buying a ticket. The logistics to be considered when embarking on an international game requires planning now – and the Jayhawks are not holding back when it comes to the trip:

“We will be bringing over a large part of our operation at KU. Our chancellor and his amazing staff and his cabinet. Our athletic director and dignitaries from the state. And then of course our football team and coaching staff – we’ll be coming out in full force. I think the biggest thing is just how excited we all are about the opportunity to be on the global stage. Five years ago, it would have been unheard of that KU football was going to play not only internationally, but at one of the most iconic stadiums in the entire world. But that shows how far we’ve come as a program under Coach Leipold and how far we’ve developed our brand; I’m excited to see that come to fruition.”

For Sexton, Goff and Leipold, the Union Jack Classic isn’t just a once in a lifetime experience. It’s an opportunity to grow the sport they love, and to make Kansas Football a household name in a city 4,300 miles away from Lawrence. Leaving a legacy in London would be a huge victory as college football evolves into a truly international product:

“We want this to be so much more than just a game of football. I hope we win the game, obviously. But then it’s what do we do with it after that? How do we continue to grow that brand here and make it to where people see a Jayhawk and they know exactly what it is and they say ‘Rock Chalk!’ right? And so, hopefully we grow some fans out of it. Hopefully we spread the good word of what American football is all about, especially American college football and the pageantry that comes along with that because it’s something that’s ingrained in our culture and we love it so much. And we hope we can pass that on and share it with the British people.”

 

Tickets to watch the Sun Devils against the Jayhawks in the inaugural Union Jack Classic on Saturday September 19 can be purchased now via the Union Jack Classic website

Mock Draft

SIMON CARROLL

Lead Writer, Head of Content

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST AND COVERS THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS FOR SB NATION.

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