In the past 10 months, Washington State has hired a men’s basketball coach, athletic director and football coach. It has appointed a chancellor and, in recent weeks, welcomed two new members to the board of regents.
Those six positions equal one Elizabeth “call me Betsy” Cantwell.
Cantwell was appointed president of the Washington State University system last week and, in that position, has oversight of the Pullman campus. Which means she will play a critical role in determining the future trajectory of the Cougars’ athletic department in general and the football program specifically.
This is a challenging time for WSU, if you haven’t heard. The Cougars are in the midst of rebuilding the Pac-12 and navigating changes to the NCAA economic model that will add millions of dollars per year to the budget and determine their level of success on the field.
If they get it right, the reward could be an invitation to join whatever version of college football emerges in the 2030s.
If the leadership is poor, the consequences could last forever.
“Washington State should be thrilled with Betsy; she’s a great fit,” former Arizona president Robert Robbins told the Hotline earlier this week.
Robbins should know. He hired Cantwell in 2019 to serve as Arizona’s senior vice president for research and innovation and held many conversations with outgoing WSU president Kirk Schulz during their time together on the Pac-12’s board of directors.
In the Venn diagram of executives who have worked with Cantwell, are familiar with WSU’s challenges and understand the broader college sports landscape, Robbins belongs in the intersecting circle.
In fact, he might be the only occupant.
“She’s incredibly bright and a quick study,” he said. “At Arizona, she didn’t have direct responsibility for athletics. But she was on my senior leadership team, and we talked about (athletics) a lot. She’d always come to games and sit in my box. She understands the importance of college athletics on university life.”
For sustained success and a secure future in college football’s next edition, nothing is more important than a president who grasps the power of athletics to enhance campus life.
There’s just one problem: It’s often difficult to know exactly how a new campus leader will react once he or she begins regular interaction with the faculty and the board of regents and the donors and the faculty and the student advocacy groups and the faculty.
Washington State isn’t the only legacy Pac-12 school undergoing massive change at the top. Across the state, Washington just hired Robert Jones from Illinois. Arizona has a new president. So does UCLA. Same with Cal, Stanford and Colorado. And USC will have a new boss later this year.
The turnover rate for presidents and chancellors is comparable to that of football coaches — “There are just so many stakeholders to serve when you’re in that position,” Robbins said — and success is equally difficult to predict.
Also, the job is about to get more difficult.
If the settlement to the House v. NCAA antitrust lawsuit is approved this spring, the major football-playing schools will have the option to share as much as $20.5 million annually with athletes starting in 2025-26.
Of that, $15 million (approximately) likely will be earmarked for football players.
Schools in the rebuilt Pac-12 probably won’t max out — they lack the media revenue to support a budget that can withstand the expense. But every dollar the Cougars devote to revenue sharing at some level will bolster their talent acquisition efforts and provide a better chance to compete for the Pac-12 title and a playoff berth.
Failing to muster the needed resources almost assuredly will lead to a mediocre product, which could undercut fan engagement, temper ticket sales and, potentially, create a death spiral for WSU football.
Cantwell is familiar with the stakes, not only from her time in Tucson but also her most recent job. As Utah State’s president for 18 months, she was a driving force behind the push for an invitation to join the Cougars in the rebuilt Pac-12.
“Washington State has a long, deep history,” Robbins said, “and it’s very important for the president to understand and be involved in athletics. It’s so much the front porch of any university.
“Betsy got experience on the front lines at Utah State. She had to hire an athletic director (and football and men’s basketball coaches). She lived the Pac-12 situation vicariously through me. And now she’s dealing with leaving the Mountain West.”
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Why did Cantwell push for membership in the new Pac-12? Because the Pac-12’s media rights deal will be more lucrative than the Mountain West’s agreement and the Pac-12’s brand is stronger than the Mountain West’s brand.
The stronger brand and larger revenue base offer Utah State a greater chance for success.
It’s the same story — exactly the same story — in Pullman.
Every opening to generate more resources is an opportunity that cannot be wasted, because resources lead to wins and wins help the university to thrive.
For a school that has been whacked by a 22 percent decline in enrollment since 2019, media exposure is critical.
“Life is going to be very different for universities and athletic departments going forward,” Robbins said in reference to the revenue-sharing model. “Having a president who understands college sports is paramount.
“I don’t care if it’s the Final Four or the College World Series or the football playoff, having your sports teams in those events on TV is one of the most effective marketing things you can do for the university.
“Students want to be at a place with pride and spirit. They want to be part of something bigger than just their studies.”
It’s a complicated, costly, politically charged process that cannot succeed — anywhere — without the right president in place.
The Cougars just signed their most important transfer.
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