Clemson vs. ACC Discussed on Day 2 of Spring Meetings

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — The main topics addressed at the ACC’s Spring Meetings centered on how the league is adapting to the changing landscape in college athletics.

NCAA President Charlie Baker spoke with the ACC’s top brass on Monday about many topics, including his proposed athlete compensation model in the House vs. the NCAA settlement.

“How is that going to affect our models, investments, NIL and how all that is currently tied together? How could that look in the future as we try to be proactive as a league,” Clemson Athletic Director Graham Neff said to The Clemson Insider Tuesday at the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island.

Neff said the league is strategizing how to combat the course ahead and what the future of collegiate athletics might look like in the years to come.

“There has never been a more dynamic time in college athletics than the last three years,” Neff said. “I anticipate that change to continue.”

Those with whom TCI spoke with the last two days in Amelia Island have been very impressed with President Baker and his vision for the NCAA. Virginia head football coach Tony Elliott said Baker took his time explaining how the proposed athlete compensation model might work, while Florida State’s Mike Norvell was impressed with how Baker took the time to speak with as many people as he could.

“He was in front of all of our football and basketball coaches and (administrators). He was really candid and really impressive,” Neff said. “He comes from a different background, obviously as a teacher and governor, private and public businessman. He as a very unique lens on the current state of college athletics and understands the opportunities that have to be reformed and reshaped ahead.”

As for the ACC, there has not been much discussion about Clemson’s and FSU’s lawsuits against the ACC. Elliott said there was too much other stuff to do for anybody to really discuss it.

FSU athletic director Michael Alford said he has not been asked to leave the room at any time in the meetings. As for any chatter about FSU or Clemson wanting to leave the ACC, he said he has addressed it with the room and with his colleagues, but other than that the discussions have been about scheduling, how to improve the conference and how they are going to keep investing and improving in football.

When learning of Clemson following FSU and suing the ACC, too, Alford was not terribly surprised.

“We are looking at two institutions that want success, and see the changing environment in collegiate sports and want programs to compete at the very top level,” he said. “Understand, us wanting to compete at that top level, we need to have our options available. I’m speaking really for Florida State that we need to have our options open.

“I’m assuming that Clemson is also looking at the same same model that’s going on in the collegiate landscape and want their programs to compete at a national level. At an elite national level.”

Neff says the ACC continues to show its investment in football, knowing it is the driver for the industry and the league.

“Commissioner (Jim) Phillips has been really consistent with that in his tenure, as far as the investment and priority narrative and ultimately success of football,” Clemson’s director of athletics said. “That continues to be our calling card. I think the ACC has certainly been adaptive as it relates to success initiatives and incentivizing success, specifically football.”

Phillips will speak with the school’s athletic directors on Wednesday before addressing the state of the league with the media to close the spring meetings.

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