Pezman played football at the University of Houston before becoming the school’s athletic director from 2017-2024. (Provided)

The college sports landscape has shifted dramatically recently, with NIL, conference realignment, revenue sharing, etc. Where is this all headed and will it ever reach some level of stability?

Honestly, I don’t think we’re there yet. College athletics has been through its most significant changes ever with the House settlement, NIL, College Football Playoff, realignment and student-athlete eligibility. For example, another round of realignment feels inevitable when the power conference television contracts expire in the early 2030s. Additionally, we need to get clarity related to the employment status of student-athletes, particularly related to the opportunity to collectively bargain future revenue sharing. Until we settle into this “new” way of business, we’re going to continue with the volatility.

How will Arkansas State remain competitive in the revenue-sharing era brought on by the House settlement, which allows schools to directly pay players through licensing deals?

Arkansas State Athletics has always found ways to succeed, and we will remain highly competitive in this new era. To do that, we must ensure we’re great stewards of the resources we manage as we embrace our One Pack initiative. We have exceptional institutional alignment with our One Pack vision, and our fans and donors are an especially important part of making that vision a reality. It is important to us that we have a partnership with our community, and we will foster that partnership through trust, transparency and communication.

The revenue-sharing cap is $20.5 million in 2025-26. How much does A-State plan to share with student-athletes? And where will that revenue come from?

The amount will continue to fluctuate as we strive to provide the largest amount possible without compromising our overall resources for our student-athletes. We believe the amount we’re providing is similar to our peers in the Group of Five. Specifically, our One Pack initiative is a major component, but we must continue to develop and enhance revenue streams and be efficient financially, all while ensuring we’re providing our student-athletes, coaches and staff with the resources they need to succeed in the classroom, in the community and in competition.

The Red Wolves will play the Razorbacks in football for the first time this year. Do you see this as a one-time game or a game that ought to be played regularly?

We’d love to play this game on a regular basis! This game will be great for the state of Arkansas and is already generating a lot of excitement and will be a great college football environment for the fans.

What attracted you to A-State?

Initially, I was attracted to the brand and outstanding reputation Arkansas State has as a tremendous university within a great community. During the process, I continued to hear more and more about the amazing people at Arkansas State and in Jonesboro, and that has been as good as advertised. Finally, and this is extremely important, it became clear that there was tremendous alignment with our university leadership at the campus and system levels and the board of trustees. Along with the outstanding vision of our chancellor, Dr. Todd Shields, system president, Dr. Brendan Kelly, and the board of trustees, that is very exciting.

What’s a principle you refuse to compromise on, even when it’s costly?

Doing things with integrity will always be one of my foundational principles, and that’s the way we will operate at Arkansas State. We will take pride in doing things the right way, and there are a lot of things that go into that — not just integrity. Good things tend to happen when you take that approach, whether it’s professionally or personally.

What traits and skills make a good collegiate athletic director?

Obviously, everyone has different strengths, but the most successful ADs have strong interpersonal skills and can navigate a dynamic environment in real time.

Texas State recently announced it is leaving the Sun Belt for the PAC-12. What conference realignment developments do you see on the horizon for A-State and the Sun Belt?

We are proud members of the Sun Belt Conference, which is a respected league that recently replaced Texas State with Louisiana Tech, positioning itself well to handle any future realignment.

What do you want student-athletes to gain from playing sports?

We want to ensure we’re helping them become the best version of themselves as they mature academically, socially and athletically while they earn their degree from Arkansas State University.

What is an unexpected or underappreciated aspect of being a college athletic director?

I don’t think it’s unexpected or underappreciated, but the relationships we develop are an extremely rewarding part of the business. While they’re all a little different, the relationships we’re able to build within an athletics department, on campus and in the community are all special and valued. The nature of the AD position creates fantastic opportunities to make connections with a lot of great people.

How do you like to unwind away from work?

I exercise daily, play golf when I have time, and ride my motorcycle when it’s cooler.

Arkansas wide receiver Dazmin James (83) in action during a football game against Tennessee in 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Buscher)

The monetization of name, image and likeness has transformed college athletics, but the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville is trying to bring some accountability to the chaos.

In April, freshman quarterback Madden Iamaleava left the Razorbacks after just four months to enroll at UCLA, joining his brother, Nico, who had transferred from Tennessee. UA Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek almost immediately told Blueprint Sports, the national company that runs the Razorbacks’ NIL collective, Arkansas Edge, to go after the money in the buyout clause of Iamaleava’s contract.

Blueprint Sports hired Tom Mars, a prominent sports attorney in Rogers who has represented collectives, coaches and players. Coincidentally, Mars represented former UA football coach Bret Bielema in his buyout clause dispute with the Razorback Foundation in 2020.

Now he is in Arkansas’ corner to enforce the NIL buyout language in contracts signed by Iamaleava and wide receiver Dazmin James, who transferred to California after this past season.

“In this new era of collegiate athletics, contracts with student-athletes are going to be a critical tool,” Yurachek said in an email to Arkansas Business. “Like all agreements, there are two parties that sign them, and it will be important for both sides to be held accountable. Across our industry everyone is looking for consistency and stability and enforcing contracts can be a huge step in achieving both.”

Mars said UA’s legal actions against Iamaleava and James, who saw little playing time in two seasons, are being watched by other athletic directors and collectives across the NCAA. He declined to speak to any specifics or the status of the cases involving the two former players.

“I really admired Hunter Yurachek for coming out and being the first one to really come out and take a leadership role on this because that required courage,” Mars said. “I’ve known enough other head coaches and ADs, and they’re basically saying, ‘[Yurachek] did what we really wanted to do, but our university board was reluctant.’ They’re all still waiting to see what’s gonna happen.”

A Question of Honor

The monetary stake is the $200,000 that the UA says Iamaleava owes the collective to buy out his NIL contract.

Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports reported that Iamaleava had received $100,000 of his $500,000 contract, which stated he owed half of what remained if he left the university. Mars said every contract has consequences for breaking them and it was “dishonorable” for an athlete to renege.

“I can say every contract that I have seen that I have advised a collective client about has been, in my opinion, an enforceable contract,” said Mars, who has represented approximately 70 collectives. “I think it’s kind of dishonorable [for an athlete] to say ‘I knew I had to pay part of this back, it’s in black and white, it couldn’t be more clear, but it’s unenforceable.’ Well, when did you start thinking it was unenforceable?

“How do you think these boosters feel about their money going to a young man, not on a handshake, but with a written contract. Nobody ever said they couldn’t leave, but they just have to honor the contract. To take that money and not do anything but just leave is dishonorable. It’s wrong. It’s not an honorable thing to do.”

Attorney Darren Heitner of Miami, who represents James, said the UA and its collective didn’t suffer any monetary damages when his client left. Heitner said in a social media post in April that James had just signed a contract but transferred before receiving any money.

When contacted by Arkansas Business, Heitner declined to comment further.

“My position is that the buyout clause in the agreement is unenforceable, as written and applied, under Arkansas state law,” Heitner wrote in April. “For liquidated damages to be valid, they must reasonably estimate potential damages and apply when actual damages are hard to determine. Here, since Dazmin James received no payment and the agreement was terminated just a few days after execution, [Blueprint Sports] suffered no harm. Thus, the clause appears to be a penalty rather than a fair estimation of damages, making it unenforceable.”

Mars disputes that opinion.

“One of the common defenses — I guess this is really a Twitter lawyer defense more than a factual defense — is these liquidated damages provisions aren’t enforceable,” Mars said. “Well, maybe there are some I haven’t seen that are not enforceable, but what I have seen are absolutely enforceable.”

He’s also learned from his uncle, Pascal Rheaume, Manon’s younger brother. Pascal was an undrafted forward who played 318 NHL games with six teams through nine seasons from 1996-2006 and won a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2003.

“The thing that sticks with me is, everyone does a lot, especially when you get to older levels, and it’s about who’s going to do more,” Rheaume-Mullen said. “How are you going to get that extra advantage when there’s a day you feel like (garbage) or your legs are heavy. How are you still going to dominate and be the best player on the ice? So just all those little habits add up, too.”

Rheaume-Mullen started skating when he was around 18 months old. His mother took him on the ice in his skates and helmet, with a pacifier in his mouth and his blankie in his hand. He began taking full skating lessons at the age of 3.

“Ever since I can remember, I’ve been skating,” he said. “It’s just been my passion, and it’s a hobby for me, too. I love it.”

He was 10 years old when he decided he’d had enough of being in goal and wanted to be a skater. It was after The Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament in Edmonton. He didn’t play much and “it was so hard on him,” Rheaume said.

“He was like, ‘I never want to feel like this again.’ It just switched how much work he wanted to do, training as much as possible. He would be sometimes annoying me in the house because he would pretend to be skating and stickhandling. He just wanted to play and be better. He doesn’t like to not be good at something.”

He’d played some forward during his goalie years and enjoyed practicing more as a skater. Rheaume said she admitted it was a “big relief” when he stopped playing goalie.

“I think it saved my mom from having a heart attack because every game she’s watching my older brother, she gets super nervous, I can’t even talk to her,” Rheaume-Mullen said. “So she was pretty pumped when I switched.”

He left an impression on the Sabres at development camp, who saw “good, promising things” from him, according to Mair. Now he’s ready to carry what he learned there and from his first year in college into his sophomore season at Michigan.

“You can’t just skate and then work out and then do whatever you want after,” Rheaume-Mullen said. “It takes so much more than that to be a pro. I think that’s what NHL players are so good at. … That’s a big thing I’m going to take with me.”

MINNEAPOLIS — It wouldn’t come as too much of a shock if the top line for the United States in the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship is a familiar one.

James Hagens, the playmaking forward who was chosen No. 7 by the Boston Bruins in the 2025 NHL Draft, centered a line with left wing Teddy Stiga (Nashville Predators) and right wing Brodie Ziemer (Buffalo Sabres) in the opener for USA White during the World Junior Summer Showcase at Ridder Arena on Sunday.

If the trio sounds familiar, it should. The Stiga-Hagens-Ziemer line wreaked havoc on the opposition for USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team in 2023-24.

“It’d be nice playing with those guys but you’re not the coach and you don’t know what lines are going to be put together,” Hagens said. “What I liked about the line (with the NTDP) was there were no egos, just being able to go out there and play freely. We’re best buddies off the ice, so being able to have that connection where you could talk to a guy, could say something, it’s just awesome. That’s a huge part of hockey, and if you’re communicating with your linemates, it just makes it that much easier.”

They were up to their old tricks in a scrimmage against Finland, combining for five points, including two goals by Stiga, in a 5-2 victory.

“Obviously, playing with [Hagens and Ziemer] at NTDP was great and getting back out there with them today was really fun,” Stiga said. “Obviously, I play with James at Boston College, but Brodie is a guy I miss playing with. He’s just a dog out there, always going to give it his best.”

Here are three things learned Sunday: