Grand Canyon University jolted the world of college sports this week, announcing that it would join the Mountain West Conference much earlier than planned.
The move follows a series of other significant changes to the school's sports programs.
Jamie Boggs, GCU’s vice president of athletics, joined The Show to discuss.
Full conversation
SAM DINGMAN: So GCU was planning to join the Mountain West Conference in 2026. Why move up the timeline?
JAMIE BOGGS: Well, we, we were invited to a different conference and decided to decline that invitation and we needed a place to play this year and, you know, considering that we are moving into the Mountain West, we planned to in 2026, we thought with, with the great universities that are the members of the conference, why not try to get in a little bit earlier? And very fortunate that Commissioner [Gloria] Nevarez and the member institutions gave us that opportunity.
DINGMAN: Why decline the other invitation?
BOGGS: Well, the opportunity for the Mountain West is one we just could not turn down. It's just a, the Mountain West has a very strong, is very strong in multiple sports. And pretty much top 10 in most of the sports that we compete in from a conference standpoint at the 30 conferences and the brands and the name brands of the institutions in the conference were just just an opportunity we couldn't, couldn't turn down.
It also set up, set us up from a financial perspective where we could really grow our brand and there was an opportunity for exposure as well with the TV contracts that were available in the Mountain West.
DINGMAN: So you mentioned that it's a, it's a competitive conference. There are schools like Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State, Fresno State in the conference currently. But as I know, you know, a lot of the teams in that conference are leaving next year for the PAC-12.
So what do you make of the future of the conference and, and GCU's competitive place?
BOGGS: Well, the vision of the conference and the foot from the conference and the competition there are still extremely strong and you know we're very data-driven as a university. We run the numbers and we know what strength the schedules and the RPIs and of all the universities, and we love that what what is staying in the Mountain West, it's a very strong conference, definitely a significant step up from where we were, although we really appreciate our time and opportunities that we were given in the Western Athletic Conference.
But, even with the schools that are departing, I mean, the, the New Mexico fan base is just incredible. We have an incredible fan base, so the opportunity to bring those schools together and, and have a great game day environment. They have great facilities, great fan bases, so we're really excited about the future of the Mountain West.
DINGMAN: Can you talk a little bit about the practical implications of a change like this because, you know, people might see the headlines and just think, oh, OK, they're kind of moving one column into another one.
What does it actually mean, you know, from the lived experience of a student athlete in terms of travel schedules, I guess competitive environment would be part of it, types of fans you're going to be encountering on the road. How do you think about that part of it?
BOGGS: It impacts every, pretty much every area. You think about just from a recruiting standpoint and how your team roster looks. It's a different style of play for several sports. It's different altitude, climate's different.
DINGMAN: Right. Yeah, sure.
BOGGS: And also you can get a, a kind of another even level and, and we are, I want to say, we have outstanding student-athletes right now, but it does bring another level of competition that attracts a different type of student-athletes. So from a recruiting strategy, from scheduling strategy, because the Mountain West, there's several at-large opportunities in multiple sports and so you have to think about how your non-conference schedule looks and how do you ensure you have an at-large opportunity, throughout the, you know, and not just have to win the and still play tournament from a marketing standpoint, and attendance standpoint and in-game standpoint, there are very passionate fan bases and they travel really well.
So how do we ensure that our game day still is, we still get that home court advantage with our fan base and , you know, with the Havocs, our very passionate student section, I don't worry about it, but I know they're, they're really excited about bringing up another level.
DINGMAN: Let me ask you, you know, speaking of some of the changes that have been happening in college sports, the House settlement was approved and went into effect about a week ago, and GCU opted into paying student-athletes as a result of that settlement.
Does that decision factor into this conference change decision at all?
BOGGS: You know, it's just the changing landscape and yes, we, we did opt in for the opportunity to give a direct Name Image and Likeness opportunities for the student-athletes and it's really just the landscape of college athletics right now. I don't think it's it you really can't be competitive in this space without providing those opportunities for student-athletes
And, and you know, the thing that we're trying to do is make sure that the opportunities that are, are given really still align with our, with our mission as a Christian, really service-oriented university. So we're very thankful for the businesses and donors who are supportive of our student-athletes and giving them NIL opportunities at the same time.
We know that the heart of who we are as a, as a university that serves the community. So we try to do opportunities where our student-athletes can serve at schools and serve at hospitals and, and have some a community aspect to it. And that's, that's how we are navigating this NIL space.
DINGMAN: Just about 30 seconds left, VP Boggs. What, if anything, have you heard, I know this change just happened, from student-athletes about this decision?
BOGGS: There is a tremendous amount of excitement to be a part of the Mountain West. Our coaches were telling us yesterday just there was just an air of excitement and, and a renewed level of passion to continue to, our trajectory of winning championships. We won 76 championships in the WAC and we intend to do the same in the Mountain West.
