Posted on August 2, 2026

 

Preparing for the 2026–2027 College Athletics Season Through the OCP Global Access Initiative

By Dr. Keith Adams, Ed.D., CMAA
Founder & President, CKA SAVE Project
Host & Executive Producer, Odd Coaches Podcast

  

Every August, college athletics begins a new season.

New coaches arrive.

New student-athletes pursue lifelong dreams.

Expectations are reset.

Championships are imagined.

Yet while fans focus on the scoreboard, the most important stories often unfold long before the opening kickoff or tipoff.

They are the stories of leadership.

Of mentorship.

Of education.

Of the people preparing young men and women for success long after the final whistle.

Those are the stories the Odd Coaches Podcast (OCP) exists to tell.

As we enter our sixth year of weekly programming, we do so with a renewed commitment to expanding thoughtful, relationship-driven coverage throughout collegiate athletics through the OCP Global Access Initiative.

More importantly, we continue advancing the mission of the CKA SAVE Project: helping student-athletes achieve academic, athletic, and professional success.

The Odd Coaches Podcast is more than a media platform—it is the public voice of that mission.

Every interview, feature story, and leadership conversation is designed to educate, inform, and elevate the conversations shaping the future of college athletics.

 

Trust Is Earned

Media credibility is never granted.

It is earned.

One interview at a time.

One relationship at a time.

One season at a time.

Since launching the Odd Coaches Podcast, we have produced:

• More than 800 podcast episodes
• More than 1,000 original videos
• Hundreds of interviews with coaches, athletic directors, conference commissioners, student-athletes, educators, researchers, and national leaders
• Year-round programming covering leadership, education, coaching, and college athletics

While many media outlets chase the biggest headline of the day, we have focused on building something far more valuable:

Trust.

That trust has become our greatest credential.

At the CKA SAVE Project, we often say that success extends Beyond the Scholarship.

That philosophy guides every aspect of the Odd Coaches Podcast.

Our goal is not simply to report on college athletics.

Our goal is to document the leadership, educational practices, and organizational cultures that prepare student-athletes for life beyond competition.

 

Experience Creates Better Questions

The strength of the Odd Coaches Podcast lies in the people leading the conversations.

Our growing Cavalcade of Stars brings together championship coaches, former student-athletes, educational leaders, attorneys, researchers, broadcasters, administrators, and analytics professionals who understand college athletics from multiple perspectives.

  

Featured contributors include:

• Kelly Jordan — Award-winning broadcast producer and production leader
• Dr. Jamel K. Donnor — Professor of Education at William & Mary specializing in sports leadership and policy
• Robert Abney — Current Official, Former athletic administrator and educational consultant
• Folarin Campbell — George Mason Final Four participant, former professional player, and current coach
• Will Cotton — Sports analytics consultant
• George Awkard — Former Division I student-athlete and athletic director
• Kassandra Ramsey — Sports and entertainment attorney and President of The Drake Group
• Danny Thompson — National basketball analyst and elite trainer
• François "FD" Zebaze — FIBA-certified coach and international basketball analyst

...along with many other respected leaders throughout athletics and education.

  

Collectively, our contributors represent decades of experience across coaching, education, administration, law, research, and media.

That experience changes the questions we ask.

Rather than focusing solely on wins and losses, we explore leadership decisions, organizational culture, student-athlete development, academic success, and the educational mission that drives successful athletic programs.

We don't simply ask what happened.

We ask why it happened.

More importantly, we ask what today's leaders can learn from it.

 

A Different Kind of Sports Media

College athletics deserves thoughtful journalism.

Too often, today's sports media rewards outrage over insight.

The loudest opinion receives the most attention.

The quickest reaction outpaces thoughtful analysis.

The Odd Coaches Podcast has intentionally chosen a different path.

 

Our editorial philosophy is simple:

• Conversation over confrontation
• Context over controversy
• Credibility over clicks
• Leadership over noise
• Education over entertainment

 

Our objective has never been to create viral moments.

Our objective is to create meaningful conversations that help coaches, administrators, educators, student-athletes, and fans better understand the complexities of modern college athletics.

 

From Digital Coverage to National Presence

The evolution of the Odd Coaches Podcast has reached an exciting milestone.

Through the OCP Global Access Initiative, we have expanded from a digital media platform into a credentialed national media organization providing on-site coverage of collegiate athletics and leadership events.

 

Recent coverage includes:

• Georgetown Men's Basketball
• 2026 MEAC Football Media Day
• NCAA Men's Final Four
• National coaching conventions
• Educational leadership symposiums

These experiences have reinforced something we have long believed:

The most meaningful stories rarely happen during the game.

They happen inside meeting rooms.

Hallways.

Press conferences.

Leadership summits.

Academic discussions.

Those conversations deserve thoughtful coverage.

 

Why Access Matters

Media credentials are not awards.

They are responsibilities.

Access creates opportunities to provide context, thoughtful interviews, informed reporting, and meaningful storytelling that benefits institutions, conferences, coaches, student-athletes, and fans.

Every conference invests significant resources into telling its story.

Sports Information Directors and Athletic Communications professionals work tirelessly to provide access while maintaining professionalism and integrity.

The Odd Coaches Podcast shares those same values.

When entrusted with access, our commitment is simple:

• Arrive prepared.
• Respect institutional policies.
• Represent organizations accurately.
• Highlight educational leadership.
• Produce content that serves the college athletics community.

Professionalism is not simply how we operate.

It is who we are.

 

More Than Games

At the CKA SAVE Project, we believe the true measure of athletic success extends well beyond championships.

It is reflected in:

• Academic achievement
• Leadership development
• Career readiness
• Personal growth
• Organizational excellence
• Lasting impact

That philosophy shapes every interview we conduct and every story we choose to tell.

Our coverage explores issues that define successful athletic departments, including:

• Leadership development
• Coaching philosophy
• Organizational culture
• Student-athlete well-being
• Academic success
• NIL and Transfer Portal evolution
• Athletic administration
• Sports governance
• Professional development

These conversations may not always dominate national headlines.

But they shape the future of college athletics.

 

Independent Journalism Matters

The Odd Coaches Podcast operates with complete editorial independence.

Although produced by the CKA SAVE Project, our editorial decisions remain independent of donors, sponsors, conferences, institutions, and strategic partners.

Our responsibility is to our audience.

Our commitment is to accuracy, fairness, professionalism, educational value, and respectful dialogue.

That independence allows us to ask meaningful questions while maintaining trusted relationships throughout college athletics.

 

Recognition Creates Responsibility

Earlier this year, I was deeply honored to receive the 2026 Drake Group Education Fund Exceptional Service Award.

I view that recognition not simply as a personal achievement, but as affirmation of the values that guide both the CKA SAVE Project and the Odd Coaches Podcast—leadership, educational advocacy, research, and meaningful dialogue.

Those same values shape every interview we conduct.

Our objective is never to generate controversy.

Our objective is to elevate the conversation.

 

Looking Ahead to 2026–2027 Season

The upcoming college athletics season presents tremendous opportunities to expand thoughtful, leadership-centered journalism.

Through the OCP Global Access Initiative, we intend to increase our in-person coverage of:

• NCAA Division I Football
• NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Basketball
• Conference media days
• Regular-season competition
• Conference championships
• National coaching conventions
• Leadership symposiums
• Educational conferences

Our purpose is not simply to attend events.

Our purpose is to contribute to the conversation.

Every interview becomes another opportunity to preserve the stories that shape college athletics.

Every credential becomes another opportunity to serve coaches, administrators, student-athletes, and fans through thoughtful journalism.

 

An Invitation to College Athletics

To every Conference Commissioner...

Every Sports Information Director...

Every Athletic Communications professional...

Every Athletic Director...

Every coach...

Thank you.

Thank you for your leadership.

Thank you for your partnership.

Thank you for your commitment to developing student-athletes and strengthening higher education through athletics.

We understand that media access is earned through preparation, professionalism, consistency, and trust.

The Odd Coaches Podcast welcomes the opportunity to continue earning that trust.

Our promise is simple.

We will arrive prepared.

We will ask thoughtful questions.

We will represent your institution professionally.

We will highlight the leaders behind the performances.

And we will continue telling the stories that too often go untold.

Because while championships define seasons,

Leadership defines legacies.

We look forward to partnering with conferences, institutions, and athletic departments that believe those stories deserve to be told.

We hope to see you on campus.

 

About the Odd Coaches Podcast

The Odd Coaches Podcast is the official educational media initiative of the CKA SAVE Project, an independent national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to helping student-athletes achieve academic, athletic, and professional success.

Through weekly programming, original research, leadership interviews, educational commentary, and the OCP Global Access Initiative, the podcast provides year-round coverage of coaching, leadership, higher education, and collegiate athletics while advancing the CKA SAVE Project's mission of preparing student-athletes for success Beyond the Scholarship.

 

Editorial Independence Statement

The Odd Coaches Podcast maintains complete editorial control over its content and coverage. Editorial decisions are made independently and are not influenced by sponsors, donors, conferences, institutions, or strategic partners.

 

Media Contact

CKA SAVE Project

Email: [email protected]

Follow the Odd Coaches Podcast:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@oddcoachespodcast

X: @oddcoaches, @ckasaveproject

Instagram: @ckasaveproject

TikTok: @ckasaveproject

One Goal: Balance. One Result: Success.