Louisiana Tech’s Eric Wood appointed to NCAA Football Oversight Committee

RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech VP and Director of Athletics Eric Wood has been appointed to the Division I NCAA Football Oversight Committee.

Wood’s tenure begins immediately and will run through June of 2022. He will serve as the Conference USA representative on the committee, taking over for former Marshall AD Mike Hamrick.

The 22-year veteran of collegiate athletic administration was the first minority Director of Athletics in Tech history and the first African-American Vice President in University history.

After being named to his current position at Tech last October, Wood helped guide the University’s athletic program through a challenging year in college athletics. Despite those challenges, LA Tech saw plenty of team and individual success stories on and off the playing fields.

Tech football participated in its seventh straight bowl game, Bulldog basketball won the C-USA West Division title and advanced to the NIT Final Four, Lady Techster bowling earned its highest program ranking ever and a national seed in the NCAA Championships, and Bulldog baseball captured the C-USA West Division title and hosted its first ever NCAA Regional.

Off the field, Tech saw athletic departments single year records set in most CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees (almost doubling its previous mark), and the highest percentage of its student-athletes named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

Tech Athletics also saw records set in baseball and softball season ticket sales as well as tremendous growth within LTAC and philanthropic giving.

“It’s an honor for me to represent Louisiana Tech and Conference USA on the NCAA Football Oversight Committee,” said Wood. “Although college football has a tradition-rich history that spans in excess of one hundred years, the game is ever evolving. I think we are at an important juncture in college athletics history, and I look forward to working alongside my colleagues and other leadership within the NCAA to help determine the direction of college football.”
The NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee will ensure that appropriate oversight of football for both the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) is maintained; enhance the development of the sport; and make recommendations related to regular-season and postseason football.

The Football Oversight Committee will prioritize enhancement of the student-athlete educational experience (academically and athletically), and in doing so, promote student-athletes’ personal growth and leadership development. It will work in conjunction with appropriate governance entities to provide solutions to issues impacting the health and safety of football student-athletes.

The Football Oversight Committee will supervise procedures for licensing of postseason bowls and qualifications and/or selection procedures for the FCS Championship. The Football Oversight Committee will review recommendations from the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee and process other issues related to the administration of the FCS Championship.

The Football Oversight Committee will assume many of the duties of the former NCAA Division I Football Issues Committee and will provide direction to the NCAA Football Rules Committee regarding playing rules governing FBS and FCS football. The Football Oversight Committee will be comprised of representatives from each divisional subgroup that sponsors football.

Current FBS voting members of the Football Oversight Committee include: Doug Gillin (Appalachian State/Sun Belt), Heather Lyke (Pittsburgh/ACC), Hunter Yuracheck (Arkansas/SEC), Mark Alnutt (Buffalo/MAC), Mark Harlan (Utah/PAC-12), Sandy Barbour (Penn State/Big Ten), Terrance Tumey (Fresno State/Mountain West), Troy Dannen (Tulane/AAC), Mack Rhoades (Baylor/Big 10).