Q&A with Liberty AD Ian McCaw Part 1: Conference USA

We had the privilege of speaking with Liberty Athletic Director Ian McCaw at length about the state of the Liberty Athletic program. We delved into a vast array of topics, focusing on the move of the athletic program from the ASUN into Conference USA. We also touched on several topics surrounding Liberty football, men’s basketball, and other programs on the Mountain.

This will be a multi-part series we release this week. Today’s feature focuses on the move to Conference USA, which became official on July 1.

ASOR: July 1 marks the first day of being in Conference USA, what are your thoughts and the tenor of the entire athletic department as you prepare for that move?

Ian McCaw: Over the past year, we have had Conference USA preparedness meetings with all of our sports to really get acclimated and discuss everything from recruiting, travel, competition. I feel we are really well prepared to make the move. It is going to be a heightened level of competition and we are excited about that, we are ready for that.”

“It’s going to be tremendous television exposure, unlike we’ve ever had before with eight linear games for football. Our television partners being ESPN and CBS Sports are going to give us exposure that our programs have never had. We are excited about that, as well. There’s an opportunity to really brand Liberty more than we have ever been able to do so previously on a national scale. I think all of those things are going to be really exciting for us.”

ASOR: What are some of the highlights of some of the other sports and the exposure they will get on TV in CUSA?

Ian McCaw: “The men’s basketball package will be substantial. We will find out exactly what that means here later in the summer for our program. Linear broadcasts for championships in baseball, softball, and some other programs, women’s basketball, there will just be a lot more national exposure that we haven’t had in the past.”

ASOR: There will be a full round robin schedule for football this year, is that also the plan for men’s and women’s basketball and some other sports?

Ian McCaw: “We will play eight games in football this year. Then in ’24, when Kennesaw comes on, we will have eight as well, there will be eight conference games. Basketball will be a double round robin, so this year will be 16 games, we’ll move to 18 games in ’24-’25. I believe we are playing 10 series in baseball and softball. Again, a good amount of competition. I think our teams are really looking forward to developing some rivalries with the Conference USA members and also traveling to some destinations we haven’t been in before. We will get in some markets, some states, that we haven’t had exposure in before. Getting into Texas will be something that will be very attractive for us.”

ASOR: With Kennesaw State being added to make 10 CUSA members, do you anticipate additional expansion for the league?

Ian McCaw: “I think everyone feels really good about the 10. Getting from 9 to 10 was important, we heard that from our television partners and also just from a stability standpoint getting to 10. Unless there is someone that comes along that really adds value, I don’t know there is a need to go beyond 10. I think we feel really good about where we are for ’24-’25. Conference realignment is something that is constantly out there. The only thing that is certain is that there will be more conference realignment at some point in the future, but I think we feel really confident about where we are today.”

ASOR: How were the spring CUSA meetings?

Ian McCaw: “It was good. Kennesaw was there, so to have all 10 future members there was really good. A lot of it was relationship building, getting to know the other administrators and coaches and faculty reps. It was a really good time for us. My biggest takeaway was relationship building, getting to know the other members of the conference and just the general feeling of excitement about where we are headed in the future.”

ASOR: What should be fans’ expectations, what are your expectations moving into CUSA for all sports?

Ian McCaw: “Our expectations are that we are going to be competing for championships in every program and we are going to win our fair share of those. Certainly, as it relates to football, our goal every year will be to compete to go to a bowl game, compete for a conference championship, and then beginning in 2024 compete to be the highest ranked Group of Five program that gets access to the College Football Playoff. That’s what we will be in football. In men’s basketball, we will be competing for conference championships and postseason opportunities, be it the NCAA Tournament or the NIT. I think those will be constants for us.”