We are the 2022 @redbullgaming Collegiate Valorant World Champions!Shoutout to our super talented players that put up with my high energy 😂 Canada and Macedonia played great today as well! Shoutout to them also! Thanks to São Paulo, Brazil 🇧🇷 for being a great host country!

I’m happy to announce the next step in my career! I have joined NC State as their Esports Director! I am thrilled to be helping build out infrastructure + facilities needed for Esports at NC State. This will be a change for me with no coaching. I am beyond grateful!!!!🐺❤️

REDBULL CAMPUS CLUTCH, so much to say :( just deflated Read: twitlonger.com/show/n_1ss54n…

MAJOR UPDATE 🚩 After examining all of the evidence @redbullgaming has fixed the situation today. We are grateful for the fast deliberation even being a Sunday. We will be attending the regional with the other 4 teams. We truly appreciate the effort and help of everyone.

SNEAK PEEK: NC State Gaming and Esports Pilot Lab PC specs: i9-13900k, 4080, 64GB DDR5 5600MHZ RAM, 2TB NVME Monitor specs: 360HZ, 1MS, 25 INCH Excited for the opening this month! 🚀

A lot of “esports experts” loop viewers into the same conversation as fans, right now I would guess under 50,000 true professional esports fans exist. Viewers does not equal revenue for orgs. Most orgs are lucky to have 1,000 true fans buying merch every drop, interacting on social posts and more. You can’t monetize the current fandom enough right now to create profits in professional esports AND that is why you are seeing lower salaries coming in. 1.) the only way to make money is to have low salaries and low staff count combined with going into games with revenue share/skin deals. Partnership deals don’t make enough to cover high ops cost and high player cost. 2.) we are in a different world compared to traditional sports, we don’t have crowds for each game, we don’t control the IP, developers do, orgs are very much restricted on what they can do within the games they compete in. 3.) this will anger people but current pros don’t do enough content/streaming within the org structures and it needs to be added contractually. The majority of players do very little outside of showing up to a scrim blocks and playing a match. It also greatly benefits the players to create content, stream and build a brand for themselves. 4.) okay I’m kinda sick of the tier 2 complaining. I get it, we all want people to be paid and orgs to develop talent but tier 1 needs to be sustainable for orgs first. If you really want it fixed, developers have to invest heavily but that is also a big ask when nearly everyone is laying off people. Also from a dev standpoint they want more people playing the game in general and spending money on in game purchases, they will prioritize resources that way. 5.) VC money was burned through like wildfire and irresponsibly spent by individuals with little to 0 experience managing investments like that. It will take 10+ years to recover from this. 6.) collegiate esports is a great option, if you can manage tier 2 while pursuing a degree, do it. events will continue to grow, games will be developed and it’s a great time for those 2 areas, with orgs or not buildings will still be filled for tournaments and more but pro orgs and struggling to sustain. I am mostly excited to see the new generation of entrepreneurs and what companies will form at colleges to help solve these problems, as the “esports” generation gets older, the entire industry will grow and stabilize. (My opinion) we all just need to realize orgs will have to continue to make tough decisions to stay alive.

Big collegiate esports news, RIOT has implemented a new eligibility rule: Students may only compete in 5 academic years for CLoL and CVAL Thoughts?

Where are all of the fortnite players looking to play collegiate on scholarship?! 🐺 -our facility is tier 1 -speed test 1,000 down 900 up 4 ping -amazing education with insanely high job placement rates -fun super close family like environment -24 hours a day facility access

Out of curiosity how many people are looking to get a Masters degree that is interested in college Esports? 👀

Statement coming later tonight about Redbull Campus Clutch. Disgustingly run event, I feel bad for the students.

I’m thrilled for both Jacob and Aden, the program is in good hands! I will announce my new home later today. 2316 wins - 194 losses 2 World Championships 14 National Championships 50+ Conference/League Titles 5 years of memories and bonds formed. I am grateful for each player, this success is a result of their work. ❤️

Back from Brazil and to the most important coaching role aka being a dad. My son recently turned 3 and has shown interest in esports. A few weeks ago he started playing mercy in quick play, he watched our Valorant matches and tonight begged to play when I got home 1/3

LISTEN TO THIS! THIS..IS..ESPORTS! -Communication skills -Teamwork -Strategic planning -Passion Competitive Esports develops crucial team building skills and more. It’s time to break away from the negative stereotypes. We can all work together to pioneer Esports in education!🐺

HEY COLLEGIATE GAMERS. Now is the time to fix your sleep schedule. Don’t wait until the semester starts. Coach E’s advice of the week 👀

15k-25k Smash tournament prize pool, free entry possibly or as low as $30. How many people am I getting in Midland, Michigan if we end up doing this?

Hot take: Michigan is the best collegiate esports state competitively by far. It’s not even close. 👀

Super proud of the boys for pulling through. This team has ICE in their veins. We are the 2023 Collegiate Valorant National Champions, a special shout-out to the riot team for making this event special. ❤️ Flying my wife in was a great idea also, a special moment for us.

I don't think people REALLY understand how massive collegiate esports is going to become over the next 10 years. This will be a staple on every college campus eventually. Just wait for it.

$273,438 $200,000 S$175,800 $160,100 $140,000 $135,000 $121,319 $115,000 $110,000 $107,500 These are the 10 highest collegiate esports salaries from Antors list and from directors I personally know that want to be anonymous. AMAZING to see the direction the space is going! 🔥

High school esports teams! Im personally willing to help cover league fees for non high school leagues for your team if you were shut down by the current licensing issues while it’s sorted out! Dont let this stop you from playing together and pursing your passion! We can do this!

I’m this old… The real ones will know.

Our updated @NorthwoodEsport Varsity Overwatch roster for the spring semester: 🛡 @cowman711 🛡@AkashGGS 🛡 @SZNSOW ⚔️ @Dynasty_OW ⚔️ @N2Slol ⚔️ @tyler1wnl 💉 @Landon_OW 💉 @FishCake_OW 💉 @morb_ow 🐺 #wolfpack

The collegiate path to pro and collegiate push as an alternative is great to see but a few glaring issues exist. 1.) only a handful of colleges are investing with staff and financial aid to make it a reality 2.) the majority of programs that exist will still cost 20-40k a year with esports scholarships applied 3.) saying go to a varsity collegiate program can result in debt occurring each year 4) spots are very limited at all of these supported and invested programs, the true full-rides only exist at a small number of schools 5) Varsity wasn’t formed to churn out pros, it was primarily a vessel for small private colleges to increase enrollment and generate tuition revenue. This still is a great experience for most and worth considering 6) making college affordable by attending online and joining a collegiate program has been demonized by collegiate friend groups, you will face people trying to discredit your achievements. So many people are trying to get online students banned, who knows if you will be able to play the following year 😞 (esports is for everyone, you just need to be able to afford it in person) I am neutral on this now but people considering that route should know what they are in for We are far away from collegiate being a path to pro, I encourage anyone to look into it but check your numbers before you make decisions. I have had so many messages about tier 2 players seeing a 10k+ scholarship offer and getting a bill still over 30k, just do your research. A link below from @ColleagueGG shows a good range of what is out there (rocket league as the example)

Here is a sneak peek of the Northwood Esports training facility before the rest of the wall graphics and signs go up! 🐺 #wolfpack

I need some industry professionals from all aspects willing to be a guest speaker in our Esports management class this semester! If you are interested and would be willing please send me a DM! 🙏🏻

Scholastic spicy🌶️ take: We are in the golden era of low league dues, low entry fees and free to enter leagues. At some point in collegiate, fees WILL have to rise significantly for the space to truly be sustainable. The amount of teams/matches NECC, NACE, ESPORTSU operate is INSANE compared to traditional athletic conferences. From experience (D2 and LOWER) I can tell you that the annual dues for athletics conferences are 20k-30k minimum and schools are still responsible for travel and operational costs. These Esports conferences need more full-time staff to truly push content, streaming and more. The reality is raising fees will be a good thing because it will create a more sustainable product overall. If we want to continue growth and truly support these conferences we need to be okay with fees increasing.

Normalize more college esports matches and tournaments on the weekends. Students have class.

One aspect of our @NorthwoodEsport program I wanted to focus on was bringing in top talent in Esports…not just players but managers, casters, producers, designers and more. I’m super excited to have a soon to be announced person starting as a scholarshipped manager this spring!

Honestly this is great for Bert, if you love him as a player, appreciate the cup chance he is now getting, huge for him. I’m happy for him even if I don’t want him to leave.

Raleigh is going to become the top esports market in North America shortly, stay tuned for some insane announcements in the coming months.

What 2022 so far for Northwood: CRL World Champions CCL National Champions OW National Championship Runner-up @nacestarleague Valorant Nat Champ NECC Natty Champs X4 UGC Champs X3 Level Next Natty Champs EsportsU CECC Championship NACE National Champs X2 NECC Samsung Val Champs

Esports friends what are the best brands to work with on ordering: 60+ PCs 60+ Desks 60+ Chairs 60+ Keyboards 60+ Headsets 60+ Mice 60+ Monitors Drop some names or @‘s below! 👇🏻

Looking for people who would feel confident writing stories on collegiate Esports in the following games: LoL OW CoD Valorant Hearthstone Madden Rocket League CSGO

Cash at his first esports major!

This weekend CVAL/CLOL was primarily student operated and today’s broadcast was a true representation of what we can do and it’s only going to get better. I am so proud of the @NCState students + staff that made this event happen! These students stepped up and delivered! #GoPack

Spoke with 3 high schools today that have esports teams…I can tell you the passion for Esports is something special and similar to any traditional sport BUT this only goes as far as out dated administrators allow it, DO WHAT IS BEST FOR THE KIDS! SET ASIDE PERSONAL OPINIONS! 😞

Just a toddler cheering on @Spacestation in his space pajamas! Take his energy @Retals @DanielRL__ @ArsenalRL @RLEsports 🚀

WOW. The team really showed up to play this weekend in Texas. We will be representing TEAM USA in São Paulo, Brazil 🇧🇷 this December at the Redbull Campus Clutch World Championship. Hoping we can come out on top and win our 2nd World Championship in 6 months.

Thinking about going live tonight to talk about high school esports and how we can grow it exponentially 👀

Truly appreciate the support and I feel blessed. I owe this to the students though, they are the ones putting in the work and helping our program make great strides forward

If you guessed $12k you are right! This is BAD. It’s also a “part-time” D2 athletics head coach role 😬 NACE needs to set minimum salaries. Our mental health as coaches/directors matters also. I’m sure NACE didn’t consult but their name is all over the schools pr release. They can help by setting standards to join. This is purely a predatory role. The school reported revenues of over 40 million in 2022 and has an endowment of 30 million. They can afford to get this to at least 40k when room and board + tuition is 49k a year. This makes me so mad and sad at the same time for whoever takes this role.

A MASSIVE shoutout to @redbull @redbullgaming for hosting Collegiate Valorant Worlds in São Paulo, Brazil 🇧🇷! The event was truly top tier and the best ever for the collegiate side. 6,000 teams down to 1, truly a World Championship win we will never forget! #TeamUSA #BackThePack

Day one!

I am starting a collegiate events/league discord server where the only two channels will be a general chat and event/league/tournament posting chat with dates. If you would like access send me a message.

The @ncstateesports lab is 🔥

This is why I went into college esports btw. Collegiate is a compliment to the path to pro that can alleviate risk and provide a rock solid foundation. Playing college esports and pursuing pro is manageable. Even with classes. Time management skills > all 👏 🔥

What is everyone’s top 5 college esports titles? I’m basing this off of what I think this fall and spring will shape up to be: 1.) League of Legends 2.) Rocket League 3.) Overwatch 4.) Valorant 5.) Call of Duty This is based on # of participants, difficulty and dev support

2023 National/North American Titles: CRL ✅ OW ✅ CS ✅ CCL ❓ CVAL ❓ CLOL ❓ CRL Worlds ❓ We might just turn collegiate upside down if we continue our run. All credit to the students for putting in the work.

We feel honored to be given this opportunity! @ncstateesports + @esportsatncsu students are ready!

Before I was married I didn’t have a wife to warn me 2 miles ahead someone was braking, so I would just smash into the back of cars, thank goodness I have her now. 😮‍💨

Our fall 2020 recruiting class is packed with talent so far! We are still recruiting for the following games with scholarships: League of Legends, Rainbow 6, Call of Duty, Smite, Hearthstone, CS:GO, TFT, Smash, Rocket League, Overwatch, Madden, NHL, FIFA, Magic and more! 🐺 #NU

Imagine adding an entirely different roster 8 weeks into a season of a league we paid $2500 for. Unreal lmaooooo gotta love collegiate esports. @NACEsports @cslesportsgg

I love Klim Kostin. @DarrenMcCarty4 would be proud. Your star gets hit, you set the tone with a big hit back and are willing to drop the gloves for him. That was some old Grind line type of stuff. #LGRW

Whoa @NorthwoodEsport the previous 30 days.. 1x World Championship 6x NACE Champions Qualified for the 2023 CRL World Championship 3x NECC Champions RBCC National Champions Just happy to be in the players backpacks getting carried 🫡😂

This demand is truly incredible considering we are not on main campus yet! In the coming years we have a 10,000+ square foot arena arriving on main campus with 100+ pcs, 80+ consoles and a variety of specialized facilities within the arena to support events, production and more!

Michigan has experienced a near 5x growth rate of Varsity collegiate Esports programs year over year. 2018 - 1 2019 - 5 2020 - 24 To stay relevant in competition/growth schools need to continue to invest in the collegiate space! Its not about the immediate gain but long term!🐺

Top madden players I have what I believe to be one of the largest, if not the largest madden scholarship ever offered. I’m looking for someone to represent Northwood University this fall. Travel coverage and ultimate team funding as well provided! #BackThePack

What a run so far. Hoping this small school can win its 2nd world championship in 6 months 🫡😉

I’m gonna make a video on the pro vs collegiate crap. This isn’t a traditional sport, the framework isn’t there. You get cut from a league with a 50k minimum salary and are expected to be set? Like come on now stop acting like this is professional sports. We aren’t there yet!!!!!

Helping at a local Esports camp has made me realize that gaming/esports is simply part of the younger generations lifestyle and pop culture. 10 years from now...whatever brands, colleges, companies continue to innovate/invest in the space...wow those brands will be massive! 😎

Fisher has already recruited 12 players GGs

Truly raising the bar! $61,000 just to coach rocket league at Illinois state. Amazing opportunity for the rocket league community! Congrats to @ISUCaptainKirk on this! Imagine only having to coach RL for this 😅 BIG W for ISU

Cash was finally able to see how awesome centennial campus is at @NCState and where I work now! He is bummed I wouldn’t let him play Overwatch but he still tested the setups out!

The @ncstateesports gaming + esports lab is THRIVING, having a facility open to all students + faculty is a big part of the success so far! -10,000 uses during the first 6 months across the 35 pcs and 4 consoles -Nearly 700 uses during the first 7 days of the fall semester

Today marks 9 years of marriage to this gem. From the lunch table in 6th grade to homecoming in high school to having 2 babies together all I can say is I’m a lucky guy. ❤️

SIDE NOTE: Northwood qualified for BOTH the CRL World Championship AND the @redbullgaming Campus Clutch World Championship on Sunday. Insane to me that we have worlds for collegiate now but the fact that we qualified for two on the same day, wow. 100% credit to the players 😎

Blizzard Collegiate Overwatch✅ FACEIT Collegiate CS:GO✅ Collegiate Valorant (CVAL)✅ CRL Nationals✅ CLOL Top 8❌ CCL Nationals❔ RedBull Val World Championship✅ CRL Worlds 3rd/9th❌ One more event this weekend and the 2022/2023 fall/spring academic year is done ❤️

The Midwest is dominating collegiate esports and is the best region talent wise. Change my mind. 🤓

I’m gonna reiterate this again, I feel Michigan as a state for college esports is beyond stacked…@cpgraham5 has built a CSGO empire. Aquinas/Oakland in league…Northwood/Oakland/MTU/SHU for RL…Northwood/Davenport for CoD…great OW talent and other schools are solid as well. 🤯

I’m still waiting for official confirmation from Blizzard but so far we get NO ADVANTAGE for making it through winners to grands for the Blizzard Collegiate Overwatch National Championship… In the fall ISU got a map advantage against us and last spring it was a bracket reset against Maryville lol The one time we make it though winners…and no advantage, what is the point of double elimination??

A shoutout to the unsung heroes of college esports who work their tails off for us to have things to play in: @sonofpaint @HeatVW @jadenashaw @bumney_ @MateoEsports @themissingward @MikeyTRL @PaulyHype @Glub1natoorr @FACEITDuran @UGCmatt @TizaTryhards @oofGLHF I know I’m forgetting a few handles and just can’t find a few but let’s start a thread showing some love to all of them below ❤️

Soon…. CollegeEsports.com

Lainey Rose born 6-24-20 at 12:59pm, she is 7 pounds 9 ounces. Our hearts are filled with joy as we welcomed our sweet baby girl into our world. She already has her dad wrapped around her finger. 💕 Mom and Baby are both happy, healthy and resting.

Northwood Esports has taken off this year and I have to give credit where it’s due. The student workers, coaches and media team have allowed me to step into more of a Director/Coach role this year focusing on laying our foundation for the future and beyond. We are building 1/2

Y'all can hate me all you want for this, but collegiate really would benefit greatly from the NCAA lmao The amount of conflict of interests is INSANE.

Hot take: “Esports Program” is a better term in most circumstances compared to “Varsity” Each program was founded with a set of goals that doesn’t necessarily match others around the country. Competition is not at the core of all programs, plenty of other important metrics! 🤝

House acquired. Now the work starts! A ton of projects! -tree removal -kitchen -new flooring -landscaping -finishing the basement -central air installation The seller called this the big house in the little woods. Located in the middle of the city with plenty of trees! 🌳

It’s a pretty simple explanation on why NECC is the most popular registration # wise 1.) no limit on teams (our club has 1000+ students) having multiple teams per title is nice for clubs 2.) no pressure on online vs in-person and facility/staff restrictions 3.) skill tier divisions We should be focusing on increasing participation, not limiting it. Case in point with this data. (NECC is also affordable for clubs) NACE as a model is stable, don’t let the lower participation numbers sway you into thinking they are on the decline, it’s the opposite.

The work has just started. Representing team USA 🇺🇸 is something the team will never forget. We have put ourselves in a great spot to make a run at another world championship #BackThePack 🐺x🇺🇸

The new campus additions are looking great! Love the new area!

Can I get unbanned from 6mans Sosa please

Hey CRL family, I tested positive for covid today. If we talked closely at dreamhack, I would recommend taking a rapid test. I tested negative yesterday and positive this morning.😞 No Columbus CCL National championship for me #RIP

Yay now the team can stop listening to me be annoying each day. 😍 Congratulations to the team, proud of these guys. The mental toll of being left out of OWL tryout after tryout was a obstacle they overcame. Well done, proud of them. Some true OWL snubs on our roster. ❤️

Cash is getting better, I told him when he turned 4 we can work beyond just pocketing on mercy and here we are. Being a Dad is the the best.

Michigan is the best state for collegiate rocket league 🤓

It’s crazy how much farther the collegiate space could be pushed forward at this point if people weren’t so infatuated with what other programs are doing. Get back in the trenches and get to work, your students deserve it. 😬

Get ready for some top notch quality from @NorthwoodEsport’s content team!

I see so many directors doubting themselves and trying to emulate other programs. It’s okay to be different and focus on different aspects of gaming/esports. My advice: find something that aligns with the goals of the university that employees you and incorporate it into your program, this is a great building block and a way to get increased support.

Who wants to join the best collegiate Valorant team in the United States? 👀

It’s almost like winning a: World Championship 2 teams in another World Championship Blizzard Collegiate Nationals CRL Nationals CVAL Nationals CCL Nationals FACEIT CSGO Nationals 10x NACE Titles 8x NECC Titles CLoL top 8 And not finishing top 3 for program of the year 😄

Today an elderly man complimented me on my driveway salting techniques, he respects my “persistence on fighting ice build up” I have reached a new level of old man/Dad status. It’s over for me. 👴

7 years of marriage to this gem!💕Two states, two kids and nothing but love and fun❤️

Happy to announce that I have joined the Board of Directors for @MiHSEF! Excited to help shape and accelerate the growth of high school Esports in the great state of Michigan! 🤝

THRILLED with the team today! 5-0 in groups + secured a top 16 finish in Brazil 🇧🇷! São Paulo is a beautiful city and we feel blessed to be here. The locals + @redbullgaming staff have been incredible + welcoming Work isn’t done. Let’s win our 2 world championship in 6 months

I’m still looking for some key pieces for the fall of 2021! I promise if you are a top player in a major collegiate Esports title I want to talk and it will be worth your time! We are also looking to recruit a variety of operational roles. #BackThePack 🐺

Who wants to play a guessing game of job description VS job salary offered for open collegiate positions? Guess below, description attached for Esports Head Coach This area of scholastic has to be fixed also for it to be sustainable, comp fixes are not the only focus needed :)

Well that escalated quickly. They accepted our offer.

On Sunday I was given the opportunity to speak at the Triangle Game Jam about our big plans to support the video game industry and esports at NC State. Being able to watch the 100+ students from UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State, Duke, Wake Tech, Durham Tech, William Peace, and UNC Charlotte showcase the 20+ games completed during the event was inspiring! So much effort is put into esports programs showcasing competition but supporting game development is equally important!

So happy and proud of the team. This took all of them. They earned this National Championship. STELLAR team GPA as well! 😃