Marshall University Athletics
10/22/2026 3:00:00 PM | General, Men's Soccer
Marshall VP/AD represents Herd on NCAA Championship level of administration
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Vice President and Director of Athletics Gerald J. Harrison has been selected to the NCAA Men's Soccer Oversight Committee, it was announced this week.
Harrison will serve as the Sun Belt Conference's liaison on the 15-person committee made up of athletic administrators, NCAA staff and a current student-athlete.
"I appreciate the NCAA and the Sun Belt Conference for the opportunity to serve on the Men's Soccer Oversight Committee," Harrison said. "It is a privilege to represent Marshall University and the Sun Belt in this role. I encourage our staff to serve on national and conference committees because we have a responsibility to be part of the conversation and help shape the future of college athletics."
This appointment continues a long list of duties within the NCAA's national framework for Harrison during his career as an administrator.
Harrison has previously served as a member of the NCAA's Division I Council and the NCAA Football Oversight Committee, as well as serving on the Football Championship Oversight Committee and the NCAA Competition Oversight Committee. He was also chair of the NCAA Fencing Committee.
"I have been fortunate enough to serve on NCAA committees throughout my career and have always found that work rewarding," Harrison said. "I look forward to serving again, working alongside my colleagues to support our student-athletes and contribute to the future of men's soccer."
Harrison's appointment comes at one of the most integral times in NCAA Men's Soccer history.
The sport is currently in a 30-day rescission period following the narrow approval by the Division I Cabinet on a model that would change the format for Men's Soccer from a fall sport to a two-semester sport with its championship shifting to the spring.
That original proposal was voted on and adopted by the NCAA Men's Soccer Oversight Committee in May 2026 before moving on to the Division I Cabinet.
If approved, Men's Soccer would shift from 18 contests in the fall to a total of 25 contests in both fall and spring with the championship shifting to the spring. The fall portion would run from late August to mid-November while the spring season would begin in mid-February with teams playing a maximum of 10 contests in spring before the Division I Men's Soccer Championship began.
This change in format will take effect on Aug. 1, 2027, unless two-thirds of Division I member schools vote to rescind it during the current 30-day window, making it an exciting time for Harrison to join the committee.
2026-27 NCAA Men's Soccer Oversight Committee
Greg Busch, Princeton University
John Collins, NCAA National Coordinator of Officials
Chris Dietrich, Faculty Athletic Representative Association
Rob Emmerich, Stony Brook University
Rich Grady, Secretary Rules Editor
Gerald Harrison, Marshall University, Sun Belt Conference
Rob Kehoe, United Soccer Coaches Representative
Brian Mackin, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Quinn Millerd, Student-Athlete Advocacy Committee
Patrick O'Toole, Student-athlete from University of Michigan
Russell Payne, Northwestern University, Big Ten Conference
Chris Schneider, Big East Conference
Evan Schroeder, Student-Athlete, Virginia Tech
Carlos Somoano, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Atlantic Coast Conference
Kathy Sulentic, University of Memphis, American Conference
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