Being local here in Greenville, NC, trust me that there is a buzz in the air about tonight’s game - Huskies versus the Pirates. There will be a lot of discussions about the new American Athletic Conference, new rivalries, Thursday night games, ESPN on campus, etc… I am going to go out on a limb here and say Jeff Compher (ECU’s AD) and Warde Manuel’s (UConn’s AD) career paths won’t be the highlight around tailgating tonight. But it should be. Jeff and Warde come from similar starts, both former student-athlete football players who began their careers in the student-athlete development / academic advising profession. These are two very good individuals that put the development of the student-athlete first and have been rewarded for doing so. So congratulations to Jeff and Warde. They are bright lights for the student-development profession and examples for others to follow.