The phrase “vertical alignment” has become a regular part of coaches' introductory press conferences. Who can disagree? It sounds positive, and supporters love to hear buzzwords. Make no mistake, a university that doesn’t have vertical alignment typically struggles to maintain success in athletics. But what does that mean, and how can we tell if our favorite university is vertically aligned?
Simply put, vertical alignment is achieved when the university president, athletic director, donors, coaches, and fans, in that order, work together to help each athletic program succeed. Each ingredient is of the utmost importance to experience success, but missing either of the top two ingredients is often fatal for an athletic department.