New SLCC AD Gary Veron seizes opportunities during historic disruptions in college sports

Quick. Name the Utah college that’s claimed a trio of national championships over the past year.

Here’s a hint: Taylorsville could aptly be called ‘Titletown.’

Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) will be defending junior college (JC) national titles this athletic year in baseball and men’s and women’s cross country. The Bruins are also traditional JC powers in basketball, softball and soccer.

But nothing happening in college sports these days is beholden to tradition. Historic disruptions are forever altering the term “student-athlete.”

College football and basketball fans are as likely to debate the transfer portal and NIL as they are their team’s starting quarterback.

And the ripples of college sport’s disruption are being felt on SLCC’s Taylorsville campus.

Upheavals, according to SLCC’s recently hired athletic director Gary Veron, can often be synonymous with opportunities at a savvy 2-year junior or community college.

Recent NCAA revenue sharing agreements are resulting in shrinking rosters, so there’s already more DI-level talent than DI roster spots.

“Community college is a great launching pad for those who want to come and play for a year or two — and then get into a DI or even a Power 4 Conference DI setting,” Veron told the Deseret News.

He added that several NCAA schools are looking at SLCC to double as an unofficial feeder school.

“There are local schools and some regional schools saying, ‘I have some recruits, but I don’t have spots for them now. Can I plant them with you for a year or two and see how they materialize?’.”

Meanwhile, many student-athletes and even a few coaches weary of the constant NCAA changes may be drawn to the relative calm offered by junior college play.

In the ubiquitous “environment of business” of college sports, observed Veron, “the only stable environment … is the junior college setting.”

Disruptions happening at the NCAA’s highest levels significantly impact the lower NCAA divisions in areas such as cost-sharing and funding for championships and post-season play.

“But we are untouched by that,” said Veron. “If anything, we’ll receive the windfall in terms of (player) talent and maybe NCAA coaches moving down and saying, ‘Hey, I can’t handle the pressures of losing my job because the NCAA might fold in three years’ time’.”

For a well-established JC athletic program operating in a major city, there’s perhaps never been a better time to strike a bit of sports gold.

Bruins baseball coach David Nelson has a prized card he can draw when recruiting a promising pitcher or field position player: His squad is the 2025 national champ.

But there are assets SLCC can offer beyond simply showing off shiny new trophies.

And, no, it’s not a stack of NIL/revenue sharing cash.

“We’re not giving our players a penny, we don’t have the funds,” said Nelson.

“But we try to help the best we can in a scholarship — and an opportunity to make your money on the backend because you’re somewhere that will help you as a student and as a baseball player.

“When you take care of all those things, opportunities will come knocking.”

SLCC’s new AD: A Cougar-turned-Bruin

Veron took the reins of the Bruins athletic department earlier this year. And in college sports parlance, he was a multi-star recruit.

SLCC school administrators and coaches such as Nelson are thrilled to have him joining Bruins Nation.

The husband (wife is Ciara) and father of three brings to the Taylorsville campus several years of experience in college athletics administration, compliance and student-athlete development.

And Veron knows well the passion Utahns have for their college sports.

A first-generation college graduate (BYU) and JUCO alum (California’s Citrus College) with a law degree from the University of Wyoming, Veron most recently served as BYU’s associate athletic director for student-athlete experience & NIL.

Prior to his tenure in Provo, he was the interim athletic director and associate athletic director for compliance and student-athlete welfare at BYU-Hawaii in the Seasiders’ final years of intercollegiate competition.

When the SLCC opportunity was offered, he happily made the move from Utah County to Salt Lake County.

“There’s a rich legacy of success at Salt Lake Community College — both with how deep we are in coaching talent and with the history of championships at all levels,” said Veron.

“It was the right time for me to strike, bring my talents and abilities to the table and help make Salt Lake Community College become a beacon of success — hopefully not just on the field or court, but also in terms of helping young people develop into rock star human beings.”

Veron’s having fun wearing the many hats of a JC AD.

On any given weekend, there are multiple Bruin sporting events — and you can spot Veron interacting with ballplayers, networking with boosters, working with game day event staff, cheering alongside fans and even helping out with concessions.

“And I love that,” he said. “I love that we’re all in it together. You have to be industrious, a little entrepreneurial — but you’re working shoulder-to-shoulder with just fantastic people.”

Beyond NIL cash: Creative benefits for SLCC athletes

While the Bruins compete at the junior college level, the school punches above its weight in many areas.

Unlike many rival JC schools headquartered in rural communities, SLCC is in a metropolitan area that’s the academic home for tens of thousands of students from across the Wasatch Front.

Given those peculiarities, it’s tough to guess the school’s athletic ceiling.

“There’s a ton of uncharted territory for a community college,” said Veron.

The Salt Lake Valley is rich with sports at the pro and college level, he added.

“But there’s still an appetite for the community to get involved with local community events, and we see that with our camps and clinics with the youth.”

With sports entertainment getting pricier, Bruins games remain a bargain.

SLCC students and employees get in free to most sporting events, and a family of four can enjoy a soccer or volleyball game for under $40 — and your hot dogs may be served up by the school athletic director.

Veron’s quick to add that young fans have plenty of opportunities to interact and snap photos with athletes after games. “We can invite families down to the court or onto the field and they can get to know the athletes and feel like superstars, themselves.”

And while SLCC will likely never be able to compete with DI NCAA schools for NIL and revenue sharing cash awards, the school is finding creative ways to help student-athletes prepare for post-athlete futures.

For example, Veron is working with a community business partner to provide Bruin athletes with opportunities to earn a real estate license, at no cost.

“We’ve already had 60 athletes sign up … so they see the value in it,” he said.

“At this level, their hearts are in a place where they’re going to take advantage of every opportunity, even though it doesn’t come with a cash bag up front.”

Such opportunities excite veteran Bruins coaches such as Nelson.

“Gary wants to develop young people,” said the baseball coach. “He wants to help students develop, have structure … and have the resources that they need to be successful academically, physically and mentally.”