Report: New Mexico AD Eddie Nunez emerges as top target for Houston job

New Mexico AD Eddie Nunez has reportedly emerged as the top candidate for the athletics director position for Houston Cougars, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports.

Nunez has been with the Lobos since 2017. He is expected to replace former AD Chris Pezman, who left Houston in June. Raymond Bartlett, UH’s Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance, has served as the interim AD since his departure.

For Nunez, his success as New Mexico AD over the last seven years has seen 455 New Mexico athletes earn All-Conference honors. During his tenure, Nunez helped lead the Lobos to 53 NCAA Tournament appearances across all sports which includes 22 Mountain West championships. 49 New Mexico athletes have won Conference Player of the Year honors and 17 of his coaches win Conference Coach of the Year honors as well.

He added more conference titles to his tally during the 2023-24 athletic calendar as well. Most notably, the men’s basketball team won the Mountain West title this season — which should fit right in with the Cougars. His men’s cross-country program won its first conference title in a decade.

Before Houston, Nunez was a longtime member of the LSU Tigers‘ athletic department beginning in 2003. Under his guidance, LSU was able to undergo $400 million in facility renovations as he oversaw numerous planning and management plans for the Tigers during his decade-plus tenure in Baton Rouge. He also spent time at Vanderbilt.

When Nunez was originally hired by New Mexico in 2017, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey spoke highly of the man who is expected to be the next Houston AD.

“Eddie Nunez has extensive experience in many areas of athletics administration and his passion for supporting and building relationships with student-athletes will serve the University of New Mexico well,” Sankey said, via Nunez’s coaches bio at New Mexico. “The SEC is fortunate to have a number of young administrators with bright futures as leaders in college athletics and I am confident Eddie will excel.”

It’s unclear as of this report of a timeline regarding Nunez putting the pen to paper, but Thamel’s report seems as though the Cougars will be moving forward with their new AD, ending nearly a summer’s-long search for a new leader in the athletic department.

One thing is for sure — Houston football begins its second season in the Big 12 on Aug. 31 against UNLV before taking on former conference foe Oklahoma in Week 2.