Report: Rice targeting Vanderbilt deputy AD Tommy McClelland as next athletic director

Rice University is reportedly targeting Vanderbilt deputy AD Tommy McClelland as its next athletic director, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

The deal is expected to be finalized in the coming days, per the report. McClelland has nearly 13 years of experience and would be at the top of the administration in his new role. He’s reportedly set to take over for former Rice AD Joe Karlgaard, who left in June for the private sector.

“Part of the attraction of McClelland to Rice officials came from his fundraising and oversight of the nearly $700 million in new facilities being constructed at Vanderbilt,” Thamel wrote. “As the deputy athletic director overseeing external affairs and revenue generation, McClelland played a big role in fundraising and planning the projects, which were spearheaded by athletic director Candice Storey Lee.

“With Rice entering the American Athletic Conference this season, the school is aiming for its athletic department to better fit its high-end academic image. Much of that will start with tapping into Rice’s strong alumni base with fundraising, a similar challenge that McClelland faced at Vanderbilt.”

Clark Lea talks what success means in 2023

Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea talked about what success would mean for the football team this year.

“So won’t place a win-loss record or won’t state a win-loss record; don’t believe in doing that in any semblance,” Lea said. “We’ll say that every game that we play we’ll have a plan to win, and we’ll measure our results off our execution of that plan to win.

“There are measurable things that show growth as a team, and there are things that can’t be measured. I think both are important. In the end, I’m a competitor, and I didn’t come to Vanderbilt to do anything other than win.

“So for me, it’s about how we design this team, how we design our tactics, how we develop as people and as teammates to put ourselves in the best position to win games in the fourth quarter. We can be the best physically and mentally conditioned team in the country. We can impose our will on our opponent late in the game.”