On3’s 2022 rising star college sports administrators you need to know

Georgia Tech’s search for a new athletic director ended Friday with the school hiring one of the nation’s top rising star college sports administrators: J Batt, who formerly was the No. 2 in the athletic department at Alabama.

Not only is Batt the new AD at Georgia Tech, he’s also one of On3’s 2022 college sports administrators you need to know.

On3’s Matt Zenitz spent the past few months gathering feedback from around the administrator world in an attempt to identify rising stars in that space who are positioned for continued advancement moving forward.

Batt is one. Below are 49 others.

Aside from Batt, the list doesn’t include anyone who’s already an athletic director at a Power 5 school. We also limited the list to people under the age of 50. The selections are listed alphabetically.

Erin Adkins, UCLA

Position: Associate athletic director of compliance
+ Adkins, a Los Angeles native, has overseen all compliance efforts at UCLA since her hiring in 2018
+ Works closely with the Bruins’ football and men’s basketball teams
+ Has been an asset for the athletic department in areas such as NIL, including with her work in the creation of an innovative partnership with UCLA’s law school that provides student-athletes with NIL education and guidance
+ Spent three years (2015-18) at Vanderbilt as assistant athletic director of compliance. Also served as sport administrator for the women’s swimming and diving team
+ Worked at the University of San Diego from 2009-15, including serving as assistant athletic director. Was sport administrator for the men’s and women’s tennis and golf programs
+ An Arizona alum (class of 2006). Has law degree from California Western School of Law (2010)

Ryan Alpert, Tennessee

Position: Deputy athletic director/chief operating officer
+ Hired by Danny White in August 2021 after previously working under White’s brother, Brian, as deputy AD at FAU from 2018-20
+ Was Missouri’s deputy athletic director for external affairs for a year before heading to Tennessee. At Mizzou, he was charged with developing new revenue streams and was sport administrator for the men’s and women’s basketball program
+ Led the way for Missouri’s Tiger Scholarship Fund staff, which raised a school record $55.5 million for the 2020-21 fiscal year despite being in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic
+ Previously worked at Missouri from 2016-18, beginning as an associate athletic director before a promotion to senior associate athletic director
+ Spent five years at Memphis (2011-16), finishing his time there as assistant athletic director for development, playing a key role in the department’s fundraising efforts
+ A South Carolina alum (class of 2011)

Wren Baker, North Texas

Position: Athletic director
+ Has been North Texas’ AD since 2016
+ Overseeing UNT’s move from Conference USA to the AAC; UNT becomes an AAC member in July 2023
+ During his tenure, UNT athletics has registered the four best fundraising years in its history
+ Under Baker’s leadership, North Texas teams have won a combined 17 conference or division championships
+ Went to UNT from Missouri, where he spent two years (2015-16) as deputy athletic director. At Mizzou, he led the athletic department’s external relations team, including marketing
+ Was Missouri’s interim athletic director before being hired at North Texas
+ Was Memphis’ deputy athletic director (2013-15) and the sport administrator for the Tigers’ men’s basketball team
+ From 2011-13, Baker was athletic director at Division II Northwest Missouri State. He hired football coach Adam Dorrel, who led the Bearcats to three national championships
+ Was the first AD at Rogers State (2006-11), a Division II school in Claremore, Okla., that began athletics in 2006. He also was the school’s first men’s basketball coach and guided the team to a 20-11 record in his one season as the head coach
+ In 2005, he became principal and athletic director for Valliant (Okla.) Public Schools and, at age 26, was the youngest principal in Oklahoma history
+ An alum of Southeastern Oklahoma State (class of 2001). Earned a master’s degree from Oklahoma State, where he was a graduate assistant and then basketball operations assistant for the men’s basketball program under Eddie Sutton

Denee’ Barracato, Northwestern

Position: Deputy athletic director for operations and capital projects
+ Has been at Northwestern since 2019. Part of her role is overseeing the department’s capital projects, including the proposed rebuilding of Ryan Field
+ Before Northwestern, she spent three years as director of athletics & recreation at York College, part of the City University of New York system, where she oversaw the school’s 17 varsity sports as well as all campus recreation efforts
+ Was associate AD for finance and administration at Queens (N.Y.) College from 2012-16, where she also was the sport administrator for eight programs
+ Served as director of partnership strategy for the Madison Square Garden Company as well as in a variety of roles at Adelphi, including assistant AD/senior woman administrator
+ Was associate Director of Division I Women’s Basketball for the NCAA
+ A Hofstra alum (class of 2000). Played basketball at Hofstra and led nation in steals as a senior in 1998-99 (as Denee’ Rivera); she is the school’s career leader in steals and No. 9 in assists

J Batt, Georgia Tech

Position: Athletic director
+ Hired as Georgia Tech’s AD on October 14
+ Had been at Alabama since 2017, including most recently as the No. 2 in the department under Greg Byrne
+ Served as Alabama’s executive deputy AD, chief revenue officer and chief operating officer
+ Was a leading figure behind The Crimson Standard, a 10-year, $600-million capital initiative that’s already raised more than $500 million and provided renovations for Alabama’s football and softball stadiums as well as the football training facility
+ Worked at East Carolina from 2013-17 as a senior associate AD and executive director of the Pirate Club after spending 2011-13 at Maryland
+ Contributed to ECU improving total fundraising in 2016 by 60 percent over its previous best year
+ Graduated from North Carolina and was part of the Tar Heels’ 2001 national championship men’s soccer team

Sarah Baumgartner, Texas

Position: Executive senior associate athletic director for sports administration
+ Has been at Texas since August 2021. Supervises coaches, directors of operations and program administrators for all 20 sports
+ Responsible for assisting each sports program with development and monitoring of budgets and approval of expenses. Oversees equipment operations and serves as liaison to Nike
+ Previously at Rutgers (2013-21), where she served as deputy AD for the final five years of her time there. Was involved in, among other things, budgeting, capital projects/master planning, contract negotiations and donor solicitation strategy
+ Was at Missouri from 2006-13, where she was associate AD for development and served as the sport administrator for men’s basketball. Was behind the fundraising plan to go along with Missouri’s move from the Big 12 to the SEC
+ A 2004 alum of Illinois, where she played softball

Jared Benko, Georgia Southern

Position: Athletic director
+ Has been Georgia Southern’s AD since April 2020
+ Has hired eight coaches for the Eagles, including football (Clay Helton) and men’s basketball (Brian Burg)
+ Led the way as Georgia Southern raised a school record $10.6 million in new pledges and gifts for the 2021-22 fiscal year. Under Benko, the athletic department currently has more than $70 million worth of new projects in the works, including a $12.3 indoor practice facility set to be completed in early 2023
+ Previously worked at Mississippi State (2016-20), where he was deputy AD/chief financial officer
+ Supervised the day-to-day operations of Mississippi State’s football program and was part of a three-person search committee that hired Mike Leach as coach
+ Was assistant AD for finance at Auburn (2015-16)
+ Spent four years at Arkansas (2011-15), eventually being promoted to director of business operations. Also was at Georgia (2008-11) as assistant director of business operations
+ A Georgia alum (2005) and spent two years in sports communication as a graduate assistant while he earned his master’s

Bryan Blair, Toledo

Position: Athletic director
+ Hired as AD on May 1. He was 37 at time of hiring, making him the youngest AD in the FBS ranks
+ Had been at Washington State (2018-22), where he was deputy AD/chief operating officer. Among his responsibilities was managing the university’s Nike contract
+ Assisted with several Washington State head coaching searches, including football and men’s basketball
+ Served as senior associate AD at Rice from 2014-18. Oversaw the sports medicine, strength and conditioning, sports nutrition and compliance departments
+ Worked at South Carolina as the assistant director of compliance services from 2012-14
+ A previous stint at Rice came from 2011-12, when he was a compliance coordinator
+ Worked at the NCAA as an academic and membership affairs postgraduate intern from 2010-11
+ An alum of Wofford (2007), where he was a nose tackle for the football team and a team captain as a senior. Has law degree from South Carolina

Jamie Boggs, Grand Canyon

Position: Vice president of athletics
+ Boggs has been in her current role since April 2021; she had been the interim for almost two years before that
+ Served as deputy athletic director/senior woman administrator from January 2015 to August 2019 prior to being named interim VP
+ Hired Bryce Drew, the former Valparaiso basketball star and ex-Vanderbilt coach, as Grand Canyon’s men’s basketball coach. The team has gone 40-15 in two seasons under Drew and made the school’s first NCAA tournament appearance in 2021
+ One of five Asian-American ADs among 353 Division I programs
+ Boggs previously worked at Duke for seven years as director of compliance and assistant athletic director (2003-10) and was executive senior associate AD for three years at Georgia State (2011-14)
+ A Phoenix native, she graduated from the University of San Diego in 1999 and received a law degree from Arizona in 2002

Marcus Bowman, Oklahoma

Position: Deputy athletic director/chief financial officer and business strategy
+ Been in current role since August 2020
+ Oversees all fiscal and business operations. Serves as sport administrator for the Sooners men’s basketball team
+ Was at UNLV from 2017-20, serving as senior associate AD and chief financial officer.
+ Spent 2006-17 at Pitt in a variety of roles, eventually being promoted to senior associate AD for sport administration. Started at Pitt as director of business operations
+ An alum of Pitt (class of 2006), where he played basketball

Kristen Brown, Texas A&M

Position: Deputy athletic director for administration and leadership
+ Has been at A&M since March 2020
+ Among her duties is overseeing compliance department. Also is sport administrator for women’s basketball, volleyball, soccer, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s swimming and diving
+ Worked at Maryland from 2014-20, serving as associate AD for administration. Also served as the department’s diversity and inclusion officer
+ At Maryland, she served at various times as sport administrator for men’s lacrosse, women’s volleyball, field hockey, women’s gymnastics, men’s golf, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and softball
+ Was director of basketball administration for the AAC from 2013-14. Job included managing the league’s corporate sponsorship/marketing program for men’s basketball
+ Was the Big East’s director of sport administration from 2010-13. Served as the league’s sport administrator for volleyball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s lacrosse and softball, and as a secondary administrator for field hockey, men’s soccer and baseball
+ Worked for the Big Ten (2005-09) in various roles, including associate director of championships
+ An alum of Northern Illinois (2003), where she played basketball

John Daniel, Cincinnati

Position: Executive senior associate athletic director/chief financial officer
+ Hired for his current role in April after three years at LSU, where he was associate AD for administration
+ Among his duties is the supervision of the football program
+ At LSU, Daniel was the sport supervisor for men’s and women’s swimming and diving and beach volleyball; he also managed oversight for the department’s special projects
+ Spent three years at TCU (2016-19) as the associate AD for business and finance
+ Before that, he worked at Texas A&M (2012-16) as the director of financial reporting. Also spent a year (2011-12) at Maryland as the business coordinator for athletics
+ An alum of LSU (class of 2010), where he was equipment manager for the basketball team; also has master’s degrees from LSU and Ole Miss

Jeramiah Dickey, Boise State

Position: Athletic director
+ Named AD on January 2, 2021, and one of his first orders of business was finding a new football coach. Andy Avalos’ hire was announced a week after Dickey’s
+ Oversaw the launch of the Broncos’ “What’s Next” NIL program
+ Was at Baylor from 2017-21, eventually being promoted to associate VP for athletics. Was involved in, among other things, external relations, business operations, facilities and capital projects. Served as sport administrator for football
+ Involved in the hiring of Dave Aranda as Baylor’s football coach
+ Worked at Houston from 2010-17, eventually becoming deputy AD. Was sport administrator for football. Under Dickey, the Cougars’ development arm set fundraising records in seven consecutive years, with the department either completing or beginning construction on more than $100 million worth of capital projects and improvements
+ Was assistant AD for development at Akron (2007-10). Also worked at UTEP (2003-06), primarily in development and marketing and promotions
+ A Texas alum (class of 2004)

A.J. Edds, Big Ten Conference

Position: Senior director for football operations
+ Began with the Big Ten in 2017. Was promoted to his current role earlier this year after previously serving as assistant director of sports administration and associate director of football and sports administration
+ Oversees the day-to-day operations of Big Ten football
+ Former Iowa and NFL linebacker
+ Was a team captain and All-Big Ten selection as a senior for the Hawkeyes’ 2009 team that played in the Orange Bowl and finished No. 7 in the AP rankings
+ Selected by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft and spent five seasons in the NFL with the Dolphins, New England, Indianapolis, New York Jets and Jacksonville

Katie Fraumann, Michigan

Position: Executive associate athletic director for development
+ Has been in her current role since 2016
+ Before that, she served for two years as the executive director for development and alumni engagement at the university’s School of Public Health, where she was responsible for, among other things, corporate and professional foundation fundraising efforts
+ From 2011-14, she was the senior director of major gifts for the Michigan athletic department
+ Also worked for the Michigan’s School of Business (2005-09) and in the office of university development (2009-11)
+ A Michigan alum (Class of 2001), Fraumann played on the women’s basketball team and was team captain as a senior (she was Katie Dykhouse then)

Jocelyn Gates, TurnkeyZRG

Position: VP of college & coaching practice
+ Joined TurnkeyZRG in May after 11 months as senior associate AD for sport administration at Ohio State
+ Was the Buckeyes’ sport administrator for football
+ Before Ohio State, she spent four years as a senior associate AD and senior woman administrator at Boston College
+ Selected as the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS Nike Administrator of the Year
+ Also worked at USF (2013-17), where she finished as senior associate director of athletics, and Duke (2011-13)
+ Wife of new Missouri men’s basketball coach Dennis Gates, who previously coached at Cleveland State
+ Played soccer at Howard (as Jocelyn Fisher) and is a 2003 alum

Eric George, Mississippi State

Position: Deputy athletic director, chief financial officer
+ Hired in April 2020 and was promoted to his current role in July
+ Manages all financial aspects of the department. Also serves as sport administrator for football.
+ Was at Clemson from 2015-20, where he was associate AD/CFO.
+ Began his career in college athletics in 2013 after two years as an international tax consultant. Worked at Texas from 2013-15 as the assistant business manager.
+ An alum of Texas A&M (2009), where he played football for two years (2005-06)

Tommy Gray, Stanford

Position: Deputy athletic director, external relations
+ Hired at Stanford in 2014 as a business strategy manager. Promoted into current role in 2018
+ Oversees all external relations functions, including corporate partnerships, fan experience, marketing and ticket operations
+ Is secondary sport administrator for football and main sport administrator for softball and the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs
+ Before Stanford, he led the market research and strategy department for the New England Patriots and the Kraft Sports Group from 2011-13
+ A Harvard alum (class of 2010); was co-captain of swimming and diving team as a senior

Darrice Griffin, Georgia

Position: Senior deputy athletic director
+ Has been at Georgia since 2017 and has been in her current role since January 2021. She replaced Josh Brooks, now the AD, in her current role
+ Serves as the department’s deputy Title IX coordinator and as the sport administrator for football
+ Worked at UMass (2015-17), including as deputy AD, before going to Georgia
+ Served as sport administrator for a number of Minutemen sports, including football, women’s basketball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, field hockey and softball
+ Before going to UMass, Griffin spent six years (2009-15) at Columbia, including the last four as associate AD. Was responsible for gender and diversity initiatives within the department, and had oversight for men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, softball and baseball. Within the university itself, Griffin was a member of the president’s advisory committee on sexual assault
+ An alum of Texas Tech (class of 2007), where she played basketball. At Seagraves High in west Texas, she was the Gatorade State Player of the Year in 2004

Tiffini Grimes, Purdue

Position: Deputy athletic director/senior woman administrator
+ A Purdue alum, Grimes is now working at her alma mater after six years at Alabama, where she was promoted multiple times on her way to becoming senior deputy AD/senior woman administrator and chief diversity officer
+ Was hired in July
+ Oversees several areas at Purdue, including academic services, compliance and sports medicine
+ Sport administrator for football, women’s basketball and softball
+ Serves on Purdue’s NIL working group
+ Worked for the NCAA (2014-16) as an assistant director in the Enforcement Football Development Group
+ Other previous stops include Penn State as assistant director of compliance (2012-14) and Georgia Tech as a compliance assistant (2011-12)

Carl Hairston, ACC

Position: Director of brand marketing
+ Joined the ACC in December 2021
+ Worked at North Carolina A&T for seven years before heading to the ACC, including as associate AD for external relations. Among his duties was overseeing marketing, corporate relations, ticket sales and promotions. Also oversaw football non-conference scheduling
+ On the executive board of the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators
+ Was the assistant director of marketing at Elon (2012-14). Assisted in the creation of marketing plans for all home sporting events
+ An Elon alum (class of 2011)

Raymond Harrison, NC State

Position: Senior associate athletic director/leadership, inclusion & engagement
+ Has been at NC State since 2016
+ Leads the way for the NC State athletic department’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Is also the athletic department’s deputy Title IX coordinator
+ Supervises the work of NC State’s office of student-athlete engagement and leadership, which prepares student-athletes for life after sports while also assisting with NIL education and resource allocation
+ Has been a sport supervisor for multiple Wolfpack sports and been involved in coaching searches for sports such as men’s basketball, men’s soccer and volleyball
+ Is an NC State representative for the ACC’s Champions of Racial Equality (CORE) group and a member of the NCAA Division I Competition Oversight Committee
+ Before NC State, he served as a senior associate AD at Texas A&M (2013-16) and South Carolina (2006-12)
+ An alum of Cincinnati (class of 1997), where he played football

Byron Hatch, College Football Playoff

Position: Chief operating officer
+ Was hired in December 2021
+ Replaced Andrea Williams, who left for a position with the Utah Jazz
+ Before joining the CFP team, Hatch spent six years at the SEC, where he served as assistant commissioner of championships, overseeing the SEC football championship game, men’s basketball tournament and softball tournament
+ Manages the national championship game and all affiliated events as well as the process for selecting sites for the championship games
+ Spent three years at Arkansas (2012-15) as associate AD for business operations
+ Worked for the NCAA for seven years (2005-12), including as associate director of the Division I men’s basketball tournament
+ A Central Arkansas alum (class of 1998), and has law degree from Arkansas-Little Rock (2001)

Taurian Houston, Rice

Position: Senior associate athletic director of compliance and administration
+ Has been at Rice since 2018. Began as associate athletic director for compliance and was promoted to his current role in July 2021
+ Oversees the compliance office and leads Rice’s NIL initiatives
+ Serves as sport administrator for men’s basketball and women’s cross country/track and field, as well as being the secondary sport administrator for football
+ Has implemented a pilot admission program for prospective student-athletes who desire to enroll early at Rice, which will begin during the 2022-23 academic year
+ Before Rice, he was assistant AD for compliance at Colgate (2015-18) and worked in the Dartmouth compliance office (2014-15)
+ An East Carolina alum (class of 2010); he threw the hammer for the Pirates’ track team. Has law degree from Charlotte School of Law (2013)

Charlie Hussey, SEC

Position: Deputy commissioner/chief operating officer
+ Has worked at the SEC since 2000. Promoted to deputy commissioner in December 2019
+ Has been the SEC’s chief operating officer since 2017
+ Before the promotion to deputy commissioner, he was the SEC’s associate commissioner for network relations
+ Has been the SEC’s primary liaison with ESPN and the SEC Network
+ Widely viewed among college sports administrators as a strong possibility to be the next SEC commissioner
+ A 1999 Ole Miss graduate

Kerry Kenny, Big Ten Conference

Position: Senior VP for television, media analytics and emerging platforms
+ Has worked for the Big Ten the past 14 years. Originally joined the conference as an intern in 2008
+ Was a key figure in the Big Ten’s record-breaking seven-year, $7 billion media rights deal with CBS, FOX, NBC and Peacock that was announced in August
+ Responsible for the oversight and administration of the Big Ten’s media rights agreements. Works closely with network partners, conference leadership, athletic directors and others such as the Council of Presidents and Chancellors
+ Had a wide range of previous roles with the Big Ten, including working in rules compliance, sport administration, public affairs and health and safety
+ A 2007 graduate of Lafayette, where he played basketball

Will Lawler, Georgia

Position: Deputy AD for legal and regulatory affairs/assistant general counsel
+ Has been at Georgia since 2018.
+ Provides executive oversight for the compliance office
+ Part of his role, per the athletic department website, is to oversee “the athletic department’s efforts to deter and detect violations of NCAA, SEC, and institutional athletics rules”
+ Spent five years (2013-18) working at the SEC
+ Also was director of compliance at Tennessee (2012-13), assistant AD for compliance at Western Kentucky (2011-12) and compliance coordinator at Arkansas State (2010-11)
+ Spent four years as a corporate lawyer in Birmingham (2006-10)
+ Played football at Samford and is a 2002 grad; also received a law degree at Samford (2006)

Matthew LaBorde, LSU

Position: Executive associate athletic director/chief financial officer
+ Has worked at LSU since 2010
+ In his second year in his current role. Was promoted after serving in previous roles such as associate AD of business operations (2019-21) and assistant AD of business and finance (2017-19)
+ Responsible for monitoring the athletic department’s $140 million budget and for oversight of multiple Tigers teams, including men’s basketball
+ A Baton Rouge native and LSU alum (class of 2008)

Mónica Lebrón, Tennessee

Position: Deputy athletic director of championship resources
+ Has been at Tennessee since February 2021. Shares lead sport administrator for football and men’s basketball
+ Was at Tulane (2016-21) as deputy AD/chief operating officer
+ Previously worked in the SEC at Georgia (2014-16) as associate AD for development, Ole Miss (2012-14) as assistant AD for development and then an associate AD and at Florida with Gator Boosters Inc. (2004-08).
+ Was also a senior major gifts officer (2008-11) and senior associate director (2011-12) at California
+ An alum of Yale (class of 2001), where she played softball. Earned a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Tulane in 2019

Fernando Lovo, Texas

Position: Senior associate AD, facilities, capital projects and game operations
+ Promoted to his current role in August. Has been at Texas since December 2021
+ Spent 2021 as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ chief of staff under Urban Meyer, whom he had previously worked under at Florida and Ohio State
+ Was Tom Herman’s chief of staff at Texas for four seasons after serving as Herman’s assistant AD for football operations at Houston
+ Before going to the Jags, he was the Texas football chief of staff for four seasons under Herman
+ Was Ohio State’s football operations coordinator under Meyer from 2012-15
+ A Florida alum (2010). Got his start working in sports as a student at Florida under Meyer, beginning as a football student equipment manager before becoming a football operations assistant

Tommy McClelland, Vanderbilt

Position: Deputy athletic director for external affairs and revenue generation
+ Hired in 2020.
+ Before Vandy, he was athletic director at Louisiana Tech for seven years.
+ At Tech, he oversaw the building of the $23 million Davison Athletics Complex and an $18 million press box and luxury suites at Joe Aillet Stadium
+ Helped in the development of two future ADs while at Louisiana Tech: Stephen F. Austin’s Ryan Ivey and a fellow member of this list, FAU’s Brian White
+ Was AD at McNeese State (2008-13) before moving on to Louisiana Tech. Was 26 when he was named McNeese State’s AD
+ A 2004 graduate of Northwestern State (La.), where he played football and threw the javelin

Chance Miller, South Carolina

Position: Senior deputy athletic director
+ Has been at South Carolina since April 2013 and in current role since July 2019
+ Oversees the day-to-day operations of the athletic department, serves as the senior associate general counsel for the department and is sport administrator for football and men’s and women’s swimming and diving
+ Led the way as South Carolina partnered with a prominent sports marketing agency, Everett Sports Marketing, to create the nation’s first in-house NIL firm, which provides free NIL assistance and guidance for Gamecocks student-athletes
+ Has been involved in several South Carolina coaching searches, including the hires of Shane Beamer (football) and Lamont Paris (men’s basketball)
+ Before being promoted to current role, Miller served in multiple roles in the office of compliance services
+ Before South Carolina, he worked for the NCAA (2009-13) as an assistant and associate director on the enforcement staff. Miller was lead investigator on several NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions cases
+ A Tennessee alum (class of 2004). Has law degree from New York Law School (2008) and practiced law in New York, working as assistant corporation counsel for the New York City Law Department and representing organizations such as the NYPD, FDNY and New York City Teachers Union. Also worked in the NFL’s legal department

Justin Moore, Texas A&M

Position: Executive deputy athletic director/chief operating officer
+ Moore, a former All-Big 12 pitcher for Texas A&M, has worked at A&M since 2012 and was promoted to his current role earlier this year
+ Originally arrived at Texas A&M as Kevin Sumlin’s associate AD for football, then transitioned to senior associate AD for administration within the athletic department in 2016 before promotions to deputy AD for administration in 2020 and now to his current role
+ In his time at A&M, he has had a hand in student-athlete performance and wellness, facilities and event management, facility planning and capital projects, academics and life skills, team operations and logistics, compliance, budgeting and fundraising as well as scheduling
+ Is sport administrator for both football and men’s basketball
+ Was among the more popular names while gathering feedback for this project
+ Before A&M, he was at Houston as Sumlin’s director of football operations (2008-09) and assistant AD for football (2009-11)
+ Previously worked at A&M from 2006-08 as a special athletic department assistant, where he coordinated all student financial aid
+ A 2004 Texas A&M graduate

Tom Moreland, Purdue

Position: Senior associate athletic director, strategic initiatives/chief revenue officer
+ Has been at Purdue since 2017
+ Responsible for all strategic initiatives and revenue generation for Purdue and for oversight of the Boilermakers’ football team
+ Has helped Purdue experience an 89 percent increase in football revenue
+ Has also been part of the Boilermakers having record attendance for men’s basketball the past two years
+ Previously was at Iowa from 2010-17 and led various fundraising and revenue-generation programs
+ Before Iowa, he spent two years at Arizona State (2009-10) as director of baseball operations and external relations
+ Played baseball at Iowa and is a 2007 alum

Adam Neuman, Big Ten Conference

Position: Chief of staff, strategy & operations and deputy general counsel
+ Joined Big Ten in January 2020
+ A top adviser for Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren
+ Responsible for being a leading figure with strategy for the conference
+ Helps lead the Big Ten’s internal and external operations, which includes dealing with the finance, legal and athletic departments of all 14 Big Ten schools
+ Leads and manages the conference’s legal department
+ Was involved in the Big Ten adding USC and UCLA as well as in the conference’s record-breaking media rights deal with CBS, FOX, NBC and Peacock
+ Previously with Simpson Thacher and Bartlett LLP (New York firm) from 2018-19 as an associate in their capital markets division
+ While in law school at Penn, he served as a legal intern for the Minnesota Vikings, which is where he first met Warren, who was then the Vikings’ chief operating officer
+ A Yeshiva University alum (class of 2013); received law degree from Penn in 2018

Jovan Overshown, Baylor

Position: Senior associate athletic director for external affairs
+ Has been at Baylor since 2017, when she was hired as the associate AD for engagement
+ Has been promoted twice since then, including to her current role in June 2019
+ Oversees all aspects of the department’s external operations, including marketing and fan engagement.
+ Manages Baylor’s multi-media rights partnership with Baylor Bear Sports Properties – Learfield-IMG
+ Is the primary sport administrator for football and the secondary administrator for women’s basketball
+ Before being hired at Baylor, Overshown spent three years at The King’s University in Southlake, Texas, first as associate director of communications and later as director of marketing and communications. She also worked at TCU (her alma mater; class of 2006) and SMU

Rebecca Pany, Indiana

Position: Senior associate AD for sport administration and external partnerships
+ Pany has been at IU since 2012.
+ Promoted to current position in July 2020. In this role, she oversees – among other things – the department’s NIL initiatives, marketing and multi-media rights deals
+ Serves as a sport administrator of seven sports: football, men’s basketball, field hockey, men’s golf, rowing, softball and water polo
+ Has had a hand in numerous capital projects, including work on the football stadium and the basketball arena
+ Pany graduated from IU in 2012 after a four-year career as a field hockey goalie

Randale Richmond, Kent State

Position: Athletic director
+ Has been Kent State’s AD since May 2021
+ Previously worked at Kent State from 2004-15, starting off as a graduate assistant in compliance and eligibility before progressing to assistant director of compliance (2006-11), assistant AD for compliance and eligibility (2011-12) and associate AD for student-athlete academic services and compliance (2012-15).
+ Was at Old Dominion from 2015-2021, including as senior associate AD for sport administration and student-athlete welfare
+ Among duties at ODU was overseeing compliance. Also served as sport administrator for men’s basketball, field hockey, baseball, men’s soccer and men’s and women’s swimming
+ An alum of Baldwin-Wallace (class of 2004)

Eric Roedl, Oregon

Position: Deputy athletic director
+ Has worked at Oregon since January 2012. Started as executive senior associate athletic director and was elevated to his current role in January 2016
+ Serves as chief operating officer for the athletic department program
+ Is the sport administrator for the baseball and tennis programs with additional administration and oversight of the football and men’s basketball teams
+ Was at Temple for eight years before moving on to Oregon. Was Temple’s deputy athletic director when he left. Also served as the sport administrator for the football, men’s basketball and baseball programs
+ Also has worked at William & Mary (2000-03) and as a staff accountant at Ernst & Young
+ Played tennis at Villanova and graduated in 1997 

Edward Scott, Virginia

Position: Deputy athletic director
+ Has been at Virginia since January
+ Spent the previous five years as athletic director at Morgan State.
+ Was named a 2021-22 Cushman & Wakefield Athletic Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics
+ While at Morgan State, Scott launched the department’s first annual fund (Morgan Bear Club), adding over 1,000 new members and donations in the first year
+ Landed a $2.7 million donation, believed to be the largest single private donation in the history of HBCU athletics, to reinstate a wrestling program in the 2023-24 academic year. Morgan State will be the only HBCU to have wrestling
+ Negotiated an apparel deal for Morgan State with Under Armour.
+ Under Scott, Morgan student-athlete graduation rate increased by 19 percent and the department grade-point average improved from 2.63 to a record-setting 3.41 in 2020-21
+ President of the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA). Also in the initial year of his four-year appointment to the NCAA’s Playing Rules Oversight Panel
+ Was a senior associate AD at George Washington (2015-16), including sport administrator duties for men’s basketball and women’s lacrosse
+ Also has been senior associate AD at Binghamton (2008-15), associate director of academic services for student-athletes at Louisville (2006-08) and assistant director of student-athlete support services at Albany (2003-05)
+ An Albany grad (class of 2002). Was an all-conference centerfield for the Great Danes baseball team

Marcus Sedberry, Wisconsin

Position: Deputy athletic director
+ Has been at Wisconsin since February
+ Oversees all internal operations, including facilities and event and guest services
+ Spent five years at Baylor as a senior associate athletic director before moving on to Wisconsin. At Baylor, Sedberry was the sport administrator for football and men’s and women’s track and field, and managed NIL initiatives
+ Also worked at UCF (2008-12) as director of student services and at Arkansas, first as director of student-athlete development (2012-14) and later as assistant AD for student-athlete development (2016-17)
+ Worked for the Philadelphia Eagles (2014-16) as director of player engagement between his two stints at Arkansas
+ Spent time in private business before getting into athletic administration
+ He was a 400-meter runner at Nebraska (class of 2007). His dad, Marvin, was a high school coach and AD at various stops in Texas

Zac Selmon, Oklahoma

Position: Deputy athletic director, external engagement and advancement
+ Has been at Oklahoma since 2015 and in his current role for a year. Was previously a senior associate AD for advancement and administration
+ In his current role, his duties include oversight of the Sooner Club (a booster group), marketing and multi-media rights
+ Serves as sport administrator for football
+ Has been on the NCAA Football Rules Committee since 2019
+ Has been involved in multiple Oklahoma coaching searches, including the hire of football coach Brent Venables
+ Spent a year (2014-15) at North Carolina as associate AD
+ Previously worked at Oklahoma from 2009-14
+ Selmon’s father, Dewey, and uncles Lee Roy and Lucious Selmon were All-American defensive linemen at Oklahoma in the 1970s. Lee Roy is one of the best players in OU history and was the overall No. 1 pick in the 1976 NFL Draft by Tampa Bay. Lee Roy later was the AD at USF (2001-04)
+ An alum of Wake Forest (class of 2007), where he was a four-year starter at tight end for the Demon Deacons football team. He was on the Dean’s List for four years

Kiley Strong, Washington

Position: Senior associate athletic director for compliance
+ Has been at Washington since 2011 and oversees all compliance issues
+ Is the sport administrator for gymnastics
+ Previously served in various roles on the UW compliance staff since 2011, including managing football compliance and overseeing athletics financial aid operations
+ A Seattle native, Strong is an alum of Santa Clara, where she was a distance runner. She earned a law degree from Oregon in 2010

Ike Ukaegbu, Washington State

Position: Deputy athletic director
+ Hired at Washington State in June after seven years at TCU
+ At TCU, he oversaw all areas of compliance operations
+ Also was sport administrator for men’s basketball, swimming and diving and the school’s intercollegiate rifle program
+ A former associate athletic director for compliance at Virginia Commonwealth (2013-14)
+ Also was director of compliance at Boise State (2011-13) and worked in the compliance offices at Cal State Fullerton (2010-11), American University (2008-10) and FAU (2007-08)
+ An Arizona alum, class of 2007

Kyle Vasey, Alabama

Position: Senior associate athletic director/chief financial officer
+ Was hired by Greg Byrne at Alabama in 2017 after working under Byrne at Arizona
+ Has been promoted twice in the last two years, first to associate AD in January and then to his current role in July 2021
+ Oversees the annual operating budget and all financial reporting for the department and the Crimson Tide Foundation
+ Also manages the financial components of capital projects
+ Sport administrator for men’s and women’s golf and rowing
+ Was a senior financial analyst at Arizona for two years under Byrne
+ An Arizona alum, class of 2014. Served as manager of men’s basketball team while a student

Cameron Walker, Tennessee

Position: Deputy athletic director of competitive excellence
+ Started at Tennessee in January 2021. Came with Danny White from UCF when White was hired as AD
+ Shares lead sport administrator duties for football and men’s basketball
+ Spent almost five years as UCF (2016-20) and eventually was promoted to executive associate AD for compliance
+ At UCF, Walker managed compliance and drug testing and was sport administrator for men’s and women’s tennis. He also was lead compliance contact for the football program
+ Before UCF, he spent six years at Utah Valley (2010-16), serving as associate athletic director. Had oversight of compliance at Utah Valley and also served as Title IX deputy coordinator
+ Was also an adjunct professor at Utah Valley and taught courses that included business law and student leadership
+ An alum of Southern Virginia (class of 2007), where he played baseball and was a team captain. After graduation, he was an assistant baseball coach at Southern Virginia for two seasons
+ Has a law degree from Arkansas

Brian White, FAU

Position: Athletic director
+ Has been in current role since March 2018
+ Overseeing the school’s move from Conference USA to the AAC; the Owls officially become members of the AAC in July 2023
+ Has overseen numerous facilities upgrades at FAU, including a $72 million complex that houses the football program and the department’s academic support staff. There also has been a notable uptick in donations to the department under White
+ White came to FAU from Missouri (2015-17), where he was deputy AD for external relations in 2016
+ Also has worked at Army (2015), Tulsa (2014) and Louisiana Tech (2012-14). Before moving into athletic and administration, White spent 2007-12 as an account executive at IMG College
+ His dad, Kevin, is a former college administrator; he retired as Duke’s AD in 2021. Brian is the brother of Georgia basketball coach Mike White and Tennessee AD Danny White. His sister, Mariah, is an assistant AD for administration at SMU
+ A Notre Dame alum (class of 2006)

Kevin White, Clemson

Position: Deputy athletic director
+ Hired at Clemson in April 2022 and is the department’s second-in-command
+ Was hired for Graham Neff’s old role after Neff was selected as Clemson’s new athletic director
+ Oversees all internal operations, which includes the business office, facilities, grounds, fan experience and capital projects, and also manages external operations, which includes revenue generation and brand development
+ Is the sport administrator for the Tigers’ football and men’s basketball teams
+ Before Clemson, he worked at Northwestern as deputy AD and chief operating officer
+ During his time at Northwestern, was sport administrator for football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and men’s soccer. Also responsible for athletic department contract negotiations
+ Organized Northwestern’s 2022 season opening matchup against Nebraska in Ireland
+ Coordinated nearly $450 million in capital project facility financing at Northwestern
+ Previously spent three years (2014-17) at SMU, where he was a senior associate AD and chief operating officer, and five years as an associate AD at Georgia State (2009-15). During White’s time at SMU, the Mustangs men’s basketball team had the best three-year run in school history with an 82-17 overall record, including a 50-3 home record
+ A North Carolina alum (class of 2001)

Eric Wood, Louisiana Tech

Position: Vice president/athletic director
+ Has served as Louisiana Tech’s AD since October 2020
+ Spent five years at UCF as a deputy AD before being hired at Louisiana Tech
+ Was involved in UCF’s hirings of current Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel and men’s basketball coach Johnny Dawkins
+ Also has worked at Arkansas, the ACC, Wake Forest and the University of New Haven
+ Has been part of the Division I NCAA Football Oversight Committee and the Division I Council as well as being chairman of the NCAA’s Football Success Committee
+ Was a starting cornerback for three seasons (1995-97) at Sacred Heart University, an FCS school in Fairfield, Conn., and is a 1998 graduate of Sacred Heart.

Keli Zinn, LSU

Position: Executive deputy athletic director/chief operating officer
+ Hired at LSU in July after 12 years at West Virginia, the last five of which she served as WVU’s deputy AD and COO
+ At LSU, she oversees operations of entire athletic department. Her work also includes capital projects and revenue generation
+ Served as West Virginia’s interim athletic director in 2015
+ Before West Virginia, Zinn was an assistant AD at Maryland from 2005-10
+ Worked as a compliance assistant with the Big East Conference from 2003-04
+ A West Virginia alum, class of 2002

(On3’s Mike Huguenin contributed to this report.)