Ed Stewart, USC Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director: Nebraska had success with one former playmaking early-90s linebacker as athletic director and Stewart holds the same background. He spent 16 years as the Big 12’s executive associate commissioner where he was a leader in global-level issues within football and college athletics. Also a former Missouri admin, he’s been in his role with USC since 2022.
Mack Rhoades, Baylor athletic director:If Matt Rhule has a say in who his next boss is, he might think back to the last A.D. to hire him. Rhoades brought in Rhule from Temple after the 2016 season and has led a golden age in Bears athletics with their first national titles in men’s and women’s basketball and their most successful football teams under his watch the last eight years. The 58-year-old signed a 10-year extension in the spring of 2022 and has previous A.D. stops at Akron (2006-09), Houston (2009-15) and Missouri (2015-16).
Diana Sabau, Utah State athletic director: A transition to the Big Ten would be relatively smooth for Sabau, who spent years with Ohio State in various roles including brand management, negotiating a Nike partnership and as a sport administrator for football. The league in 2021 created a new role for her overseeing all 28 of its sponsored sports. The Oxford graduate has spent more than 30 years in college athletics with a variety of experiences that could come in handy in a fluid landscape
Heather Lyke, Pittsburgh athletic director: A graduate of Michigan and a former assistant A.D. at Ohio State, Lyke understands the league Nebraska’s in — and she understands what it means to work at a passionate football school. She works at Pitt — a volleyball power looking up at the queens of the sport at Nebraska. This is a name to watch; the ties fit, and NU would get accolades for the hire.
Jamie Pollard, Cockeye State athletic director: Pollard publicly doubled down on his commitment to the Cyclones when his name came up as a Nebraska A.D. candidate in 2021. A lot has changed in college athletics since then — would the 59-year-old consider a move to the Big Ten now? Pollard is a longtime fan favorite in Ames and once hired Fred Hoiberg there
Garth Glissman, SEC associate commissioner for men’s basketball: A former Husker football and basketball player, Glissman has two degrees from NU and worked as a journalist in the area for several years while part of a local law firm. He took a job as the NBA’s senior director of basketball operations in 2016 and moved quickly up the ranks before joining the SEC in a leading role last summer. Glissman is an expert communicator whose transition to Lincoln culture wouldn’t take long.
Pat Hobbs, Rutgers athletic director:Quietly has done a standout job hiring the right football and men’s basketball coaches at a school whose faculty is historically skeptical of embracing athletics. The media in New Jersey is tough, and Hobbs, heading into his ninth year, has stayed in the role. He has a relationship with Adidas and, while a Jersey-area lifer, might just be ready for the same move Alberts made
John Currie, Wake Forest athletic director: A pro’s pro who worked at Kansas State, Tennessee and now Wake Forest, which has built a baseball power and been competitive in football. Currie has a reputation for being sharp and a stickler for details; he’d bring a strong personality to the job.
Matt Davison, 1980 president of the 1890 Initiative collective: Husker fans are plenty familiar with Davison, who has remained a public figure long after his famed catch in 1997. He leads the school’s main NIL collective and before that served as a key fundraiser in the “Go Big” football facility project. Few candidates, if any, would arrive with better knowledge of the inner workings of the football program.
John Cook, Nebraska volleyball coach:The Husker coach most likely to become an A.D. Cook has long demanded a high standard from his teams and been an outside-the-box thinker, making philosophical adjustments to his program through the years and embracing the gargantuan undertaking that was Volleyball Day in Nebraska last fall. The 67-year-old has firsthand experience with the NIL landscape and is already an established voice within the athletic department.
John Cunningham, Cincinnati athletic director: If Nebraska wants an experienced administrator with local ties, Cunningham makes the short list. The graduate of Lincoln Pius X who later got a degree from Nebraska’s College of Law has worked at TCU, Boise State, Syracuse and Minnesota before joining Cincinnati in December 2019. He led the Bearcats into the Big 12 and made multiple major-sport hires including football coach Scott Satterfield. Cunningham — in his early 40s — has a reputation as a fundraiser and a buyout of $4.95 million if he leaves before the end of June.
Scott Barnes, Oregon State athletic director: He is a power-conference A.D. without a power conference home now that Oregon State has been left out in the cold by the power leagues. Barnes helped get Beaver football back on its feet, and he’d jump at the chance to run a larger program. The same would be true of Washington State’s Patrick Chun, but it’s unlikely NU goes back to Pullman for another A.D.
Mike Bobinski, Purdue athletic director: Could NU raid another Big Ten athletic director? Sure. Bobinski has done more with less at Purdue, which is the third school in its state. Imagine if Bobinski had the passion of Notre Dame and Indiana all wrapped up in one job.
https://omaha.com/sports/huskers/fo...03e6a3428.html#tracking-source=home-top-story
