Although the hire was already announced on Friday, Roger Denny is not expected to officially replace Joe Castiglione as Oklahoma's next athletic director until Feb. 15, but when he does, Denny immediately has some work to do.
There's been a list of things OU fans had been begging for from Castiglione, but now, they've made it clear what they want Denny's first priorities to be once he's in charge and starts a new era of OU athletics.
What should be Roger Denny's top priorities as OU's new AD?
1. Overhaul OU men's basketball
OU men's basketball has reached new lows under head coach Porter Moser, who has spent multiple seasons on the hot season. His job seems safe for now, even during a six-game losing streak because of the change in leadership, but when Denny officially takes over, his first big move needs to be to fire Moser, or else he'll immediately lose the fan base.
It will take more than that to bring OU men's basketball back out of the ashes, though. Denny should get rid of Moser sooner than later to promptly begin the search for his replacement and get first dibs on the perfect fit. However, the next coach will also need more NIL for better talent and the fan base will need to be won back over to fill what's become a soulless Lloyd Noble Center.
How Denny handles the Moser situation will reveal to fans how serious he is about reigniting the Sooners on the court.
2. Improve fundraising for NIL funds for all sports, especially men's basketball
With that first issue taken care of, Denny will need to hit the phones and start shaking hands to bring in more NIL funding for every sport, especially men's basketball, if the Sooners want to not only continue to compete in the SEC, but rise to the top. Denny can use the excitement of a new era to bring in that funding, and he has the experience of doing so after securing an Illinois record $100 million gift in his previous role.
3. Reevaluate Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium renovations
Fans were outraged in November when OU released renovation plans for Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium that included reducing attendance by 7,000 seats to replace them with more suites. The Sooners then hosted their first College Football Playoff game, and as the ESPN College GameDay crew was in awe while the entire country saw a glimpse of The Palace on the Prairie at its best, OU fans were reassured their complaints were valid.
He might be too late to the party, but as an outsider coming in, Denny at least needs to revisit those stadium plans and understand the reasoning to assure it's what's best for OU athletics, including the fans and student-athletes, not just boosters.