Stanford just made an abnormal hire for its new athletic director, but it might actually just set the new norm.
Former Nike CEO John Donahoe was hired as Stanford’s AD with plenty of business leadership experience, but none in sports administration. According to ESPN, Stanford was searching for a “nontraditional candidate” during what’s a unique time in college sports, and many universities needing to fill the same role in the future, including the Oklahoma Sooners, might do the same.
Randall Stephenson could lead OU to unique AD hire
College sports is a business. There’s revenue, contracts, budgets, marketing and more employees than ever with student-athletes now on the payroll. That's why Stanford, and maybe even OU, looked for a more business-minded AD compared to what was previously needed for the role.
Joe Castiglione announced last month he was stepping up away from his full-time role as OU's athletic director at the end of this academic year. That put the Sooners on the hunt for a new AD, with former AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, who's now OU's chair of football and special adviser to the president and the director of athletics, leading the committee, which includes the likes of Bob Stoops and Sam Bradford.
Despite leading the search process, Stephenson actually fits the mold that OU would want in an AD if it took the same approach as Stanford. Like Donahoe, he's a former business mastermind who's also an alum that has stayed connected with his alma-mater and the sports world. Stephenson recently volunteered for his position within OU's athletic department, proving his desire to be involved with college sports.
However, Stephenson being put in charge of the search committee seems to negate the possibility of him emerging as OU's next athletic director. But that still doesn't mean OU isn't at least considering that direction despite already having so many connections to other major ADs. There's been plenty of rumblings to believe OU definitely could surprise fans with its hire.
This will be a controversial direction among fans. No one knows if it's wrong or right yet, not even the people in charge, during this constantly changing landscape of college sports. Controversial or not, though, it makes sense and is certainly a possibility for every future AD hire, and OU is next.
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