I will be incredibly surprised if it’s not Deputy AD (and current interim AD) Ryan Berryman who becomes the permanent Lobos AD.

Current Situation

• Fernando Lovo left after 11 months to become the Colorado AD
• President Garnett Stokes announced in September 2025 that she was retiring at the end of the 25-26 school year and would remain on until the next president was selected
• Parker Executive Search is doing the search again after initially assisting with the search that landed Lovo
• Lovo was hired to replace Eddie Nunez who left to become the Houston AD after 7 years leading the Lobos

Why Ryan Berryman?

I spent about 12 hours researching this situation and looking at the potential candidates for this position and I kept coming back to why it should be Ryan Berryman. Please note I have never met or spoken to Ryan Berryman nor have I talked to any sources about this position since I use my own filtered analysis, not sources, to look at these searches. Berryman has done a handful of interviews in his time as interim AD, mostly local and long-form, and he has confidence in his own skin for the job despite being only 32 years old.

Institutional Fit

• Grew up in Albuquerque and has 3 degrees from UNM
• Student manager for men’s basketball before beginning his climb in Lobos athletics
• Berryman was a state-appointed student regent for the Board of Regents

Long-Term Commitment

• The Lobos are hiring another AD after losing 2 in the last 2 years to Big 12 institutions.
• Berryman left a high-profile position at Washington after only 8 months because Lovo convinced him to come back after Nunez had left for Houston.
• UNM has high hopes for the future trajectory of their school and need a leader that will not use the job as a stepping stone to a Power 4 school. Instead, Berryman could be the leader that turns the job into a Power 4 school.

Decision to Hire AD Before President

• I imagine the Board of Regents is comfortable moving forward with the AD search before a new president is named because they know they will land on Berryman and that will allow the next president to not deal with an AD search as their first task as president.
• Berryman’s experience as a former regent cannot be overlooked. He likely understands the importance of the athletic department to the future goals of the institution better than any candidate.

Decision to Use a Search Firm

• Parker is likely doing this search for free or at a large discount because Fernando Lovo did not last even 12 months at UNM before leaving for Colorado.
• Due diligence is still incredibly important and a search can allow the committee to participate in shared governance instead of just handing the position to Berryman.
• The process can also give Berryman an opportunity to think about the position and give his opinion on how he would be his own AD and not just carrying on the vision set forward by Nunez or Lovo.

Final Thoughts

• Berryman is only 32 years old but is well-spoken and incredibly well-versed in UNM as an institution and athletic department.
• ADs are not just expected to be fundraisers anymore. Instead, they need to be revenue generators and need to care and think creatively about the institution to find those revenue streams.
• If Berryman becomes the permanent AD then he needs to find a way to make sure Jalen Dominguez, who reportedly is pursuing the position, remains at UNM. The 40 year old Dominguez is the Deputy AD and Chief Revenue Officer, an Albuquerque native, earned a master’s degree from UNM, and has been with the Lobos since 2016.
• I am confident that Berryman is going to be the next permanent AD, but I did find a handful of other names that would fit the criteria. When I’m this confident in a prediction I don’t include the other names but if I’m wrong I will compare the hire to the other names I came up with to see if the profile was correct.