Category: Athletic Directors

Listen on Apple. Listen on Spotify. Blair joined HEA for a wide ranging conversation about Toledo athletics and his philosophy as a “modern athletic director.” Recorded the morning after the season/home opening football game, Blair discusses game day improvements and how him and his team solicit feedback and think critically about their game day management,…

Luke Bosso was seen as a non-traditional hire after working as an advisor for the Indiana Governor and holding other city and state government positions. Now entering year two of his tenure as the athletic director of the Jaguars, Bosso leads during a transformational time for the university. Formerly IUPUI, the institution officially changed to…

Auburn AD John Cohen hit the ground running after being named to the position in October 2022. Previously, Cohen was the AD at SEC foe Mississippi State. He talks about his mentors in current SEC ADs Greg Byrne and Mitch Barnhart and how they helped shape him into an AD while still being a baseball…

Jeramiah Dickey is the next guest on Higher Ed Athletics to talk about his rise to the AD position at Boise State and the behind-the-scenes work for the transformational changes the Broncos are experiencing. Intentionality is the theme I was left with after speaking with Dickey before, during and after the interview. Jeramiah explains how…

Former Racer starting quarterback Nico Yantko is now leading the Murray State athletic department. Yantko begins the conversation talking about his initial preparation for the interview and first days on the job. The conversation continues to speak heavily to his vision and decision-making. Yantko talks about the need to be quick but not in a…

The first ever commissioner on Higher Ed Athletics, Ohio Valley Conference’s Beth DeBauche joined the show for a wide-ranging conversation. DeBauche is a new NCAA Board of Governor member and shares her thoughts on balancing her past NCAA national office experience and tradition with the need to address the future of college athletics. She shares…

Charles Guthrie has been leading Akron through a rebrand and joined the HEA podcast to talk about going to the Block “A” and that conversation spills into more insight into his approach to leadership as an executive. Guthrie gives his take on the pros and cons of guarantee money games in Football and whether things…

Stags VP for Athletics Paul Schlickmann is latest guest on the Higher Ed Athletics podcast. Schlickmann starts the conversation about his new VP appointment over the summer and explains what the new intention of the role is for him from the president. Schlickmann talks in detail about their brand new on-campus arena that is wrapping…

I hit the road to Dayton to visit with Wright State AD Bob Grant. We hit several topics, beginning with what keeps him excited about WSU after all these years leading his alma mater. The conversation turns to how WSU continues to hit above its weight in a busy D1 state of Ohio. As a…

Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard is next up on Higher Ed Athletics to discuss a wide-range of topics. The conversation begins with his video communication strategy to fans, including one with President Wintersteen to calm the fan base after the shock of Texas and Oklahoma leaving the Big 12. He discusses the planning process for…