On the first day of SEC spring meetings, Kentucky women’s basketball coach Kenny Brooks received two greeting cards to sign — one funny, one sentimental.
Upon opening the funny card and seeing a donkey cutout leap off the cardstock, Brooks let out a cheeky laugh. He scribbled a little something next to the burro. Then another little something in its more sincere counterpart. Brooks’ notes joined several others wishing Mitch Barnhart well in retirement.
Barnhart, UK’s longtime athletics director, will step away at the end of June. His retirement comes after 24 years at the helm of all things Wildcats. Kentucky looks to find a replacement by then, with whomever does succeed Barnhart serving as AD and chief executive officer of Champions Blue, LLC.
The job description has changed a lot since Barnhart started in 2002. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey talked with reporters about it last month at the Hilton Sandestin. There are more people to manage, greater financial figures at stake, heavier emphasis on capital expenditures than the once-super-salient facility arms race and increased investment (at least publicly) of politicians federal and otherwise.
It’s a lot for one person to manage. The list of wants and needs is exhaustive. What are folks at Kentucky prioritizing? What do other current ADs feel it takes to succeed in the role nowadays?
Ask Brooks what he wants to see in his new boss, and he’ll keep it refreshingly real:
“Well, if I had my druthers, it would be somebody who is really, really a strong advocate for women’s basketball — who is just a fanatic for women’s basketball.”
Of course the women’s basketball coach would say that. But in all seriousness, Brooks expressed concern to The Courier Journal for the well-being of the entire department — not just football and men’s basketball. Women’s basketball is about as successful as it’s ever been under Brooks. The women’s volleyball team is consistently winning SEC titles and contending for national championships. Gymnastics has been a top 10-15 team for the better part of the last 10 years.
“They (the next AD) got some big shoes to fill,” Brooks said. “Kentucky’s athletic department is very successful across a lot of venues. Just hope to continue the excitement and the resources there for sports to be successful. Obviously we get into our own little bubble and just start thinking about who we are and what we need, but what Mitch did for 24 years has just been remarkable. So hopefully someone can come in and keep the train rolling.”
Football coach Will Stein expressed his love for Barnhart, who hired the Louisville native about three months before announcing his retirement. “He changed my life forever,” Stein told The Courier Journal. He hopes whoever replaces Barnhart also “knows everybody’s name,” cares about athlete well-being and acts as “a servant leader.” But Stein also reinforced the importance of having someone who’s adept at building up UK’s revenue.
Men’s basketball coach Mark Pope praised Barnhart as well. During Pope’s third SEC spring meetings, he told The Courier Journal that rooms go quiet at the Hilton Sandestin when Barnhart walks in. A sign of respect. It’ll be “impossible,” Pope said, to replace the man who hired him to coach his alma mater.
Sankey started with the SEC as associate commissioner in 2002. Back then, Barnhart was the league’s freshest face. Florida’s Jeremy Foley was a young vet. Doug Dickey was still at Tennessee. Vince Dooley still represented UGA. Frank Broyles, who led Arkansas to the SEC, still presided over the Razorbacks.
“What a room,” Sankey said, reminiscing.
While many may shrug at the emphasis his league places on tradition and intentionality across various marketing campaigns, Sankey pointed toward it as an important part of preserving the SEC’s culture amid administrative turnover. These annual spring meetings have been held at the same location (other than those impacted by COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021) since 1985. The league’s elder statesmen and women share their institutional knowledge with new compatriots, so nothing important is lost to time.
“We have a stronger culture today,” Sankey said during his May 28 news conference, “even after the change, as we had then (when Sankey started). That doesn’t happen by accident. That’s a responsibility of our athletics directors, responsibility of us all.
“And the affection shown for Mitch in early May by his colleagues, and Mitch shared his affection for them and for the league, we didn’t record that. That’s one of the rewards of the work, to see that — competitors sharing that kind of appreciation and respect for a colleague. And today, actually, (Tennessee) chancellor (Donde) Plowman, in the combined meeting, is the one who stopped and said, ‘Hey, this is gonna be Mitch’s final meeting,’ and that respect and appreciation showed again. Those are pretty cool moments to be part of.”
Not everything about Barnhart’s tenure has been entirely positive, though. He’s been named in numerous Title IX lawsuits against the school claiming gender discrimination and sexual abuse. Under his supervision, ex-football coach Mark Stoops was able to secure a contract that guaranteed him nearly $38 million from UK upon his firing (which will be spread out in quarterly payments through April 1, 2031, after negotiations).
And just last month, Barnhart declined the post-retirement executive-in-residence role baked into his contract after immense pushback over the $950,000 salary that would’ve come with the position. His announcement came two days after Gov. Andy Beshear voiced his displeasure at paying Barnhart such a lucrative amount for a gig with “no defined duties.”
The Courier Journal has been engaged in discussion with UK Athletics representatives about scheduling a one-on-one interview with Barnhart since December. He has yet to be made available.
UK president Eli Capiluto said in a release that he’s considering “both sitting college athletics directors and people with varied backgrounds in pro sports and business as potential next leaders.” At one time, it seemed possible that UK would hire two people to replace Barnhart. At a Champions Blue meeting last month, the board looked at multiple organization models developed by consulting firm Deloitte, and two proposals suggested naming a chief commercialization and growth officer to share responsibilities with a more sports-minded AD.
Search firm DSG Global is aiding UK in the job search, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. As part of a “listening tour,” Capiluto has conducted more than 80 interviews with university senior staff, coaches, donors and other supporters and business leaders. The job posting says whoever fills this CEO/AD role will report directly to Capiluto and work in tandem with other departments, including Information Technology Services, Marketing and Strategic Communication, Student Success and Philanthropy.
This individual would also serve as a non-voting member of the Champions Blue Board of Governors. The LLC was created last year to give UK Athletics flexibility to move more quickly than university bureaucracy allows as a way to better navigate the current, ever-changing landscape of college sports.
Capiluto said in a release that the “chief attributes in the next leader will include:
“A commitment to student success, integrity, compliance and the pursuit of championships
“Financial and commercial acumen to administer larger budgets, generate more revenue and manage expenses
“A capacity to analyze costs and consequences of alternative revenue strategies
“A willingness to work collaboratively with a team of leaders, utilizing shared services across the UK enterprise to achieve unit and strategic goals”
No matter who takes over UK Athletics, they will have their work cut out for them in navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of college sports.
Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at ptitus@gannett.com and follow her on X @petitus25. Subscribe to her “Full-court Press” newsletter What does Kentucky need from new for a behind-the-scenes look at how college sports’ biggest stories are impacting Louisville and Kentucky athletics.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky AD search: What UK looks for in Mitch Barnhart’s replacement
