Multiple media outlets list Mark Coyle as a candidate to replace Mitch Barnhart who is retiring as Kentucky AD

Donate To GopherHole
BleedGopher

BleedGopher

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
64,516
Reaction score
23,792
Points
113
Per Ben:

Mark Coyle

Current position: University of Minnesota athletic director. UK connection: Coyle worked in multiple roles at UK from 2006-11, eventually being promoted to deputy athletic director. He was the administrator for the men’s basketball program during the first two seasons of the John Calipari era.

More background: Coyle left UK for the athletic director job at Boise State in 2011. He spent four years there before he was hired as Syracuse athletic director. He spent less than a year at Syracuse before being hired at Minnesota. The Waterloo, Iowa, native cited “family reasons” for the move. He had previously spent four years as an associate athletic director at Minnesota before his stint at Kentucky.

Is he a fit? It’s debatable whether Kentucky or Minnesota has the more prestigious football program, but the profile of the UK men’s basketball team might make this job a step up for Coyle. His Midwest ties might make leaving Minnesota more difficult though, and there are few remaining connections in Lexington from his tenure here.


Go Gophers!!
 

Per Adam:

Mark Coyle (Minnesota director of athletics)

The Iowa native and former Drake football player spent 2006-11 working under Mitch Barnhart at Kentucky before branching out on his own. The former deputy athletics director at UK has served as a department head at Boise State (2011-15), Syracuse (2015-16), and Minnesota (2016-present). Coyle originally got his start in administration at Minnesota.

The long-time administrator replaced a departing Chris Petersen with Bryan Harsin at Boise State and that led to four ranked finishes and three Mountain West titles for the Broncos. In a short stint at Syracuse, Coyle hired Dino Babers. The head football coach led the Orange to a top-15 finish in 2018 before the train got off the tracks in Central New York. At Minnesota, Coyle hired P.J. Fleck who has led the Gophers to seven bowl games and respectability in Big Ten football. Meanwhile, Coyle decided to separate from basketball coach Richard Pitino. The hiring of Ben Johnson did not go well but the early returns are promising on the Niko Medved hire.

The industry veteran is familiar with Kentucky and owns nearly two decades of athletic director experience.

www.on3.com

Kentucky Athletics Director Hot Board: Top candidates to replace Mitch Barnhart

Who could be the next athletics director at Kentucky? KSR is taking a closer look at the top candidates.
www.on3.com www.on3.com

Go Gophers!!
 





Remember when all white Kentucky lost the NCAA Hoops championship game to all black Texas El Paso!!!! Great movie.
 



My question is, why? It’s not like we’ve become a NIL or fundraising machine. And grading his highest profile hires don’t paint him in a great light:
Fleck: B. He’s been fine but I can’t go higher in the Cignetti era.
Motzko: C+ Meh. And currently coaching his way out of a job.
CBJ: F. Not to beat this horse further, but right there with Lickliter for worst B10 CBB hire of the 21st century
And Medved is a super promising hire but has to be graded an incomplete. Too early.

How does this get an AD on other school’s radar? I’m fine if he goes.
 





Ten year itch and/or Cunningham is not looking to force Coyle out presumably but Coyle realizes she may want an opportunity to pick “her own” AD at some point. He may want a change of scenery especially if raising NIL money is easier in Lexington.
 





Replace him with one of the grand kids of the MacMillans (Cargill heirs).
 







FinnGopher said:
Then he is a pushover with no spine?
Click to expand...
I think our former Pres. made that decision after getting considerable political pressure. If Ben works out, great. If not, he’s gone in three years, then Coyle hires who he wants.
 

Coyle has hired well. They need a fund raising “Music Man,” to reach the next level. Spend some $ and find that person, because that’s not Coyle. The last M M we had here was Lou Holtz.
 


Zeppelin Gopher said:
Exactly. If Ben (or the mandate to hire a black coach) was actually pushed on Coyle by some shady U cabal, then he should've resigned out of principle.
Click to expand...
So let me get this straight, you have resigned out of principle for every job you have had when a committee decision was made and you didn’t get your way? He is an athletic director at a Big Ten university, makes a lot of money, maybe really likes where he lives and enjoys his job. Maybe he had assurances that this hire wouldn’t reflect on his job performance reviews. I wouldn’t necessarily resign just because I was outvoted. My opinion.
 

Outsider said:
So let me get this straight, you have resigned out of principle for every job you have had when a committee decision was made and you didn’t get your way? He is an athletic director at a Big Ten university, makes a lot of money, maybe really likes where he lives and enjoys his job. Maybe he had assurances that this hire wouldn’t reflect on his job performance reviews. I wouldn’t necessarily resign just because I was outvoted. My opinion.
Click to expand...
No, but I've never help a job of such high ranking importance that comes with intense public scrutiny.

Being outvoted on a committee to hire someone at my stupid office job doesn't compare with not being allowed to make one of the two crucially important hires as a Big Ten AD.
 


You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom