Where to Turn if Manuel Leaves

The Twittersphere is alight with rumors that the University of Michigan is closing in on a new athletic director, and that UConn’s own Warde Manuel is the top choice. Given that he’s an alum, that Michigan may be the most prestigious athletic department in the country and that he’d be upgrading from the AAC to the Big Ten, it’s impossible to imagine that Manuel would turn the job down and it seems prudent to explore where UConn would then turn.

The first and most important question that you have is probably “how is this going to affect realignment?” The short answer is that we don’t know. Ultimately, realignment decisions are made by university presidents, not athletic directors, and all indications are that Susan Herbst has been doing everything she can to put UConn in the best possible position to get into a more notable conference.

Anyway, as great as Herbst is (and she is), she’s going to need, at least, a capable first mate to help navigate the murky waters of realignment. So who are the candidates? Based on zero inside information, I’ll start the irresponsible rumormongering here.

Tim Pernetti, former Rutgers AD

Fired for badly mishandling the Mike Rice fiasco. While the idea of hiring someone who was fired by Rutgers is enough to make my skin crawl, let’s keep in mind that Pernetti, often lauded for his networking and fundraising abilities, managed to get the tire fire that is the Rutgers Athletic Department into the Big Ten, which is a place I sure would like to see UConn end up. Could Pernetti’s connections in the Big Ten help UConn? Potentially, and for that reason alone, his name is on the list.

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Boo Corrigan, current Army AD

While you wouldn’t think that UConn would be looking at the service academies to fill their AD chair, Corrigan has an excellent record of fundraising and outreach going back to his years in the athletic departments at Notre Dame and Duke. Corrigan was one of the top candidates for the AD job at Boston College, and it was even reported that he’d been hired before the school ultimately went with Brad Bates. Given his history with several ACC schools, Corrigan could be a good fit to help grease the skids for UConn into that league.

Oliver Luck, former West Virginia AD

If UConn is serious about the Big XII, Luck might be the best choice. In addition to his obvious connections to the conference (attended and ran the athletic department at WVU, got his JD from Texas), Luck is the best fit to answer the criticisms coming from Big XII member schools that UConn isn’t a “cultural fit” to the league. Luck, former NFL QB and father of Andrew Luck, is a football guy through and through, which might make him UConn’s best play to appeal to the football-centric Big XII.

Chris Plonsky, current director of women’s athletics, University of Texas

Plonsky has been half of UT’s two-headed AD team since 2001 (UT is the only D1 school with separate athletic directors for men and women), and in that time has overseen three national championships and dozens of conference titles. Another major part of the appeal here would be the connection to UT, the school that ultimately controls the destiny of the Big XII. That she would be one of only a small handful of female ADs at FBS schools would be an irrelevant bonus to the possibility that she generates the smoothest path out of the AAC for UConn. I have my doubts that Plonsky would accept the job, as there are rumors she turned down the men’s AD job at UT after Steve Patterson’s firing.

Sean Frazier, current NIU AD

Frazier has been up for a number of AD jobs at P5 schools in the northeast already, so it would be surprising if UConn didn’t at least give him a look. Under Frazier, NIU has solidified itself as one of the top G5 football programs, and has seen improved funding across the board. UConn, desperately trying to avoid the “mid-major” label, may balk at hiring an AD from the MAC.

Mike Tranghese, former Big East commissioner

Tranghese is already working with Susan Herbst with eyes on a new conference, and it’s a guarantee that he’ll be on any search committee for Manuel’s replacement. If the most important thing here is connections with P5 universities, Tranghese and Herbst may conclude that he’s the best option for the job. Tranghese, 73, would probably only be looking for a brief stint before retiring again, but it might not take longer than that to secure an invite to a new conference, solidifying UConn’s immediate future in athletics.

Jim Calhoun, former, well, you know who this is

Calhoun is currently working in UConn’s athletic department as a “special assistant to the director of athletics,” and it’s likely that you’ll hear his name floated for the big chair if the AD job does open up. From my perspective, Calhoun is probably not the best choice. He doesn’t have much in the way of fundraising experience (other than being a famous guy that the locals love), and his connections to many other schools are… hostile. He likely doesn’t have the temperament to be an administrator, and I doubt the job would actually interest him.

Jeff Hathaway, current Hofstra AD

Hathaway oversaw several championships in his stint at UConn before moving on to Hofstra. If he’s struggling to deal with the bright lights of Hempstead, it’s possible that he might be coaxed into a return to Storrs. Hathaway struggled at times with fundraising and often clashed with high-profile coaches like Calhoun, so it might not be a perfect fit.