Debbie Yow’s headed to Raleigh, N.C. Randy Eaton knows he likely won’t hold her old job past September. And no one in the Terps’ Athletics Departments has committed to anything beyond that.
So where does that leave the Terps? Well, to put it simply, they’re searching. It’s anyone’s guess who will sit in Yow’s old throne come fall time, but here are four names that could emerge for the position:
Jeff Hathaway, Connecticut Athletics Director: Yow recommended Hathaway to President Dan Mote, which could be both a bad and good thing when the search committee convenes to target the next AD. A Maryland graduate, Hathaway spent nearly a decade in this university’s Athletics Department and has helped build a basketball powerhouse in Storrs with Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma. He’s also overseen the rapid transformation of Huskies football from Division I neophyte to Big East contender.
Neal Eskin, Connecticut Executive Associate Athletics Director: Hathaway’s right-hand man is another university graduate. Eskin spent his undergraduate days working as a team manager for former men’s basketball coach Lefty Driesell before serving under former AD Lew Perkins, and if Hathaway is reluctant to move his shop down south, Eskin could be the man for the job.
Joe Castiglione, Oklahoma Athletics Director: The 1979 university graduate has served the Sooners for a long time, but this might be a long shot. As appetizing a homecoming for Castiglione might be, a cushy new Big 12 TV contract could be all the convincing he needs to stay put in Norman.
Rob Mullens, Kentucky Executive Associate Athletics Director: Mullens served seven years in College Park, moving on to Lexington after climbing as high on the Athletics Department totem pole as chief of staff. The West Virginia graduate nearly landed the Mountaineers’ AD gig just weeks ago, but will he get a second shot at leading his own program this summer?
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