Has Rutgers Finally Found an Athletic Director?

As reported by Brian Fonseca of NJ Advance Media, Rutgers is targeting alum and seasoned sports executive Brian Lafemina for the open athletic director position, a position that's been vacant for almost a year. The seasoned sports business executive has a wealth of experience, working in the NFL as Senior Vice President and with the Washington Commanders as the President of Business Operations and Chief Operating Officer

Needless to say, Rutgers Athletics has been operating in a vacuum for the last year, as the college sports landscape rapidly evolves in the new-age world of NIL and revenue sharing. Football Head Coach Greg Schiano has risen to the occasion, demonstrating an innate ability to navigate the choppy waters of NIL and continue to recruit at a high level, despite Rutgers lagging severely behind other Big Ten schools in fundraising and resources.

For Head Basketball Coach Steve Pikiell, navigating the new world of NIL and revenue sharing has been difficult, to say the least. Despite recruiting two NBA lottery picks and having the second-ranked recruiting class in 2024, which trailed only Duke, Pikiell lacked the resources and expertise to surround his two freshmen stars with veteran players who were ready to immediately compete in the rugged Big Ten Conference. The startling failure of the basketball team sent shockwaves through the fan base and sparked calls to hire a business-minded athletic director.

Lafemina graduated with a degree in Economics from Rutgers and competed on the men's diving team. He landed a job at MSG Sports, where he worked for twenty years. In 2009, he joined the NFL, where he spent eight years before taking on the President of Business Operations / COO position with the Commanders in 2018.

Lafemina currently works for Springboard Advisors, an organization that specializes in helping sports and entertainment organizations maximize revenue, develop innovative marketing strategies, and streamline operations —areas that Rutgers Athletics desperately needs to improve upon. Lafemina's passion for Rutgers isn't in question - he's attended football games last season and practices this past spring.

No, the big question is if Rutgers can get the deal done. The hope is that newly hired president William Tate IV can step in and close the deal, so Rutgers isn't in the familiar place of looking for a Plan B, C, and D with a little over a month before the fall athletic season begins in earnest.

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