Why Keli Zinn is the Right AD for Rutgers Athletics

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Rutgers is targeting Keli Zinn, Executive Deputy Athletic Director / COO at LSU, as the University's next athletic director. With news that Rutgers had parted ways with the search firm they had hired to assist in the athletic director search after the prior top candidate, Brian Lafemina, withdrew his name from consideration, speculation mounted that newly hired President William Tate would step in and take leadership over the hiring process.

A graduate of West Virginia University, Zinn has an impressive resume, embarking on her career as a compliance assistant for the Big East Conference and leaving to take a similar role in College Park for the University of Maryland, where she worked from 2004-2010, eventually being promoted to Assistant Athletic Director.

Zinn returned to her alma mater in 2010, where she spent nearly twelve years and became the first woman to lead West Virginia's athletics department. In July of 2022, Zinn was hired by Louisiana State University as Chief Operating Officer / Executive Deputy AD of Athletics.

As the Rutgers Board of Governors continued to fumble the search for a permanent AD, it became clear to anyone following the Scarlet Knights that newly hired president Tate would need to take charge of the hire. In Zinn, Tate would be bringing on someone who shares the same vision for the future of Rutgers Athletics and is aligned with how to achieve those goals.

Football Head Coach Greg Schiano, who is aware of the perception outside his program that any significant hires affecting football go through him, has been measured and positive in his comments, stating at Big Ten Media days this past week that he "has a lot of faith in Amy (Towers) and now, President Tate, and the board will choose the right person."

What should be music to Schiano's ears is the unprecedented success of LSU athletics during Zinn's tenure: marked by national championships in baseball, gymnastics, and women's basketball, as well as a Top 10 finish in the Directors' Cup, which ranks the best athletic programs in Division I. In Zinn's three years with the Tigers, the football program has won 29 games, including an undefeated season and celebrating the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, Jayden Daniels.

Zinn carries the business acumen that Rutgers Athletics has long been lacking. She's negotiated LSU's media rights partnerships, driving a 21% increase in revenue, and should be a huge asset for the Scarlet Knights football and basketball teams as the programs navigate the challenges of NIL and revenue sharing in the ever-evolving landscape of college athletics.

Rutgers missed out on their previous top pick, as the Board of Governors was unable to finalize the deal. However, one would expect that with President Tate now in charge, he won't let Zinn walk away without a deal.

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