Rutgers is a Hot Landing Spot for AD Candidates and Here's Why

Rutgers ranked 54th among FBS schools and last in the Big Ten in fundraising, trailing next-to-last Maryland significantly, according to a report released in 2023 by The Knight Commission, as reported by 247Sports. Awash in debt, with 24 teams and nearly a thousand athletes, Rutgers has struggled mightily to keep pace with the rest of the Big Ten conference, lacking a strong national identity and the leadership to address the ever-changing NIL landscape.

That's no surprise to Scarlet Knight alumni conditioned for failure. What was a surprise was the hiring of William F. Tate IV as Rutgers' next president. Tate turned down a raise and bonus incentives from LSU, leaving Baton Rouge for a northeastern university steeped in history, diversity, and academic achievement, but severely lacking in athletic success.

With President Tate scheduled to take the reins on July 1st, an athletic director hire should not be far behind, a hire that will not only help define President Tate's legacy but also look to rewrite the narrative of Rutgers athletics and provide leadership that has been missing for years.

Why the Rutgers AD Opening is Attractive

Big Ten Membership

This is a no-brainer. There are two power conferences in college athletics that drive the economic engine - the SEC and B1G, and then there is everyone else. Rutgers alumni and fans can thank former AD Tim Pernetti for partnering with Maryland and having a voice in former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany's ear back in 2012. Delany anticipated correctly that carrying the NYC and Baltimore metro areas would lead to a massive media-rights payday for the conference.

The conference bluebloods will always debate Rutgers' inclusion, but the Scarlet Knights are here to stay. Assuming Rutgers pays market rate, as a member of the Big Ten, they should have little difficulty attracting an ambitious AD with a vision.

A New President from a Culture of Winning

Unlike the two prior Rutgers presidents in Barci and Holloway, incoming president Tate prioritizes athletics, even going so far as to state he doesn't like finishing second. That is music to a Rutgers fan base starved for success. Despite Tate's dedication to academics and research at LSU, you don't survive in Baton Rouge without putting a quality product on the field and meeting the high expectations of Tiger alumni and fans who expect to compete for championships.

LSU's most recent national championships include baseball and women's basketball in 2023 and football in 2019. Scarlet Knights fans are nothing if not realistic, and while nobody is expecting a string of championships across multiple sports, it's not unrealistic to believe a good hire can bring an infusion of energy and competitiveness in all 24 sports, at the conference level and on the national stage.

The Ability to Create Their Own Legacy

Incoming President Tate saw the opportunity and challenge of leading Rutgers into the future. One would expect the same from any serious AD candidate - a chance to pen their own narrative.

The ideal candidate will not only welcome the challenges of fundraising, navigating NIL, and competing at a high level but will attack those opportunities, building a national identity and leaving a lasting legacy. Needless to say, unlike the past three athletic directors, Rutgers needs to ace this hire.

Why the Rutgers AD Opening is Attractive

Big Ten Membership

A New President from a Culture of Winning

The Ability to Create Their Own Legacy

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