Syracuse has found a new athletic director according to report

Syracuse has reportedly agreed to terms with Toledo athletic director Bryan Blair.

Sep 9, 2023; Syracuse, New York, USA; Detailed view of an end zone pylon with the Atlantic Coast Conference logo and Syracuse Orange logo prior to the game against the Western Michigan Broncos at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Toledo athletic director Bryan Blair will become Syracuse’s next athletic director according to multiple reports.

The Syracuse board will need to make a final approval on Thursday, and an announcement is expected after the move is finalized.

Blair will replace the outgoing John Wildhack, who is retiring after 10 years at the helm of the SU athletics department. It was a decidedly checked tenure for Wildhack, who oversaw the hiring of Fran Brown and Adrian Autry during his tenure. 

Blair will need to guide the basketball team back to success

Brown led the football team to a 10-win season in 2024 before slumping to 3-9 last year. Meanwhile, Autry went 49-48 in three seasons as head basketball coach, and 15-17 in the 2025-26 season. 

Wildhack’s final act as AD was to dismiss Autry the day after the Orange’s season ended with a blowout loss to SMU in the ACC Tournament. It was the basketball team’s second straight losing season, the first time that has occurred since 1969.

Blair will try to revive the basketball program that now has not been to an NCAA Tournament in 2021. One of his first tasks will be to hire Autry’s replacement. 

Potential candidates include current Siena men’s head basketball coach Gerry McNamara, University of South Florida head coach Bryan Hodgson, Saint Louis University head coach Josh Schertz, and former Syracuse assistant and New Orleans Hornets assistant coach Mike Hopkins.

Syracuse has undergone major change recently

The entire Syracuse administration has undergone significant change in the last two weeks. Syracuse named Mike Haynie as their new chancellor on March 3 before the Autry firing and reports of Blair’s hiring was reported on Wednesday.

Blair developed a strong reputation as fundraiser since he assumed the Toledo AD role in 2022. Under his leadership, the Rockets accumulated 13 MAC championships. Toledo was also the first school in the conference to form an NIL collective. 

Prior to Toledo, Blair was deputy athletic director and chief operating officer at Washington State University, where he doubled fundraising.

Prior to Toledo, he worked at Rice University, South Carolina and the NCAA Office in Indianapolis. He graduated from Wofford College where he played on the football team and then earned a law degree from South Carolina.

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