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PROVO — Perhaps the hardest job is replacing a legend, and the 20-year career of BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe, who will retire after the 2024-25 athletic season, certainly qualifies.
But someone has to.
BYU president Shane Reese said Wednesday that the search for BYU's next athletic director has already begun, and that Holmoe has agreed to aid in the search for his replacement, adding that the next AD will be someone who "absolutely loves BYU, who bleeds blue," and who focuses on the university's "unique mission" that include athletic excellence and spiritual development.
With that in mind, here are 10 names BYU could consider for its next athletic director, beginning with a few internal hires, others around college athletics, and a few outside-the-box considerations.
BYU insiders
Brian Santiago
A former Provo High and Fresno State basketball standout, Santiago has been at BYU since 1997 and served as Holmoe's right-hand man as senior associate athletic director and deputy athletic director beginning in 2008 and 2017, respectively.
He's also in charge of several of the Cougars' more high-profile teams, football notwithstanding, in men's and women's basketball and men's and women's volleyball.
Liz Darger
The Cougars' senior women's administrator has been on campus since 2015, has three degrees from the university, and oversees some of the top sports on campus — women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, and the spirit and dance squads.
Darger was instrumental in BYU's path to the Big 12 as a member of the NCAA's Common Ground leadership team that explores how faith-based and LGBTQ communities can work together in college sports and higher education.
Chad Lewis
The former BYU walk-on and three-time Pro Bowl tight end with the Philadelphia Eagles returned to his alma mater in 2010 as an associate athletic director for development, where he currently oversees the Cougar Club, in addition to other responsibilities.
BYU outsiders
Craig Angelos
A Salt Lake City native who had an all-state football and baseball career at Skyline High before playing baseball at BYU, Angelos was recommended to be Hawaii's athletic director in 2023 and was abruptly fired last November with less than two years on the job.
Prior to his time in Honolulu, Angelos held positions at Miami, Indiana, Florida Atlantic, South Florida, Florida International, Temple and LIU-Brooklyn, the latter two as deputy athletic director.
Jerry Bovee
A Utah State graduate with an MBA from Weber State, Bovee was a highly regarded and well-respected athletic director for the Wildcats for nearly 10 years before returning to his alma mater as deputy athletic director in 2019.
The former Utah High School Activities Association associate director was unceremoniously fired by the Aggies amid a Title IX investigation, which he has disputed in a federal complaint that recently morphed into a lawsuit against the university.
Kent Haslam
The 17th athletic director at the University of Montana since 2012 has had a successful, even historic, run with the Grizzlies. Haslam oversaw the addition of softball on the Missoula-based campus in 2015, the Grizzlies' first sport added since 1994, and negotiated a lengthy contract with Nike.
In his first few years on the job, Haslam oversaw a facility overhaul of $18 million in renovations, the largest in the school's history as Montana became one of the top FCS programs in the country.
The 1993 graduate of BYU in broadcast journalism and Japanese worked for the Triple-A Salt Lake Buzz from 1993-98 before several roles on the organizing committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics from 1998-2002 and jumping into college athletics, first at Northern Arizona before arriving at Montana in 2006.
Jared Sumsion
Utah Valley's current athletic director hasn't spent much time at BYU, but the Utah Valley graduate grew up in Utah County and played football at nearby Springville High School.
Since landing at his alma mater, Sumsion helped guide the school from state college to university; helped launch Utah Valley athletics into the Western Athletic Conference (and Big 12 in wrestling); and spearheaded the $28.5 million announcement of a new on-campus soccer stadium in partnership with Utah Community Credit Union; among other accomplishments.
Outside-the-box
Andy Reid
The head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs likely doesn't have much interest in retiring — perhaps less so after his club's Super Bowl three-peat bid was upended by his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles. But the former BYU offensive lineman, graduate assistant and staunch advocate for the university and its presiding faith deserves a phone call to gauge his interest.
Heck, maybe even ring Super Bowl-winning quarterback Steve Young and former BYU basketball star and Utah Jazz executive Danny Ainge to gauge their interest.
John Kimball
Real Salt Lake's team president has plenty of experience as a sports executive that could merit a look, as well.
The former Highland Rugby player graduated from BYU in 1994 before a career with the Utah Jazz, Larry H. Miller Sports and Entertainment, and his current role with RSL and Utah Royals FC that he's held for the past four years.
Scott O'Neil
O'Neil has few, if any, ties to BYU or the state of Utah, but the Harvard business graduate and former executive with the New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2016 at the age of 46.
He also has more than 25 years of experience in sports and entertainment, most recently as CEO of LIV Golf — a position to which he was just named in January following the abrupt departure of World Golf Hall of Famer Greg Norman. He's already earned the approval of stars like Rory McIlroy, and negotiated a new multi-year media rights deal that will see more than half of LIV events air on FOX or FS1.
