USF hires Oregon State's Brent Blaylock as new athletic director
The University of San Francisco has hired Brent Blaylock as its athletic director, the school announced Tuesday.
Blaylock most recently worked at Oregon State as executive deputy athletic director and chief operating officer. He previously spent seven years (2017-24) in athletic department roles at Arizona. Blaylock will start at USF on Monday.
Blaylock succeeds Larry Williams atop the Dons program. Williams, a former Notre Dame and NFL offensive lineman, died unexpectedly in October.
Stephanie Shrieve-Hawkins served as interim athletic director in the wake of Williams' death. She will return to her previous role as deputy athletic director for administration and facilities, according to Tuesday's news release.
Blaylock emerged as the choice of USF's 10-person search committee. His background in compliance and name, image and likeness (NIL) matters stood out, per the news release.
"I look forward to working with Brent to accelerate USF's national reputation as one of the top Jesuit powerhouses," school president Salvador D. Aceves said in a statement. "Together, we will elevate USF Athletics through increased philanthropic engagement, expanded revenue and by providing outstanding experiences for student-athletes, staff, donors and fans."
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The USF's men's basketball team, the school's highest-profile program, has enjoyed relative success in recent years, posting 20 or more wins in eight of the past 10 seasons. The Dons reached the NCAA Tournament in 2022, for the first time in 24 years, under former head coach Todd Golden.
Golden then left for Florida, where he subsequently guided the Gators to a national championship. His successor, Chris Gerlufson, is 85-51 in four seasons at USF.
The Dons also have endured turbulence over the past several years, with lawsuits rocking the baseball and women's basketball programs. In both cases, coaches were accused of mistreating players.
Blaylock comes to San Francisco at a time of upheaval for college sports, with revenue sharing, NIL deals and the transfer portal fundamentally reshaping the landscape.
"I am honored to lead the University of San Francisco Athletics Department during this transformative period for college athletics," Blaylock said in a statement. "I am thankful for the confidence President Aceves and the Board have placed in me, and for their unwavering commitment to student-athletes. … This program is well-positioned to be bold, forward-thinking and adaptive."
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