Updated 3/2/2026
As Old Dominion University begins the formal process of selecting its sixth Athletic Director, the institution faces a landscape radically different from the one that existed during its last leadership transition. The modernization of collegiate sports—driven by the House v. NCAA settlement and the emergence of institutionalized revenue sharing—has shifted the requirements of the job from traditional administration to a "Chief Executive Officer" model.
The Profile: The Revenue CEO and Performance Architect
The "ideal" candidate for a program like Old Dominion in 2026 is defined by two primary pillars of competency:
- Revenue Engineering and Roster Capitalization: In the current Revenue-Sharing Era, the baseline requirement for a competitive Group of Five (G5) program involves managing an athlete compensation cap that has climbed into the millions annually. The next AD must be a "Revenue Maximizer" capable of shifting from a donation-heavy model to a diversified business model. This includes the professionalization of NIL partnerships, securing large-dollar advertisers, and creating sustainable "Corporate-to-Rev Share" pipelines to fund roster retention in the Transfer Portal era.
- Operational Roster Management: Modern ADs are increasingly acting as "General Managers." Successful peer hires have established front-office operations that include hiring dedicated General Managers for Football and Basketball. The next ODU AD must possess direct oversight experience with high-stakes coaching searches and the administrative ability to maintain a standard of postseason success as a floor for the university’s flagship programs.
The ODU Unfiltered Big Board
This data-driven evaluation categorizes potential candidates by their strategic fit and "Targetability"—the realistic likelihood of a candidate accepting the position based on the institutional prestige and resources of a Sun Belt flagship.
| Candidate | Grade | FB/BB Performance Summary | Revenue & NIL Era Strategy | Executive Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUCKET 1: SITTING G5 ATHLETIC DIRECTORS (PROVEN CEOS) These candidates have direct experience running an athletic department and navigating the financial complexities of the current era. | ||||
| Randale Richmond | A+ | Elite: Proven ability to build postseason basketball (Kent St 2024) and stable FB. | Advanced: Master of the "G5 Hustle"; links donor engagement directly to roster retention. | The premier target. He isn't just a "safe" familiar face; he is a sitting CEO who has already solved the puzzle of winning at a resource-constrained mid-major in the NIL era. |
| Jared Benko | A- | A: Sun Belt veteran; understands the specific "arms race" of our current conference. | Strong: High-level experience with NIL collective alignment at Georgia Southern. | A "Ready-Now" leader who wouldn't need a learning curve. He understands that in the Sun Belt, your revenue is only as good as the head coach you hire to drive it. |
| Jordan Skolnick | A- | Rising: Guided Delaware’s FBS move; already achieving bowl-level success. | Modern: Data-driven; treats fan engagement like a user-acquisition funnel. | A specialist in "scaling up." He understands the exact logistical and financial hurdles ODU faced a decade ago and has modernized them for the 2026 NIL landscape. |
| Bryan Blair | B+ | Consistent: Toledo is a MAC machine; expert at talent retention in the portal. | Resourceful: Focuses on "Resource Concentration" into the FB/MBB economic engines. | A disciplined ROI executive. He won't waste a dollar on non-essentials, focusing every resource on ensuring the flagship sports drive the department's bottom line. |
| Chris King | B+ | Efficient: Proven winner in the Horizon League; maximizes basketball on a budget. | Analytical: Known for high-ROI budgeting and professionalizing mid-major external brands. | An analytical reformer. He views the AD chair as a CEO role focused on "Market Share," making him ideal for fixing ODU's stagnant ticket and donor growth. |
| Slade Larscheid | B | Stable: Consistent force in the MAC; gets "Power 4 results" on a Group of 5 budget. | Pragmatic: Specialist in internal efficiency and roster stability during transition. | A "Steady Hand" candidate. He focuses on the internal plumbing of the department to ensure that when a coach is hired, the structure is there to support a title run. |
| Jon Gilbert | C+ | Experienced: Managed high-passion G5 programs in competitive, localized markets. | Traditional: Safe pair of hands; focuses on traditional donor relations over NIL aggression. | A "Traditional" hire. While he provides stability, he may lack the radical "New Era" aggressiveness required to leapfrog peer Sun Belt programs in revenue. |
| BUCKET 2: EXTERNAL LIEUTENANTS (THE "NEXT-GEN" LEADERS) This group consists of senior deputies at Power 4 programs who are seeking their first head AD role and carry elite operational experience. | ||||
| Ryan Alpert | A | Proven: Architect of the external "resurgence" at Tennessee; understands elite FB engines. | Elite: Revenue specialist; expert at building the "Corporate-to-Collective" pipeline. | The ultimate "Revenue Architect." He represents a total break from the status quo, bringing a high-intensity P4 business model designed to end the "attendance paradox" through aggressive monetization. |
| Marvin Mitchell | A- | Big Machine: Administrative anchor for Louisville’s high-stakes ACC programs. | Strategic: Expert in P4 accountability and "Elite Eight" style operational support. | Offers a clean break from ODU's past while bringing a P4 "Standard of Excellence." His Eastern Shore roots are a bonus, but his "Big Machine" executive experience is the real value. |
| Darrice Griffin | B+ | Elite: Oversight of sport admins at the nation's most dominant football program (UGA). | Standard: Understands the "Mountaintop" revenue and roster management model. | She doesn't just hire coaches; she builds the administrative engines that force them to win. She would transplant a "No-Excuses" P4 blueprint to Norfolk. |
| Troy Austin | B | Vet: Former AD at Longwood; understands the specific "Virginia Market" hurdles. | NIL-Forward: Currently leading Duke's external efforts; bridges mid-major and P4 worlds. | An expert at navigating the 2026 revenue landscape. He knows the state's donor base intimately but applies a national-level NIL strategy to engage them. |
| Andy Rowdon | B | Fixer: Leading external reform at W&M; past P4 experience at four programs. | Growth-Focus: Specialist in aligning university goals with external market opportunities. | A professional "Fixer" by trade. He sees the business upside of ODU and isn't beholden to how things were done in the 2010s. |
| BUCKET 3: INTERNAL AND LEGACY CANDIDATES Hiring from this group would prioritize institutional continuity over a radical break in departmental culture. | ||||
| Bruce Stewart | B- | Historic: Architect of the FB startup; knows every logistical bolt in the stadium. | Institutional: Understands the current donor base better than anyone on this list. | Represents the "Status Quo." While his institutional knowledge is unmatched, he is the hardest candidate to sell as a "radical culture shift" or a new vision. |
| Carolyn Crutchfield | C+ | Academic: Strong in compliance/Olympic sports; lacks revenue-sport turnaround experience. | Internal: High-level institutional knowledge; focused on compliance over revenue aggression. | A rising internal leader. However, without primary oversight of a winning FB/MBB program, she remains a "Continuity" candidate in a "Shift" cycle. |
Bucket 4: Off the Board
These candidates are considered unlikely due to "Targetability" issues (P4 ADs won't leave for ODU), executive risk, or experience gaps.
| Candidate | Primary Reason for "Off the Board" Status |
|---|---|
| John Cunningham (Cincy) | Targetability: Currently a sitting Big 12 AD. ODU is not a step-up for an established P4 leader. |
| Allen Greene (Pitt) | Targetability: Recently named AD at Pitt (P4). A move to the Sun Belt is not a career-logical path. |
| Thomas Theodorakis (Army) | Targetability: Recently named AD at Army; the Service Academy path is a distinct career track with different financial levers. |
| Mark Benson (UAlbany) | Culture Risk: Significant administrative controversy at UAlbany, including Title IX compliance and staff misconduct lawsuits, makes him a high-risk hire for a "Culture Shift." |
| Dr. Ron Moses | Experience: Per user request; recognized as needing a head AD role elsewhere first to prove operational CEO capability. |
| Casey & Vic Cegles | Experience: Both are high-potential deputies who need to prove they can run a department independently before returning to ODU. |
| Michael Reutt | Experience: Strategic asset for basketball, but too green for the CEO chair in a department-wide search. |
| Jena Virga (ODAF) | Experience: An elite fundraiser, but lacks the necessary sport supervision and roster management background to run the full department. |
Insights: What Makes a G5 Department Function at a High Level?
For Old Dominion to avoid the "attendance paradox"—having high-quality facilities with declining participation—the next leader must master three functional shifts:
- The House Settlement & Direct Pay: As of July 1, 2025, schools are permitted to share revenue directly with athletes. A functional AD must construct "Revenue-Share" agreements that meet the evolving competitive needs to fund winning rosters.
- The "Revenue Waterfall" Model: High-performing G5s acknowledge that Football and Basketball are the economic engines. By concentrating resources into these sports, the department generates the advertising value and ticket revenue required to sustain the university’s broader 16-sport brand.
- Front-Office Professionalization: As seen at Delaware under Skolnick, modern ADs are hiring dedicated General Managers. This allows the AD to focus on the "business of sports" while the GMs manage roster construction and portal retention—a system that ensures a head coach has the tools to succeed.