‘The leadership role must change.’ UK’s next AD will also be Champions Blue CEO
Mitch Barnhart’s successor at the University of Kentucky won’t simply be the athletics director; they’ll also serve as the chief executive officer of Champions Blue, LLC.
The university announced the dual role Thursday. President Eli Capilouto said that it reflects the speed at which the landscape of college athletics is shifting as well as the increase in complexity for whoever may step into the role.
At a Champions Blue meeting earlier this month, UK presented multiple proposed organizational models for Champions Blue, each developed by consulting firm Deloitte. Two of those proposals included the hiring of a chief commercialization and growth officer to share leadership responsibilities with the athletic director.
Thursday’s announcement indicates that UK instead will have one person in charge, with the organizational chart beyond the top spot to be determined.
The university confirmed that it is using search firm DSG Global, and Capilouto said in the release he is considering “both sitting college Athletics Directors and people with varied backgrounds in pro sports and business as potential next leaders.” UK still expects to name the CEO and athletics director by June 30, when Barnhart officially retires.
“College athletics is always changing, but that change now is occurring more rapidly and with greater financial impacts than ever before,” Capilouto said. “The leadership role must change and adapt as well. Putting the success of our students first remains a priority. Winning championships remains critically important — but, so too, is the financial and commercial acumen to generate more revenue, manage expenses more tightly and align even more with our institutional mission to advance the state.”
Since Barnhart’s announcement in early March that he would be stepping down at the end of June, Capilouto has conducted more than 80 interviews with coaches and senior staffers at the university, in addition to donors, other supporters and business leaders beyond Kentucky.
UK initially announced that Barnhart would transition to an executive in residence to continue to assist the department, but the sitting AD ultimately declined the position, which would award a $950,000 salary, following public backlash, including from Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
The job posting states that the new CEO and athletics director will report directly to Capilouto and collaborate with other units across the university, including Information Technology Services, Marketing and Strategic Communication, Student Success and Philanthropy.
The ideal candidate for the revamped position, according to Capilouto, must demonstrate “a commitment to student success, integrity, compliance and the pursuit of championships,” while navigating Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), athlete compensation, revenue sharing and commercialization with strong financial and commercial acumen and experience.
“An ability to effectively communicate in a complex media environment as well as with other critical constituencies, such as donors, fans, the UK Board of Trustees and Champions Blue Board of Governors” is also considered to be among the most important traits of the position.
Created last year as a resource and “first-of-its-kind new business model” for UK Athletics to assist in maneuvering the modern era of college athletics and achieve success within the Southeastern Conference and beyond.
The seven-member Champions Blue Board of Governors is made up of Capilouto himself, UK VP for Finance and Administration Eric Monday, UK Senior Advisor to the President George C. Wright and UK VP and Chief Strategy and Government Affairs Officer Rob Edwards, as well as subject-matter experts Shannon Arvin, the president and CEO of Keeneland; Jacob Tamme, the director of sports and entertainment at Meridian Wealth Management;’ and Chris Prindiville, a former Senior VP at Fanatics. Paul Archey, the President of JMI Sports Properties, and Barnhart’s successor are non-voting members of the board.
“UK Athletics has long played a critical role in defining for so many people what the University of Kentucky is for the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” Capilouto said. “For that to be true long into the future, we must have a leader who can cast a vision and also execute on it — a vision for how we continue to win championships, develop and educate young people and also successfully run what is increasingly a significant business. That leader is out there, ready to join one of the nation’s premier athletics programs and universities. We are excited about the prospect of the right leader, at a point of inflection and change, joining an institution with undeniable momentum in meeting our mission of advancing this state in all that we do.”
This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 10:42 AM.
