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Another article.
LINK /


UCLA is looking for its fifth athletic director in the past half century.

USC is looking for its fourth AD this decade.

Vital to the schools, crucial for the conference and closely watched across the country, the searches are unfolding in the nation’s largest media market with major college football.


They searches are concurrent, but not in lockstep.

The Trojans are further along after jettisoning Lynn Swann in September and facing a time crunch created by the recruiting calendar and likelihood of Clay Helton’s dismissal.

Ideally, a new athletic director will be in place by the end of November to hire the new coach (Urban Meyer) as quickly as possible (Urban Meyer) because of the early-signing period(Urban Meyer).

The Bruins are just starting the process of replacing Dan Guerrero, who’s on the job until the spring.

They need a search firm and a timeline and guidance from chancellor Gene Block, who is expected to retire in 2020 or 2021.

Would Block hire a new athletic director and walk away six months later? Or might he appoint an interim and allow his successor to find a permanent replacement?

(We’re assuming the former but not discounting the possibility of a long-term interim.)

In each case, numbers are key …

*** $31.3 million: The Pac-12 distributions to each campus in FY18.

According to multiple industry sources, top-tier candidates are concerned that Pac-12 conference finances could lower the ceiling for each position.

Sources stressed that the Pac-12’s lagging revenue is not a deal-breaker but, rather, one of several factors being considered — especially with regard to the Trojans’ search.

USC’s constituents expect to compete for the national championship with the powerhouses in the Big Ten, SEC and Big 12. But A-list candidates wonder if the resources are available to make that goal attainable:

USC’s revenue in FY18 was $117 million, according to the OC Register.

The top-tier programs in the SEC and Big Ten all generate well in excess of $150 million.

The disparity is due to a variety of factors, including the Pac-12 payouts and USC’s colossally undervalued apparel deal with Nike. (And there are others.)

Established athletic directors at football schools evaluate USC’s budget and conference revenue against expectations and, per sources, are hesitant to leave their current positions for a job with fewer resources.

*** $1.08 million: Guerrero’s reported salary in FY18

The longest-tenured AD in the conference is also the highest-paid, at least among his peers at public schools.

The Bruins aren’t expected to offer more money to his replacement, according to a UCLA source, who added that the likely targeted salary range will be $750,000 to $900,000.

And that’s in Los Angeles.

Lop off 33 percent to account for the cost of living in the Westwood/Brentwood area — remember, athletic directors need homes large enough to entertain donors — and the Bruins would be offering $500,000 or $600,000 to sitting ADs elsewhere.

That’s not enough to lure a veteran from a Power Five school.

Unless the Bruins are willing to break with their established approach to salaries, the pool of candidates will be limited to ADs at Group of Five schools — there are some quality options at the level, for sure — or deputy ADs within the Power Five.

$2.0 million: USC’s starting point

Multiple industry sources told the Hotline that the Trojans are willing to offer top-end compensation to the best candidates.

And that the school could go higher if needed.

At $2+ million annually, USC would have everyone’s attention save for Notre Dame’s Jack Swarbrick, who reportedly earns more than $3 million in total compensation.

Many of the top names in the industry — Clemson’s Dan Radakovich, Oklahoma’s Joe Castiglione, Ohio State’s Gene Smith, Alabama’s Greg Byrne, Texas’ Chris Del Conte and Northwestern’s Jim Phillips, just to name six — are in the $1 to $1.5 million range.

An offer above $2 million would offset the cost-of-living increase.

But many qualified candidates who have strong alignment with their president/chancellor are wary of USC’s resources (as mentioned above) or simply aren’t interested in the lifestyle.

No salary could lure them — and their spouse and kids — to Los Angeles.

Each search is self-selecting, albeit in different manners.

USC’s candidate pool is larger because of the salary and the football tradition and the lack of public school bureaucracy.

(Auburn’s Allen Greene is a name to watch, according to several industry sources, and would be a smart hire.)

But the Trojans must stay out of their own way to get this right.

In the face of rejection by A-listers, they must ignore the instinct to close ranks, revert to past practice and hire one of their own.

The Bruins are blessed with more time, and they need it.

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