Name, image and likeness payments define a new era of college sports, and ASU is searching for an athletic director to catch them up to speed. Former ASU athletic director Ray Anderson couldn't see change coming.
Complicating the issue was UA's decision to fire athletic director Dave Heeke on Monday. Down South, he controlled UA athletics for nearly seven years but was fired for financial and operational mismanagement, loss of major donors and mishandling of former football head coach Jedd Fisch's contract, according to a tweet by Brett McMurphy. Heeke's firing means two juggernaut universities must hire new athletic directors before the rival schools join the Big 12 later this year.
Anderson resigned from his position before Heeke was sacked in Tucson, effective immediately on Nov. 13, 2023. Jim Rund, the ASU senior vice president for educational outreach and student services, was announced as the University's interim athletic director. Anderson said it was time to move on from his role and focus on his work as a professor in the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.
“It has been a privilege to serve as ASU’s athletic director for nearly a decade,” Anderson said. “We have entered an unprecedented era where the number and magnitude of changes in the college sports landscape are astounding. As I approach 70, these are not matters that my leadership would be able to corral during my tenure."
ASU football head coach Kenny Dillingham and baseball coach Willie Bloomquist were the first to respond to Anderson's departure. Dillingham wasn’t informed about the decision until the morning of, mere hours before a scheduled press conference, but he chose to praise Anderson.
“I'm thankful for him giving me the opportunity to be the head coach of my alma mater; it's my dream job,” Dillingham said. “He's been supportive of me since I got here. So best of luck to him and his future.”
Bloomquist was asked about the move a few minutes later. Much like Dillingham, he took the opportunity to praise Anderson despite ASU fans celebrating his exit.
“I see a side of Ray that you guys don't get to see every day,” Bloomquist said. “Ray is a good man, a very good man. He has treated me absolutely outstanding since I've been here.”
ASU men’s basketball head coach Bobby Hurley also thanked Anderson for giving him the reins of his program. Hurley said that coming to ASU has been a defining moment in his life and an opportunity he cherishes.
The three coaches all have one thing in common: Anderson hired them. The similarity isn’t unique to the coaching trio, because Anderson hired all but one of the University’s current head coaches. The only coach not hired by Anderson is women’s tennis head coach Sheila McInerney, who has been at the helm for 40 years.
Some of his most notable coaching decisions have proven successful. Hockey head coach Greg Powers has turned a new program into a ranked team. Triathlon head coach Cliff English has led his team to seven national championships. Most recently, swim and dive head coach Bob Bowman guided the men’s squad to their first-ever No. 1 ranking.
Nevertheless, every one of Anderson's successes seems to have been met by a setback. He famously hired his former client Herm Edwards as football head coach, and also failed to retain softball head coach Trisha Ford after six straight winning seasons. Most importantly, his tenure was plagued with controversy due to alleged sexual assault and harassment claims against a booster.
Despite Anderson's rocky legacy, ASU coaches now look to the future instead of imagining what could have been. The University's move to the Big 12 is the biggest development in athletics besides ASU hosting the Men's Basketball Final Four later this spring. Anderson's replacement will be tasked with guiding ASU into an expanded Big 12 while supporting 26 sports, the most of any member school.
More than anything, the three coaches believe NIL should be the top priority for Sun Devil Athletics. Dillingham previously said ASU is behind the curve on NIL and that the University’s slow efforts have hurt his ability to recruit. The trend of athletes choosing other schools due to NIL has also affected Bloomquist and Hurley’s ability to recruit and retain star players.
Fortunately, the University appears to be taking steps in the right direction with the Sun Angel Collective. A “Million Dollar Match” created last month by the collective will match all donations up to $1 million until the spring football game, thanks to booster commitments. Bloomquist thinks the collective is what his team needs to survive in the new age of college sports.
“I'm just telling you the truth: that we're going to need some help,” Bloomquist said. “Kenny trying to activate the Valley, I think, has been brilliant. Now, if we can actually put rubber to pavement on that and get the ball moving on it, I think it can certainly help because we're going to need it moving forward.”
The increasing importance of NIL will influence what direction ASU goes with its new athletic director. The University will need to hire someone whose focus is NIL. The coaches believe whoever is at the helm must expand Sun Angel Collective efforts to land more lucrative deals.
READ MORE: Kenny Dillingham said ASU is 'turning a corner' on NIL. Here's why
ASU and UA will both be searching for an NIL-focused athletic director in light of Heeke's departure. UA may be an enticing job due to the Wildcats' success in several areas, but Fisch's exit to Washington and the school's $240 million budget shortfall puts Heeke's replacement in a dire situation. Meanwhile, ASU may be a better landing spot due to the University's stable finances and football's future with Dillingham.
Dillingham is one of ASU’s biggest NIL supporters and hopes to be involved in picking a new athletic director. His relatively short time as a head coach has focused on bringing ASU football back from the brink, and he wants the University to hire someone who cares about sports just as much as he does.
Meanwhile, Hurley thinks that the University should hire someone with a background in college sports and who can walk into the office on day one with a vision. He wants the new athletic director to excite people about ASU basketball and other sports. Hurley also believes that if ASU can rebound from its slow implementation of NIL, the school could be a top dog in college sports.
“There's a reason that all across the country, people think that we're a sleeping giant,” Hurley said. “It's the magnitude of our base and the depth of our base of alums and fans all across the country that we could be an unstoppable force.”
Edited by Walker Smith, Sadie Buggle and Caera Learmonth.
Reach the reporter at jcbarron@asu.edu and follow @jackcbarron on X.
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Jack is a senior studying sports journalism. This is his fourth semester with The State Press. He has also worked at Radio Sucesos and XPR Sport Experience in Argentina.
