SMU AD Rick Hart to step down after 13 years, transition to ACC
SMU athletic director Rick Hart will step down at the end of the academic year, he announced on Friday, opening what is expected to be a highly sought-after job.
Hart, who has led the athletic department since 2012, leaves on top but also at a moment of change. The Mustangs just moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024, the football program reached the first 12-team College Football Playoff, the men's basketball program is 18-5 and on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and volleyball reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
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Hart was part of a four-pronged attack along with board chair David Miller, outgoing president Gerald R. Turner and consultant Oliver Luck that helped gain enough support for an ACC invitation in 2023 after a Pac-12 plan fell apart.
But SMU has a new president coming in, as Texas president Jay Hartzell will replace the outgoing Gerald R. Turner on June 1, and it is believed Hartzell wants to make some changes.
'It is with tremendous pride, heartfelt love, and yes, mixed emotions, that I share I have made the decision that this academic year will be my last at SMU,' Hart said in a statement. 'After the honor of leading the Department of Athletics for thirteen years, it is time for a new challenge for me and for a new voice to lead the Mustangs, allowing President-Elect Hartzell to move forward with his own vision and leader as SMU moves forward in this new landscape of collegiate athletics.'
Turner added in a statement, 'With my upcoming transition to President Emeritus and the arrival of President-elect Jay Hartzell, Rick believes that now is a good time for both him and SMU to move forward. His decision allows President-elect Hartzell to select his own Director of Athletics who aligns with his vision for the post-antitrust settlement world of intercollegiate athletics.'
SMU and industry sources have long felt that SMU is primed to succeed in the new era of college sports where players can be paid. Hart was a third-generation college administrator, but the feeling around the school is that the Mustangs may look for more fundraising ability from the AD position, as not to rely so heavily on the pool of its largest donors. The Mustangs were among the Group of 5 leaders in name, image and likeness before the move to the ACC, and it was in part the backing from large boosters that convinced the ACC to give the invitation. SMU offered to forgo nine years of Tier 1 television revenue from the conference, an estimated $24 million per year. Within a week of the ACC announcement, SMU athletics raised $100 million from its largest donors.
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Athletic and academic success has followed. The football program made the CFP, and applications to the school are up 40 percent, Miller told The Athletic in December. Miller played a key role in the decision to make a men's basketball coaching change last year and hire Andy Enfield from USC.
'It's no longer, 'If you make this investment, here's what could happen,'' said Miller, himself a billionaire. 'What we hoped could happen is happening right now. It's real. You can reach out and touch it, feel it.'
All of that will make this a sought-after AD job. The school says it will begin the search for a new AD in the coming weeks.
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