Could Oklahoma hire Mississippi State's Zac Selmon as athletic director? Here's what it would take

Yahoo

14-07-2025

This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.
STARKVILLE — Oklahoma needs a new athletic director, and it could impact Mississippi State.
Joe Castiglione announced his planned retirement as the Sooners AD on July 8 at a news conference. The plan is for him to remain in the role until a new AD is hired, then Castiglione would be emeritus athletic director until June 30, 2028.
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Mississippi State athletic director Zac Selmon was quickly mentioned in media reports as a candidate to replace Castiglione because of his ties to OU. How realistic is it that Selmon could depart for Oklahoma? Here's what that could look like.
How Zac Selmon is connected to Oklahoma
Selmon was hired as the Mississippi State athletic director in January 2023 after spending a long time at Oklahoma. He worked there from 2015-23 under Castiglione, serving various roles as an associate athletic director. Selmon played football at Wake Forest, but got his master's degree at Oklahoma in 2010 and was a graduate assistant in the athletic department. His father, Dewey Selmon, and uncle Lee Roy Selmon both played football at Oklahoma before playing in the NFL.
Zac Selmon's contract buyout at Mississippi State
Selmon signed a contract extension in February that ties him as the MSU athletic director through Jan. 31, 2029. His salary is $1.25 million this year, and would increase by $25,000 annually each time MSU renewed the contract.
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The buyout is 75% of his remaining salary if he goes to an SEC school. Oklahoma joined the SEC in 2024. A termination date of Aug. 1 would put his buyout just over $3.2 million.
What Oklahoma said about AD candidates
Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz Jr. said on July 8 that the school wants to hire "Joe 2.0." Castiglione has been the Oklahoma AD since 1998 and is the longest-tenured current AD in major college sports.
"The athletic director we are looking for next is someone that can identify the landscape and act," Harroz said. "I think a lot of people could have identified it and had identified it before Oklahoma and Texas made their move (to the SEC). But Joe identified it, and said, 'We got to move,' and then that took place. So, when we look at the attributes that we need for the next athletic director, it's someone that has both the vision, an understanding of the landscape and the ability to act."
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Randall Stephenson, the former AT&T chairman and CEO, is leading the search for Oklahoma. He's been an executive adviser to Harroz and Castiglione since December. Harroz said a search committee will be announced soon, with Castiglione as an adviser.
What Zac Selmon has accomplished as Mississippi State athletic director
Selmon inherited a challenging situation at MSU, being hired one month after the death of football coach Mike Leach. The football program has struggled in the two seasons since then. It went 5-7 in 2023 with coach Zach Arnett — hired before Selmon — and 2-10 in 2024 in coach Jeff Lebby's first season, hired by Selmon from Oklahoma.
The men's basketball team has made the NCAA tournament three consecutive years and the women's basketball team has in two of the past three seasons. The baseball program has made two consecutive NCAA regionals, despite firing coach Chris Lemonis in April. Selmon hired Virginia's Brian O'Connor as the new coach, giving O'Connor a contract that pays him as one of the top coaches in college baseball. Softball, tennis and soccer have had recent success, too.
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MORE: Inside Brian O'Connor's first month as Mississippi State baseball coach: Ace Reese and more
Mississippi State announced eight seven-figure donations in the 2024 fiscal year — a school record. That included an $8 million donation in September, the second largest in MSU athletics history, to form the State Excellence Fund. LED lights are being installed at the football stadium for the 2025 season. A 10-year master facilities plan was unveiled in January. In May, a $60 million project to build a football indoor practice facility was announced.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at [e-mail] and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Could Oklahoma hire Mississippi State's Zac Selmon as athletic director?