USC seems to be taking its time in the search for a new athletic director. Hiring a number of big hitters as a transition team meant to evaluate and research candidates — which president Carol Folt did last week — points to a longer search instead of a shorter one. We remind you that when we talk about “candidates,” we’re not referring to formally announced pursuants of the job or people USC has publicly named. We are merely referring to people USC probably should consider for the opening.
J.D. Wicker of San Diego State is an athletic director USC should pursue.
Wicker’s accomplishments speak for themselves. He got an on-campus football stadium built. That requires a ton of work and skill.
We wrote this about him earlier in May, after he was named the Sports Business Journal Athletic Director of the Year:
“Wicker, who was 53 years old at the beginning of 2023, could simply wait for San Diego State to move to the Pac-12, which would naturally be a reason for him to stay with the Aztecs. However, a move to the Big Ten might be too good for him to pass up if he receives at least a job interview. It will be fascinating to see if Wicker gains traction as a possible candidate.”
San Diego State’s run to the 2023 NCAA Men’s Final Four and national championship game dramatically increased the national profile of the Aztecs. Wicker has overseen multi-sport growth and improvement at SDSU, in the same region where USC is building toward greater success. The rationale for considering Wicker is self-evident.
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