We begin every USC athletic director candidate profile with the disclaimer that for the purposes of our discussion, a “candidate” is not a formally declared pursuant of the job or someone USC has on its short list. We don’t have either of those lists yet. For now, we’re merely referring to talented individuals whom USC should consider. That’s a candidate as of Memorial Day weekend.
As we continue our series of profiles of candidates — nothing extraordinarily in depth, but enough to give you a general sense of what this person could bring to the table at USC — we will look at Boise State’s dynamic, young athletic director, Jeremiah Dickey.
Media figures and fans in the state of Idaho think he’s doing a really good job. Interestingly, he’s doing such a good job that he’s making Boise State fans and analysts regret that the program didn’t have better ADs in the years preceding his arrival in January of 2021.
Mike Prater of the Idaho Press and Blue Turf Sports wrote this about Boise State athletics in February:
“Former president Bob Kustra focused on fighting the system, pushing for improved postseason access for the college football little guy. He played a small role in the 12-team tournament that debuts in 2024, but building something special in his own backyard was not a priority.
“Former athletic director Mark Coyle was a career-chaser.
“Former athletic director Curt Apsey was a country-clubber.
“Great guys, but neither did anything of significance to invest in the future of Boise State athletics. It wasn’t what Boise State needed at the time. Today, the timing couldn’t be worse.
“Enter Dickey, who was hired January 2021 — and he’s been cranking hard, raising cash, fixing infrastructure, creating buzz, networking, building plans, pushing a vision and making a massive difference ever since.”
Dickey appears to be supremely competent at the various things athletic directors are supposed to do. He has the big-picture vision and the gift of person-to-person retail politics to carry it out, one person at a time. Yet, he walked into a situation where a lot of stakeholders knew improvement was needed. That’s not necessarily the USC job. This is about maintaining a championship standard at an athletic department which has made significant recent gains due to great coaching hires by Mike Bohn. Dickey is skilled, and he has a vision, but in the Big Ten, would his vision fit USC’s needs? That’s a question worth asking.
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