Though a national search for retiring SEC Commissioner Mike Slive's successor will begin this fall, the "leading candidate is expected to already be in Birmingham" in SEC Exec Associate Commissioner & COO Greg Sankey, according to Mike Herndon of the BIRMINGHAM NEWS. Sankey, who has been with the SEC since '02, was promoted to his current role in '12, a move "thought then to potentially put him in line to become commissioner upon Slive's retirement." Sankey, a former Southland Conference commissioner and a Mississippi State alum, has been "heavily involved in compliance during his tenure with the league and also has overseen personnel who work on conference championships." If Sankey "is not the choice, the SEC could look" to Exec Associate Commissioner Mark Womack, who has been with the conference since '78. If the SEC "chose to go outside its office in Birmingham, it could look" to an influential AD like Florida's Jeremy Foley or Arkansas' Jeff Long; or a "rising commissioner from another conference," like the AAC's Mike Aresco (BIRMINGHAM NEWS, 10/15).
STAYING IN THE FAMILY: ESPN's Paul Finebaum said Sankey "will be the frontrunner" to replace Slive ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 10/14). FOXSPORTS.com's Stewart Mandel reported industry execs "will be shocked" if Slive's job "does not ultimately go" to Sankey or Womack. Sankey in particular is a "widely respected figure across college athletics." The "good news is, that new commissioner will inherit quite the established foundation." The "bad news is, much like a new coach trying to follow a Hall of Famer, that person will take the blame if for some blasphemous reason the SEC’s football dominance begins to diminish even slightly." Mississippi State AD Scott Stricklin said, "There were a lot of people wondering how in the world we were going to replace Roy Kramer, and we found Mike Slive. There’s someone out there with the skill, ability and intellect to further build on what Mike has done for us.” Mandel wrote whoever it is "will be hard-pressed to match Slive’s legacy" (FOXSPORTS.com, 10/14).
LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE: CBSSPORTS.com's Jon Solomon wrote Slive "reorganized the SEC office in recent years so he could focus on big-picture issues and put Sankey in charge of the daily operations." Slive was a "surprise pick in 2002, so you never know what a group of ever-evolving presidents and chancellors will want in a commissioner." But Slive "put Sankey in position to be the top candidate this time." Whoever replaces Slive will "have a great opportunity to continue the SEC's success." After all, the SEC Network, TV dollars, "elite coaches, recruiting base and rabid fan bases aren't going anywhere" (CBSSPORTS.com, 10/14). ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel wrote Sankey is an "obvious choice" to replace Slive in that he is "in-house." But Slive, an attorney from upstate New York, "proved to be the best man for the job, so the league likely won't be bound by geography" (ESPN.com, 10/14).
THE TASK AT HAND: In New Orleans, Ron Higgins wrote when Slive retires, he is "going to toss his predecessor the keys to the space shuttle of conferences" (NOLA.com, 10/14). USA TODAY's George Schroeder writes replacing Slive "will be a gargantuan task." But speculation about Slive's successor "misses the larger point." His departure "signals the beginning of a significant transition in college athletics." In the next few years, "several more powerbrokers are likely to move on, one way or another." They will "leave behind challenging issues to be tackled in a rapidly changing environment" (USA TODAY, 10/15). Missouri Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin said, "I think the SEC is the premier athletic conference and anyone would want to be in charge of it, there's no doubt about that. We need a commissioner to guide us through the use of images, concussions and other litigation minefields facing college athletics" (COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN, 10/15).
