With Florida AD Jeremy Foley's Oct. 1 retirement "looming and no hire in place, speculation around college sports has begun to bubble about Florida’s process and whether Foley may end up staying slightly longer to facilitate the transition," according to Dan Wolken of USA TODAY. The question is "why the process has dragged out." Sources said that UF had "significant dialogue with candidates as early as mid-July," and that the school "nearly hired" North Carolina AD Bubba Cunningham last month. Cunningham, however, "pulled his name from consideration the night before he was supposed to arrive in Gainesville to finalize the deal and stayed at North Carolina to the bewilderment of several of his colleagues." Sources said that another candidate who "talked extensively with" UF was Arizona AD Greg Byrne. Sources said that one "potential issue has come up several times: Foley’s continued presence at Florida in an emeritus position." Essentially, some higher-profile ADs who might have been interested in the job "aren’t sure about the dynamics of having Foley, who was credited for much of Florida’s athletics success during his 25-year run, right down the hall" (USA TODAY, 9/9).
JUMPING RIGHT IN: In Indiana, Nathan Baird noted new Purdue AD Mike Bobinski is "still getting to know" the school, but "he's already articulating a vision of what he expects for the athletic program." Bobinski also said that former AD Morgan Burke has "been a big help during the transition." Bobinski said that he "held a full departmental overview including several senior staff members," and on Tuesday he "began delving into sport-by-sport program evaluations with the various sport administrators." Bobinski: "The more I see and more I know and am exposed to on the front end, the quicker I'll be able to assimilate and chart a course going forward." Bobinski said that Burke will remain "heavily involved with the Ross-Ade Stadium improvements," and that Burke was "targeting the end of the calendar year for establishing the last phase of the plan" (Lafayette JOURNAL & COURIER, 9/8). In Ft. Wayne, Pete DiPrimio noted despite Purdue's football win over Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, the opening crowd of 32,074 was the "smallest since the 1960s." Bobinski said, "Some of it is the result of several years of less than optimal success. For a holiday weekend and given the circumstances, I didn’t think it was awful, but we need more critical mass. We need more folks to be part of that. I believe all the elements are in place to do that" (Ft. Wayne NEWS-SENTINEL, 9/8).
