Arizona's Greg Byrne To Replace Bill Battle As Alabama AD

Arizona AD Greg Byrne will replace the retiring Bill Battle as Alabama AD, with Byrne expected to begin his new job March 1. Battle, 75, is retiring after almost four years at his alma mater, and he is expected to transition into an advisory role with the school once Byrne takes the reins. Alabama, which hired Turnkey Sports & Entertainment to lead the search, began talking to potential candidates over the last two months in anticipation of Battle’s retirement, sources said. Byrne, 45, was believed to be the frontrunner all along. Battle last night said that his retirement is not directly related to his bout with multiple myeloma, which caused him to miss work during parts of June and July last year.

Read Byrne's SBJ Forty Under 40 profile from '11 and Battle's Champions profile from '12. See today's issue of THE DAILY for more.