Boston College President William Leahy is "leaning towards" former Padres and Red Sox exec Mike Dee as the school's next AD, according to sources cited by Mark Blaudschun of TMGCOLLEGESPORTS.com. School sources said that if there are "no snags," an announcement "could be made" as soon as tomorrow. Dee is the "outside the box" candidate among the three finalists presented to Leahy by the BC search committee, as he has "no experience in college athletics." Dee was also Fenway Sports Group President, which has "considerable dealings with BC." Those dealings and a familiarity with Leahy were "regarded as major assets." Another huge plus was that Dee has "extensive fundraising experience, something regarded as essential for a new BC AD" (TMGCOLLEGESPORTS.com, 4/17). In Newark, Ryan Dunleavy cites sources as saying that Seton Hall AD Pat Lyons is "no longer a candidate" to fill the BC AD vacancy. Lyons interviewed with BC officials last week and at "one point" was "one of the leading options to replace Brad Bates." However, a source said that interest from both sides "dwindled after the meeting, as Boston College moved in the direction of hiring a candidate with major college football experience and Lyons decided that a larger salary might not be worth some of the job's other pitfalls" (NJ.com, 4/18).
