New Utah AD Mark Harlan said he will create "aggressive goals" for the athletic department that include "winning more championships," according to Christopher Kamrani of the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE. Harlan said, "We’re going to need all these people with us in order to do that. But the passion is there. I’m very confident we can do so.” He said his approach as to potential expansion at Rice-Eccles Stadium is to "learn, understand and make a decision." Harlan had a podcast while he was AD at USF, and said, “People need to hear from the athletic director and what he’s thinking and I think it’s important that folks who invest, buy tickets, want to know what’s going on." He said he has "met with the communication leadership" at Utah about a similar podcast. Harlan said he wants to "learn, but I also want to have some fun, too." Harlan: "We have to not take ourselves too seriously and I think it’s important to be transparent to people that invest or have care about our program" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 7/8).
SOARING JAYS: Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione said new Kansas AD Jeff Long is "very well liked and very well respected" and those relationships "will serve him and the University of Kansas very well." Castiglione noted Long "has a great deal of experience and has made transitions before" and said he "really understands the role of the leader" (LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD, 7/8). A LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD editorial was written under the header, "KU Makes Smart AD Hire." Long will be "judged at Kansas by his ability to fix the university’s woeful football program." KU Chancellor Douglas Girod "made the right hire." Given the state of the athletics department, KU "needed an experienced athletic director with a proven track record in football," and Long "appears to fit that bill better than any candidate available" (LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD, 7/8).
IN THE COURT ROOM: In Dallas, Jennifer Emily noted Baylor has "disputed claims" made by former AD Ian McCaw in a deposition for a Title IX lawsuit that "racist regents scapegoated black football players in the school's sexual assault scandal." Baylor filed a motion last week in response "saying that including parts of McCaw's deposition created a 'sideshow of baseless conspiracy theories, hearsay, and rank speculation that is aimed, apparently, at potential jurors and the public.'" Baylor is "seeking to stop the release of the full deposition, saying McCaw's remarks are not first-hand knowledge and contain both privileged and confidential student information" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/7).
