April 19 update: Pat Chun is not a candidate for the Northwestern vacancy, according to a source.
April 20 update: Jim Knowlton is not a candidate for the Northwestern vacancy, according to a source.
Two athletic directors in the Pac-12, Cal’s Jim Knowlton and Washington State’s Pat Chun, have interviewed for the Northwestern vacancy, according to a source with knowledge of the search process.
The Wildcats are replacing Jim Phillips, who was named commissioner of the ACC in December.
A decision could come in the next week or 10 days, the source said; other candidates are believed to be involved.
In response to an inquiry from the Hotline, Cal issued the following statement from Knowlton:
“We have a great thing going here at Cal with a bright future ahead. I’m proud of what we have accomplished over my first three years and am looking forward to building on what he have started.”
Chun could not be reached, while a Washington State spokesperson declined to comment.
Northwestern could be considered a premier AD job for some candidates — roughly comparable to Stanford, Duke and Vanderbilt — in several respects:
— The $50+ million in annual payouts from the Big Ten.
— The qualify of life in Evanston.
— The less-than-insane pressure to win in football.
There is at least one drawback, however:
Northwestern president Morton Schapiro is stepping down in 2022, meaning the new AD will have a different boss in 18 months.
The Wildcats’ interest in both Pac-12 athletic directors makes sense.
Chun, who is well regarded for his fundraising skills and hiring acumen, claims deep Big Ten roots: He’s from Ohio and spent years on the Ohio State staff under AD Gene Smith.
In three years in Pullman, he has hired football coach Nick Rolovich and basketball coach Kyle Smith and broken fundraising records.
When appointed to the post in Jan. ’18, Chun, the son of Korean immigrants, became the first Asian-American athletic director in the Power Five.
One year later, he was one of four winners of the Under Armour AD of the Year Award at the FBS level.
Meanwhile, Knowlton spent three years at Air Force before taking the Cal job. That background assuredly plays well with Northwestern’s academic leanings.
In three years in Berkeley, he has modernized the athletic department’s fundraising arm and hired basketball coach Mark Fox.
DHR International is assisting Northwestern officials with the search.
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