The Ducks filled their open AD position yesterday, and by all accounts, it's a great hire. Let's get to it:
- Oregon took another step away from its offseason of turmoil, hiring Rob Mullens as the Oregon's new Athletic Director. Mullens was previously the deputy director of athletics at the University of Kentucky, and handled their day-to-day operations. Mullens has a background in accounting and auditing, and after handling Kentucky's $79 million budget, should be well-suited to keep Oregon fiscally sound.
- The Register Guard has some more info on Mullens, who drew the praise of former Oregon coach Rich Brooks, who worked with Mullen when both were at Kentucky (Mullens was also on the team that hired Brooks). While Mullens is known for his ability to handle the financial aspects of a program, Brooks noted that Mullens has a strong presence and works will with coaches. Mullens is also highly regarded by Kentucky AD Mich Barnhart and Arizona AD Greg Byrne. It's clear that Mullens, though only 40, has made a strong impact on those he's worked with.
- Chip Kelly, who was part of the search committee, talked a bit about the new hire. While Mullens has the intelligence to be success as an AD, Kelly said what set Mullens apart is how everyone who had worked with Mullens, including Brooks and Calipari, "jumped on a table" for him.
- The Oregonian has even more praise from Kentucky, with on just what Mullens did at Kentucky. Mullens was key in the growth of the Kentucky budget over the past 8 years, helping to grow resources, and also get results, especially for the Kentucky football program, which was mired in probation when Mullens arrived.
- The Jeremiah Masoli (as opposed to Jeremy Mazoni) saga continues, this time with a rumor that he could be headed to Hawaii for his final year of eligibility.
- More Pac-12 talk from Jon Wilner (via Coug Center). It sounds like the nine-game schedule will be around for some time. Also, the zipper split is gaining traction, as the California schools push to play each other every year, and a "Pacific NW schools" (read: Washington) fights to have a SoCal team in their division.
- A bit of schadenfredue on everyone's favorite Pac-10 coach: Lane Kiffin is losing favor at USC. A few months into the job, he's already had to release the top recruit in the nation from his LOI, and pushed recruiting allegations against other football teams, including Oregon. My favorite line: "People within the program are beginning to see how much different Kiffin is from his predecessor, Pete Carroll. While each coach has loads of confidence, Carroll is much more personable than Lane."
- Lastly, Chris from Smart Football was on the Solid Verbal podcast, and they discuss Oregon and Florida's new pass-oriented QBs this season (starting about the 7:30 mark).
Did I miss anything? Leave it in the comments. GO DUCKS!