Northwestern targeting Villanova AD to fill opening
08/28/2024 06:37 PM
The Northwestern Wildcats have been looking for a new athletic director since June. With the start of Northwestern’s football season rapidly approaching, it looks like the position is about to be filled.
Northwestern is currently “targeting” Villanova athletic director Mark Jackson and “a deal is expected to come together in the next 24 hours” according to a report from ESPN College Football insider Pete Thamel.
Jackson began his career in college athletics administration in 2001, when he became the director of football and assistant athletic director at the University of Southern California. Jackson then became the Vice President of Athlete Development at Syracuse in 2005 and the director of football development with the Oakland Raiders in the NFL from 2006-2007 before returning to USC. In his second stint with the Trojans, Jackson was named senior associate athletic director and oversaw USC’s football, baseball and women’s lacrosse programs, along with their sports medicine, strength and conditioning, nutrition, security and equipment and apparel operations.
Then, Jackson was named athletic director at Villanova in 2015. In his time at Villanova, the Wildcats have had one of, if not the most successful men’s basketball programs in the country. They have won two national titles and are now considered by many to be a “blue blood” program. In March 2020, Jackson was named the Under Armor AD of the Year. Jackson’s other accomplishments at Villanova include increasing student-athlete academic performance, generating “unprecedented growth” in the department’s fundraising initiatives and breaking ground on renovations to Finneran Pavilion, the home of Villanova’s Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams.
What Mark Jackson would bring to Northwestern
If Jackson is indeed the next Northwestern athletic director, it would be a home run hire. His football, basketball, fundraising and academic experiences make him a perfect fit at a school like Northwestern.
The only concern Northwestern fans should have is that when Jackson was with Villanova, he did not have to work with a high-major FBS football program. Villanova is currently in the FCS. In this new era of football-focused NIL, it may be a difficult transition to immediately have to start out in a Big 10 program.
Despite Villanova’s lack of high-level football, it is not often that an athletic director who has won multiple national championships in a revenue sport like Men’s Basketball becomes available. Northwestern should do everything it can to get Jackson to Evanston. Northwestern’s Men’s Basketball program has been trending up, making two straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Hiring an athletic director with Jackson’s track record could solidify them as a true basketball powerhouse.
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