Paul Finebaum makes the case for Greg Byrne as the best AD in the country
It’s hard to argue against Greg Byrne being the best athletic director in the country, according to ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.
The Alabama AD joined the school in 2017 and it’s been nothing but success across the athletic department. Sure, there was that big baseball betting scandal he had to navigate, but as Finebaum put it, he’s done each task seamlessly.
This praise came on the heels of Bryne’s basketball coach Nate Oats leading the Crimson Tide to the Final Four.
“Well, I think what a lot of people’s view is and mine is that he’s the best athletic director in the country,” Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic. “And that’s not easy to do or be at Alabama … You can’t be the athletic director of a school like that, and not be criticized for something along the way. But when you say you think about some of the decisions that he’s made, you know, the baseball situation last year was really one of his crucibles. He handled it. The situation corrected itself. He was transparent and I think that’s the most important thing to be.”
Greg Byrne the best AD in college athletics?
As Finebaum said, Bryne handled the baseball situation as best as he could. His basketball hire is paying dividends and now he has a well established head coach taking over for Nick Saban on the football field.
“(Bryne’s) two biggest hires … He did it seamlessly and that’s what I’ve admired about him,” Finebaum said of Byrne. “He is business-like, he is professional, and he is prepared and too often we see an AD in a situation who has a plan and then gets pulled and tugged and ends up with a Bryan Harsin. And Greg has a coalition and he knows the way the game is played. And Nick Saban helped that …
“Byrne has earned that respect and you know, listen the Nate Oats hire will go down as one of the greatest ever. Whether Kalen DeBoer, whether that hire will go down in the same realm is completely up in the air, but I think it helps Kalen DeBoer a bit now that Byrne’s first big hire has been this successful and smashing.”
Bryne will certainly ride the wave of Alabama in the Final Four. The Crimson Tide take on defending champion UConn and certainly if they can beat the champs, a national championship isn’t out of the question.
Bryne might hold the mantle of best AD in the country, but he’ll have a better argument if basketball brings home a title to group with the football success.