Sun Belt extends commissioner Keith Gill's contract through 2030

The Sun Belt has extended conference commissioner Keith Gill through 2030. He had previously been under contract through 2026.

“I am grateful to Dr. Damphousse and all of the Sun Belt presidents and chancellors for extending my opportunity to serve the conference and its 14 member institutions,” said Keith Gill in an official announcement. “I am proud of the way our membership has pulled together through the COVID-19 pandemic and realignment and look forward to the bright future that lies ahead for the Sun Belt.”

Keith Gill has been the Sun Belt commissioner since 2019. Prior to that, he had a long administrative career. Along with working several jobs within the NCAA itself. He also served as the assistant athletic director at Vanderbilt from 1999-2000 and as the senior associate AD at Oklahoma from 2004-2007. After that, he became the athletic director at American and later Richmond.

Prior to becoming the commissioner of the Sun Belt, Gill was the executive associate commissioner of the Atlantic-10 Conference. When he took the Sun Belt job, Gill became the first African-American commissioner of an FBS conference in history.

A graduate of Duke, Keith Gill knows how college athletics work for student-athletes firsthand. He was a running back for the Blue Devils from 1990-1993. He appeared in 39 games over the course of his college career for Duke.

As commissioner of the Sun Belt, Keith Gill has seen the conference undergo several major changes. The most notable of these changes is occurring through conference realignment. Gill was able to add three schools from C-USA (Marshall, Southern Miss, and Old Dominion) and one from CAA (James Madison) to the conference.

Along with realignment, Gill also oversaw negotiations for a new media deal with ESPN, which increased access to Sun Belt games for fans. The deal runs through the 2030-2031 academic calendar and was a key reason why they were able to poach C-USA schools.

The Sun Belt has enjoyed an improved reputation under Keith Gill. Now, they want to continue to grow under his vision and leadership. This contract extension should give the conference long-term stability in the commissioner’s office. No financial details are currently available.