Syracuse targeting Toledo's Bryan Blair as next athletic director

Syracuse is targeting Toledo athletics director Bryan Blair for the same role, On3’s Pete Nakos confirmed. The hire, first reported by Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger, cannot become official until the university’s board of trustees approves it.

Blair took over at Toledo in 2022 after four years as the deputy athletics director at Washington State. He took a key role in fundraising for the Rockets and has taken multiple steps to position Toledo for success in the NIL space during his tenure.

Blair, 41, graduated from Wofford and played four years on the Terriers’ football team before getting his law degree from South Carolina. In 2011, he took over as compliance coordinator at Rice and worked at South Carolina from 2012-14.

After returning to Rice from 2014-18, Blair became the deputy AD and COO at Washington State from 2018-22. He oversaw the Cougars’ relationship with Nike and, in his final years at the school, helped lead NIL and strategic planning efforts. Fundraising was also important, and he helped raise more than $30 million for Wazzu.

Syracuse is preparing for a wave of change as John Wildhack prepares to retire as athletics director. His last day is set for July 1 after 10 years in the role, and he made one of his last major decisions on Wednesday.

SU announced Wednesday that Adrian Autry will not return next season. He amassed a 49-48 overall record after taking over for Jim Boeheim in 2023, including a 24-34 mark in ACC play. The Orange did not make the NCAA Tournament under his watch and have not done so since 2021.

“Adrian first came to Syracuse as a student-athlete in 1990, and this program has been a constant in his life ever since: as a player, assistant coach, associate head coach and ultimately as head coach,” Wildhack said in a statement. “His dedication to our student-athletes on and off the court never wavered throughout his time here, and we are grateful for his service and commitment to Orange Basketball.”

Syracuse also said a national search will begin to replace Autry, and the school plans to “move expeditiously” to find a new head coach. On3’s Joe Tipton released some of the top candidates for the role on his initial Hot Board on Wednesday morning.