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Joe Castiglione set to retire after 28 years as OU athletics director

headshotby: George Stoia07/07/25GeorgeStoia
Joe Castiglione, Oklahoma Sooners athletics director
(Bryan Terry / USA TODAY Sports)

It’s the end of an era. OU athletics director Joe Castiglione is planning to retire after 28 years of leading Sooner sports, SoonerScoop sources confirmed on Monday. ESPN was first to report the news.

Castiglione intends to stay on for the upcoming academic year while the school searches for his replacement. OU is expected to make a hire during the academic year and when that hire is made, Castiglione will remain as athletic director emeritus until June 30, 2028. Randall Stephenson will lead the search for Oklahoma’s next AD.

“In my time, I’ve tried to do what I’ve always done — try to do everything I possibly can to put Oklahoma in a position to be successful,” Castiglione said in 2023. “And that starts with the athletes. That’s my focus. It’s as simple as that. How can I help them be at their best? And working through the coaches to do that. Obviously having a great administration and great president and board, all of that works together.”

Castiglione, 67, has helped OU win 26 national titles, 117 league titles and make the move from the Big 12 to the SEC. This decision is something Castiglione has been considering for some time, coming to the conclusion over a month ago. He is currently the longest-tenured AD in the country.

Castiglione is widely considered one of the best athletics directors in the country. He won Athletic Director of the Year by Sports Business Journal in 2009 and 2018. During his time at Oklahoma and Missouri, 32 of Castiglione’s employees have become athletic directors or commissioners.

Where OU goes from here is unclear. It will be a national search for President Joe Harroz. One name to watch is Mississippi State AD Zac Selmon, who served as a senior associate athletic director under Castiglione from 2015 to 2023. He was considered Castiglione’s right-hand man.

But this search does come at an interesting time.

Castiglione was at the forefront of hiring coach Brent Venables and football general manager Jim Nagy and his front office staff. The 2025 football season is a pivotal one for the Sooners. And if things don’t go well, Castiglione’s replacement could be tasked with making a big hire.

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