When the University of Arizona announced on Jan. 22 that athletic director Dave Heeke would be relieved of his duties effective Feb. 2, naturally talk began immediately about who his successor would be.
One of the first names bandied about was University of Utah athletic director Mark Harlan, as he is an Arizona graduate and has been successful as the AD at Utah and South Florida before that.
Many figured Harlan wouldn’t be interested, as he’s got a good thing going at Utah and the Arizona athletic department is a financial mess right now (hence Heeke is out).
On Monday, Harlan confirmed that he indeed will not be pursuing the job.
In an appearance on “Canzano & Wilner: The Podcast” with Pac-12 Conference insiders John Canzano and Jon Wilner, Harlan said, “We’re in such an incredible, place here at Utah and just love the alignment of everything we have going, and so I’m not gonna pursue that position.”
Harlan, 53, was hired at Utah to replace the legendary Chris Hill in 2018. Last year, he was named Athletics Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and received a contract extension that will run through June 30, 2028.
“Mark is one of the top athletic directors in the country,” University of Utah President Taylor Randall said in a news release when Harlan got the contract extension last June.
“He is the right person at the right time to continue leading our athletic programs as we navigate the changing landscape of collegiate athletics. I look forward to continued partnership with him and his impressive leadership team in the years ahead.”