Count Bronco Mendenhall as a fan of new Utah State athletic director Cameron Walker.
Walker’s hire was announced by Utah State on Sunday, after a report by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
On Monday, during his weekly press conference, Mendenhall spoke about his involvement in Utah State’s search for a new AD (hint: he was involved) and gave his thoughts on Walker, who has been a deputy AD at the University of Tennessee.
How involved was Mendenhall in Utah State’s search for an athletic director?
When former USU AD Diana Sabau left for a job at Maryland, one of the more interesting questions was how her departure would affect Mendenhall. Sabau had hired him away from New Mexico and Mendenhall had sung her praises, both in his initial press conference and afterward.
There was a thought, after she left, that Mendenhall needed to be involved in the search for a new AD, in order to ensure his long-term future with Utah State.
As it turns out, Mendenhall was plenty involved in the search that led to Walker’s hire. Enough that he was on a panel of USU coaches who met with prospective candidates and he personally met with each of the four finalists for the job:
- Cameron Walker
- Kent Haslam
- Marc Hill
- Leon Jackson
“I was consulted,” Mendenhall said. “The process was really extensive, obviously. (Interim) president (Alan) Smith had a chance to visit with each candidate. There was a search firm. There also was a search committee. There were a number of coaches that were on a separate panel. And independent of all of that, I had a chance to visit with the finalist in person.”
What does Mendenhall think about new Utah State AD Cameron Walker?
Given all that, it maybe shouldn’t be a surprise that Mendenhall is supportive of the hire of Walker.
“Really excited” even.
“I love the strategic thinking,” Mendenhall said. “I love the critical thinking. I love the law degree. I love the development background. I love the various positions that he (Walker) has held. I love the depth and breadth that he’s been exposed to in college athletics.”
Mendenhall noted that Walker’s previous experience at UVU and UCF, during transition periods for both programs, was a real plus, as Utah State is preparing to move to the Pac-12 next summer.
Walker’s experience at Tennessee, meanwhile, as an SEC program that prioritizes football, was also a positive.
“I was just really excited and thrilled as I got to meet him, learning his background,“ Mendenhall said. ”And if you consider his preparation and the current space that Utah State is in, I’m not sure there could be a better match.“
Walker’s experience as it relates to revenue sharing and NIL were of note to Mendenhall, but it went beyond that.
“Really a broad range of experiences, of expertise, that seem to be the most prioritized things necessary, not only at Utah State but probably in college athletics, that he’s really well prepared for,” Mendenhall said.
That Walker has been an administrator directly involved with football while at Tennessee is perhaps the most promising thing for Mendenhall.
In simplest terms, there is little that Walker will see at Utah State as it relates to college football that he hasn’t already been exposed to while at Tennessee.
“It’s reassuring,” Mendenhall said. “It’s great that Cam has been the administrator with a football program. That means (he’s) current on the relevant issues of a Division I football program, and that means an intimate knowledge (of the sport). That really was manifest in our short visit.”
“I was just really excited and thrilled as I got to meet him, learning his background. And if you consider his preparation and the current space that Utah State is in, I’m not sure there could be a better match.“
— USU football coach Bronco Mendenhall on new AD Cameron Walker
Mendenhall noted that the demands on Walker will be vast, similar to the demands on Mendenhall himself as the Aggies’ head football coach.
But Walker’s hire has Mendenhall optimistic about the future of Utah State football.
“The scope and scale of work (for athletic directors) has expanded just like the head football coach has and so the reference points that are already established, that’s what’s most exciting,” Mendenhall said. “As well as the strategic thinking, as well as the problem solving, as well as the development, as well as all the different sub policies that have already been created relative to the current landscape of college football.”
