Derrick Gragg is leaving his role as Northwestern's athletics director... to take a senior role managing Northwestern athletics.
Gragg will become NU's senior VP for athletic strategy, where he will "advise" Northwestern on issues like NIL, revenue sharing, and conference realignment.
Until today, those were all jobs that fell under the umbrella of the AD at a school like Northwestern.
“Derrick has been an asset to Northwestern over the last few years, and our athletics department has achieved some remarkable accomplishments under his leadership, both on and off the fields of competition," Northwestern president Michael Schill said. "In addition, after an investigation found hazing in our football program, Derrick helped us recover and set the stage for a new era of excellence."
Gragg has run Northwestern athletics since 2021 after 16 years as the AD at Eastern Michigan and Tulsa. He will remain in the role until a new, full-time AD is found.
At first blush, it's difficult to tell what form Gragg's new role will take. Is this an emeritus role, where he has an office that he occupies when necessary and provides his advice and consultation to President Schill and his eventual replacement on the 30,000-foot topics shaping college athletics? Or is this more of a CEO role, and the new AD will take on COO duties managing the day-to-day of the 19 Wildcat teams?
Northwestern's news release states it will be the former:
What began with Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights and conference realignment has accelerated with the House v. NCAA settlement, which for the first time creates a pathway for direct revenue sharing with collegiate student-athletes. In his new role, Dr. Gragg will focus on advising the president and athletic director about how Northwestern can be a leader in how it approaches this new landscape while addressing the new challenges it presents.
“I am looking forward to my new role amid this new era for college athletics, and I am committed to ensuring that Northwestern’s tradition of excellence, on and off the field, continues," Gragg said. "I will work closely with the new athletic director, President Schill and the Northwestern administration to ensure current and future Wildcats benefit fully from this evolving college athletics environment while staying true to our broader mission of academic and personal development for every student-athlete.”
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.
Update: The Athletic reports Gragg was pushed out of the role amid booster pressure. Citing sources, Gragg was being "tactically shifted aside" rather than fired.