Alabama AD Greg Byrne will not be the next Pac-12 commissioner.
Byrne is enjoying the best time in his three-plus years as the Crimson Tide's AD, basking in the glow of football's latest national title (his second since taking the job in 2017) while the Tide's men's basketball team -- led by his hand-picked coach, Nate Oats -- prepares for a Sweet 16 game against 11th-seeded UCLA.
Alabama is the program since Florida in 2006-07 to win the SEC football title, the SEC regular season men's basketball championship, and the SEC basketball tournament. Those Gators also became the only team to win the football and basketball titles in the same academic year, and these Crimson Tide could very well do the same.
“It’s certainly flattering to be mentioned for such a prestigious position,” Byrne told the Tuscaloosa News on Friday. “Regina (Byrne, his wife) and I grew up in the Pac-12 footprint and have many friends and fond memories out there. However, the University of Alabama has become our home and it is an honor to work here with our incredible student-athletes, coaches, staff, university and fans.
"We have a lot of positive momentum across our department. This is where we hope to finish our career and do all we can to make a positive impact. I will not be a candidate for the Pac-12 commissioner.”
The Pac-12 is on the hunt for a new chief executive with Larry Scott ending his 12-year run in June, a move that was announced in January.
Byrne was never announced by anyone associated with the conference as a formal candidate to be the next commissioner, but he was immediately named a person-of-interest given that he's well-regarded in the industry and knows the conference's strengths and weaknesses well following his 8-year run as Arizona's AD, from 2010-17.
Hiring sitting ADs to commissioner posts has been an en vogue move for recent Power 5 commissioner hires. The ACC selected Northwestern AD Jim Phillips as its next commissioner back in December, and in 2012 the Big 12 made Stanford AD Bob Bowlsby its chief executive.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.