The athletic director position at Kansas has been open since May 21st, when the school announced Sheahon Zenger had been fired after serving in that role since 2011.
The athletic department at Kansas is a case study in two extremes of sorts. On one hand you have the men's basketball program that has dominated the Big 12 to the tune of 14 straight Big 12 titles, and on the other side of the spectrum you've got the Kansas football program that has struggled mightily, winning just a few games most years going on decades. For sitting athletic directors, the opening at Kansas provides a very interesting opportunity, to say the least.
Among the candidates being considered for the post, according to a report from earlier this week, were Ole Miss AD Ross Bjork, SMU AD Rick Hart, Central Michigan AD Michael Alford, Oklahoma senior associate AD Kenny Mossman, and former Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long,
Dan Wolken reported yesterday that SMU athletic director Dave Hart, who the search had initially focused on, had decided to remain at SMU.
Yesterday, a representative at Ole Miss came out and called Bjork's connection to the Kansas job "not true" and a "bad rumor," according to HottyToddy.com. Then, earlier this morning, UCF athletic director Danny White fired off a tweet to directly address the rumor that originated from SB Nation that he, too, was meeting with Kansas officials.
It's rare for the rumored candidate of a search to take to social media to dispute a report like that in such a direct fashion. White certainly got his point across and left no doubt where things stand from his perspective.
Multiple reports state that Kansas will likely name their AD in the next few weeks, so we should see continued updates on the search in the meantime.
Until then, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.