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When news broke earlier today that Mitch Barnhart would be stepping down on June 30th, everyone’s mind went right to the biggest question: Who is going to be replacing him?
Eli Capiluto said he would be going on a “listening tour” before making any decision. These are 10 internal and external candidates that you should keep tabs on and get familiar with if you haven’t already:
Marc Hill is the frontrunner
If you don’t know who Marc Hill is, you will soon enough. He is going to be the favorite to assume the AD position post Barnhart. In 2019, he essentially became Mitch Barnhart’s right-hand; he works on nearly everything coming and going behind the scenes in the athletic department.
He has past involvement with both the baseball and football programs and a knowledge of everything NIL, but he isn’t the only person who will get interest. For now, he’s the early favorite, especially if Barnhart has his way.
9 more candidates for Kentucky Athletics Director in 2026
Eric Monday, leader of the University of Kentucky Executive Vice President forFinance and Administration, will be a key player to watch as well. That long title basically means he handles a lot of money and helps raise it for the University. His knowledge of the inner workings of that makes him a strong candidate. However, he’s also a candidate to be the school’s next president, so that could take him out of the running to be the next AD.
Tim Bernal is another internal candidate who has worked as an Executive Associate AD/External Operations, or just a fancy way of saying worked alongside Mitch Barnhart.
Rachel Baker has extensive experience with the NCAA. She worked directly for them before coming to Kentucky over a decade ago. Since then, Baker has worked closely with Mitch Barnhart in compliance and as an Executive Associate Athletics Director.
Kevin Sergent came to Kentucky in 2020 and has worked in compliance since. He knows the rules and would be someone who could help facilitate change in the way that Kentucky handles its NCAA reporting.
Chad Blankenship, who handles operations at the school, and Candice Chaffin, who is involved in K-Fund management, round out the internal candidates.
DeWayne Peevy has a great relationship with those around the state, and BBN will probably root for Peevy to get the job. Since going to DePaul, he has been great at raising money and building facilities. That is half the battle right there. As someone with AD experience, he will know what’s needed and would step in with both experience and familiarity.
John Cohen is currently the AD down at Auburn, but he was the Kentucky baseball coach under Mitch back in 2004-2008. Fans like his ability to raise money, but after hiring Hugh Freeze, a lot of Tiger fans are ready for Cohen to head back North.
Lastly, someone to keep an eye on is Oregon’s Rob Mullens. Mullens was Associate AD and Senior Deputy AD under Barnhart back in 2010 before heading west. He has presided over a period of great success with the Ducks and could be interested in returning to Lexington.
Whomever Kentucky ultimately chooses needs to be the right hire. This hire will be the one who leads Kentucky into the future; they need to be NIL knowledgeable, willing to adapt to the new age of college athletics, and be in tune with the fanbase. Mitch was often seen as too private, and I think that led to a lot of the noise around the controversies.
And it should be noted that this is a very early list of potential candidates. More names will surface in the coming weeks and months, but for now, there’s a decent chance that the next hire comes from this group.
Who do you think Kentucky hires? Who do you think should be hired? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!