It appears that Pitt Director of Athletics Heather Lyke will not be going to Ohio State.
When Ohio State Director of Athletics Gene Smith announced last August that he would be retiring in just under a year, it opened the door for one of the premier AD jobs in college athletics.
Lyke was likely considered for the opening, but it appears that Ohio State has turned its primary attention to another candidate. Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork is expected to be hired as the new AD at Ohio State, the Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach reported.
The deal hasn’t been finalized yet, but Auerbach reported the process will likely be wrapped up in the next couple of days.
Considering his rising star status and history in Columbus, Oh., it wasn’t a surprise to see Lyke linked to the Ohio State opening, but it appears that she will not be leaving Pittsburgh for Columbus.
Lyke spent 15 years at Ohio State as an associate athletic director. She worked her way up from associate athletic director for sports admin, compliance & camp operations to associate director for sports admin to senior associate athletic director. And has expressed her love for Ohio State in the past.
She left Ohio State in 2013 to take her first athletic director position at Eastern Michigan and four years later, she took the same position at Pitt — where she has grown into one of the top ADs in the country.
“Under the leadership of Heather Lyke, Pitt Athletics is enjoying a remarkable and unmistakable ascension,” Pitt Athletics leads off Lyke’s bio.
Since being hired in 2017, Lyke has led nearly a complete turnaround of Pitt athletics.
The NACDA awarded her the 2023 Cushman & Wakefield AD of the Year, and she was a finalist for the Sports Business Journal Athletic Director of the Year award. In 2022-23 alone, Pitt hit its highest points total ever in the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup and football, men’s basketball, volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer and wrestling all experienced high levels of success.
In addition, Lyke has fundraised a record $67 million in the last two fiscal years, including the largest single donation in Pitt athletics history. She has also been influential in Pitt’s Victory Heights project, a new state-of-the-art, $240 million athletic complex that will house 14 of Pitt’s 17 varsity sports — and provide a new arena for volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics.
In the landscape of NIL, it remains to be seen whether Lyke will be able to make the necessary moves to keep football and men’s basketball competitive, but she’s done an outstanding job revitalizing the program.
Not after the Capel error for sure
You forgot someone, didn’t you.
Not at all- he’s the only coach in a revenue sport with a losing record and recruits that either: 1. Attended ten high schools. 2. Committed felonies or 3. Both BTW What’s your Pitt degree in? And, how’d you like last night’s debacle big mouth
Heather is too deep in the not so secret stadium project to leave now…
Ummm, what?
You’ve got a better chance of seeing Mike Tomlin win a playoff game without Ben Roethlisberger before you see Pitt build a stadium on campus.
I have to agree. There is no vision at PItt for this. Relates to why Pittsburgh keeps losing population. No dynamism. When Lyke was hired, she was very enthusiastic about projects and fan engagement. I think the old people/yinzer mentality in the ‘burg finally beat her down.
She has done us well in many regards, we are fortunate to have her continued leadership.
You must be a fan of overall mediocrity. The football program, under her leadership, has never finished in the Top 10. Other than last season, Capel has been a bad coach with the losing records to back that up. Pitt hasn’t won any national championships under LYke. That must be okay for you.
Couldn’t be happier she is staying…..way more pros than cons with her in charge
Please list the pros. Having to strain to see them – one top 20 finish in football in 8 years and no ranked basketball teams? You must be a girls’ volleyball fan. Has she won a national championship? No,
They can’t, there are none
Heather Lyke is the BEST AD The University of Pittsburgh has ever had. We are fortunate and proud to have her.
Agree
Okay but you must be a youngster. The best AD Pitt has ever had is Cas Mylinski – one national championship, 5-2 in bowl games, and ranked teams in 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981.
She gave too long contracts to her main revenue mediocre coach (Narduzzi) and awful hire (Capel).
Good!
Good for what? Continued mediocrity and no national championships? You Pitt fans have such low expectations.
No surprise. She has mismanaged both revenue sports. I wish she were leaving us.
Pitt is blessed to have her. She is an example of raising expectations. All fans of Pitt’s Olympic sports programs are ecstatic. She has helped hire many top coaches, established a winning culture, demands that Pitt is more than football and men’s basketball and finally are getting world class facilities built. As a result our overall athletic program is now in the top half of the ACC and all Power schools overall and getting better everyday! And yes in the fall 2023 season the ACC schools had the most schools in the top 25 Clearfield AD standings with Pitt at… Read more »
I need to get my Lyke megaphone and rose-colored glasses here. She has raised expectations for non-revenue sports but done nothing for revenue sports.
She has done well for the lower tier sports teams but men’s basketball and football are no better now than when she was hired.
All she has done is give those 2 coaches mind boggling extensions which completely hamper their abilities to upgrade the position
After the Barnes/JK fiasco, she was turned down by the St. Bonaventure mbb coach. Jeff Capel saved her by taking and stabilizing the mbb program. He’s not perfect but if he were, he’d be somewhere else today making a lot more money. Her crowning glory are volleyball and soccer. Neither pay the bills.
NIL and the open portal have changed collegiate sports forever. That will be her legacy.
“A lot more money” lol. The thief is in the top 20 in Comp. 85-87. Stability. Ok loser.
These “fans” get on here and make ridiculous comments. Or maybe there part of her possy posse (i.e. employees) because they show up on any board where Lyke is discussed.
Attention Pitt fans: You can win national championship and be ranked much hire academically than Pitt. Check the USA Today ratings.
Lyke said she wanted to create a championship culture. She’s created a neoptistic mediocre culture. She doesn’t have to do much to maintain it.
No more than Narduzzi
So what, moron? Football coaches make more. BTW, What’s your Pitt degree in?
You don’t know he is one of the highest paid coaches in the ACC? Do some research.
Absoluitely true. She needs to get out of her basement and converse with fans and take the criticism she deserved. I knew Ohio State wasn’t about to hire a person who gave ridiculous contracts to the coaches of the sports that count.
Still waiting for men’s baseball to show something. It was better under Pederson.
Before you crown Lyke Queen of the Yinzers, check out attendance at Narduzzi’s college football show. Next season is going to be rough sell to fans. Maybe Ms. Lyke will get out of her basement and talk to fans? Doubt it.
Why would they??? She has made Pitt FB and BB irrelevant but hey there’s woman’s volleyball LMAO