Purdue targeting Rice’s Tommy McClelland as athletic director per report

Purdue is reportedly turning to a sitting athletic director, and one with power conference experience, to lead its athletic department.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Purdue is targeting Rice’s Tommy McClelland as its next athletic director. It has been expected that the university would introduced Mike Bobinski's successor later this week in conjunction with the Board of Trustees’ regular meeting. 

McClelland has been at Rice since 2023, after serving as Vanderbilt deputy athletic director for external affairs from 2020-23. He also oversaw the Commodores' football program, departing prior to that program's ascencion under Clark Lea over the past three years. Prior to that, he served as Louisiana Tech AD from 2013-20. 

Purdue coaches told representatives of DHR Global, the executive search firm Purdue contracted to assist with the process, that the next coach needed to find new streams of revenue. Bobinski echoed those setiments. At Rice, McClelland added adminstrative positions to oversee name, image and likeness efforts and launched the South Main Fund — a donor initiative towards NIL.

At Vanderbilt, he oversaw the Vandy Now campaign, which raised over $300 million towards new and renovated athletic facilities. At Louisiana Tech, he guided the athletic department's transition into Conference USA.

McClelland rose to his first athletic director position, at McNeese State, at age 26. The Louisiana native was a walk-on long snapper and javelin thrower at Northwestern State.

Bobinski announced in June he would retire on Dec. 31. He has served since Sept. 1, 2016, succeeding Morgan Burke's 23-year tenure. Before that, the athletic department had only two leaders in 50 years: George King (1971-92) and Guy "Red" Macket (1942-71).

McClelland, though, would take the helm in a college sports environment those men likely never fathomed. Specifically, athletic departments can directly pay athletes. The new AD's most urgent task is helping Purdue generate new revenue to remain competitive across all sports in a Big Ten Conference which now stretches coast to coast.

McClelland would also takes over during a period of transition in university leadership. The Purdue Board of Trustees opted to conclude the athletic director search quickly before finalizing the search for the successor to President Mung Chiang. He recently departed for the same position at Northwestern. Former Purdue President Mitch Daniels returned in an interim capacity.

Bobinski previously said he planned to remain at Purdue through that retirement date in an advisory role. The new athletic director would lead the department.

McClelland would arrive at a high point for some Purdue athletic programs and a low point for others. The Matt Painter-led men's basketball team advanced to the national championship game two years ago and has reached the Elite Eight in three consecutive seasons. Volleyball, under Dave Shondell, is also coming off an Elite Eight appearance and competes at the top of a conference considered the best volleball league in the country.

Football, though, has not won a Big Ten game since 2023. Bobinski's first coaching hire, Jeff Brohm, had Purdue in the 2022 Big Ten Championship Game at the end of his successful six-year run. His second hire, Ryan Walters, was fired after goin 1-11 in his second season. The team went 2-10 in Barry Odom's first season.

Purdue's athletic director hire also comes as the Protect College Sports Act remains on the brink of a possible vote in the U.S. Senate. That bill would, among other things, establish more strict limits on what athletic departments can spend on paying players and limit third-part name, image and likeness deals that exceed the established revenue share cap.

Bobinski said he believed that legislation would finally even the playing field and help Purdue compete long-term with deeper-pocketed programs. His successor may be able to begin their tenure in that environment.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue targeting Rice’s Tommy McClelland as athletic director per report