Baylor is expected to announce the departure of athletic director Mack Rhoades in the near future, sources told ESPN on Thursday.
Rhoades, who has been the athletic director at Baylor since July of 2016, suddenly took a leave of absence from the position for personal reasons last week, and the sides are planning to announce he’s stepping away.
Baylor didn’t identify the reason for Rhoades’ leave, other than to say it was for personal reasons.
Rhoades told ESPN’s Heather Dinich last week that he initiated the leave. Along with stepping away from Baylor, Rhoades also left his role as chair of the College Football Playoff selection committee.
Rhoades is a veteran in the athletic director space, with prior stops as the athletic director at Missouri, Houston and Akron. His tenure includes the hiring of Matt Rhule and eight national titles, including one for Scott Drew’s men’s basketball program.
The ability to retain Drew and build the proper infrastructure and support around him has been one of the hallmarks of Rhoades’ tenure.
Rhoades’ tenure included stabilizing the athletic department on the field after the tumultuous and litigious tenure of former football coach Art Briles. The hiring of Rhule pulled the program out of the depths, and current coach Dave Aranda went on to win the Big 12 title in 2021 and beat Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl that year.
Rhoades’ departure marks the third consecutive athletic director at Baylor to leave under a cloud. Ian McCaw and Tom Stanton left amid issues surrounding Briles and former basketball coach Dave Bliss, respectively.
