Bryan Blair has been named the next athletic director at Syracuse University, with the school making the hiring official Thursday following board approval.
Blair arrives after serving as athletic director at University of Toledo athletics since 2022. He replaces John Wildhack, who retired after a decade overseeing the Orange’s athletics department.
The move comes during a stretch of significant change at Syracuse. The university recently installed Mike Haynie as chancellor and dismissed men’s basketball coach Adrian Autry earlier this week. One of Blair’s first major responsibilities will be overseeing the search for the program’s next head coach.
Blair takes over an athletic department facing challenges in its marquee sports. The Syracuse men’s basketball program has not reached the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament since 2021. Meanwhile, the football team posted a 10-win season under head coach Fran Brown in 2024 before falling to 3-9 last year after quarterback Steve Angelisuffered an injury.
During Blair’s tenure at Toledo, the Rockets captured 13 championships in the Mid-American Conference. Toledo also became the first conference school to launch a name, image and likeness collective and established a full-time position dedicated to NIL strategy.
Before leading Toledo’s athletic department, Blair held administrative roles at Washington State University athletics, Rice University athletics and University of South Carolina athletics. A former college football player at Wofford College athletics, he later earned a law degree from South Carolina.
Blair now steps into a pivotal leadership role as Syracuse looks to stabilize and strengthen its athletic programs moving forward.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].