West Virginia has found its next Director of Athletics.
According to Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated, sources tell him current North Texas Athletic Director Wren Baker has a deal being finalized with West Virginia University to become their next Athletic Director.
Baker, 44, is an Oklahoma native who has spent more than six years at North Texas. He helped take North Texas to a new conference which they are set to join next year. His track record shows he has led major fundraising efforts at schools including, North Texas, Missouri, and Memphis.
Earlier this month West Virginia moved on from Shane Lyons amid a struggling football season which the Mountaineers finished 5-7. Earlier this week, Lyons talked about his departure saying, he wanted to give head football coach Neal Brown more time to try and right the ship.
Dellenger says, “while new AD Wren Baker will evaluate coach Neal Brown, the expectation is that evaluation will come over the next year instead of a matter of days. The expectation is that Brown will remain as coach in 2023.”
ESPN’s Pete Thamel also confirms the report of the Baker hire, but he has not said WVU has made an ultimate decision.
“West Virginia still hasn’t declared publicly if football coach Neal Brown is returning, but his chances have increased significantly after closing with two wins in the last three games, including over Oklahoma and at Oklahoma Stateto finish 5-7,” Thamel said.
