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Pete ThamelESPN
After running an extensive search for the school’s next athletic director, Louisville is turning to a familiar place.
The school is expected to elevate interim athletic director Josh Heird to the full-time position, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. Heird’s appointment is not expected to become official until next week, as Louisville still needs to call a Board of Trustees meeting to formally approve the hire.
Heird won out in a search that included multiple sitting athletic directors, including several who met with the school’s search committee in Dallas last week. Heird has built a close relationship with Louisville interim president Dr. Lori Gonzalez since becoming the interim in December, and that proved critical in Heird’s elevation.
In Heird’s short time in charge at Louisville, he’s overseen the departure of Chris Mack as the men’s basketball coach in January and the search that brought in Kenny Payne as the replacement in March. Louisville also hired Duke assistant coach Nolan Smith as an assistant coach, and the football program is on the trajectory for a historic recruiting haul in the Class of 2023.
Heird worked as a senior associate athletic director at Villanova in 2018-19, before his latest stint at Louisville. He spent 10 years at Louisville prior to that time at Villanova.
He will take over at Louisville at a complicated time, which includes the interim president. The school is still awaiting word from the NCAA on potential sanctions stemming from the federal basketball scandal in 2017 and allegations tied to Mack’s tenure.
Heird emerged as the interim after the complicated exit of former athletic director Vince Tyra, who left after a dalliance with Florida State before ultimately joining the private sector.
Heird has received generally strong reviews for his work over his five months in charge. And that work ultimately swayed the school’s decision-makers into elevating him, pending formal approval next week.
Sports Illustrated first reported Heird’s potential hire.