Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

UNLV president denies reports of Livengood as new athletic director

Smatresk claims no offers or decisions have been made in search for athletic director

UNLV President Neal Smatresk is denying floating reports that a deal has been reached with Arizona's Jim Livengood to become the school's new athletic director.

"No offers have been made, period," Smatresk, reached by phone on Friday evening, told the Sun. "And I would know.

"As soon as I make an offer, the world will know."

Earlier in the day, Smatresk said that a pool of between six and eight candidates was decided upon by the search committee, and a new AD could be announced sometime next week. He also said, however, that no hard deadline was set.

On Friday evening, the Arizona Daily Star's Greg Hansen reported that the Arizona post would "almost certainly" be coming open, with Livengood expected to accept the UNLV job over the weekend.

Livengood has been the Arizona AD since January 1994. UNLV's position came open this summer when Mike Hamrick left to take the same job at his alma mater — Marshall.

Currently, Jerry Koloskie is serving as UNLV's interim AD.

The Daily Star's report was accompanied by one from the Las Vegas Review-Journal which claimed that a deal was both offered to Livengood and accepted, citing an unnamed source.

Smatresk, who will ultimately make the AD hire, immediately shot the report down.

"Really," he said, "no decision has been made."

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