The successor to Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard, who is retiring in 2027, will “take over a situation full of positives, but also fraught with challenges, both of the standard and existential variety,” according to Travis Hines of the DES MOINES REGISTER. The specifics for the Cyclones and the larger forces at work in the industry “make this moment especially pivotal.” Hines: “Get it right and you’ve got the leader you need amid turbulent times. Get it wrong and face ceding the ground gained of the last 20 years.” Iowa State “obviously has plenty going for it as an athletics department with a devoutly loyal and growing fan base, high-level facilities, Big 12 Conference membership and significant recent success.” Hines: “An AD isn’t hired, though, to keep the status quo, especially not at a time of incredible change in the industry.” Football is the “absolutely most critical component of a department,” and the hiring of football coach Jimmy Rogers “might be a home run, might be a miss or might be somewhere in between.” And the next AD will “have to shepherd the program with someone who was hired based largely on his connection to the previous athletics director.” Hines: “That’ll be an interesting dynamic” (DES MOINES REGISTER, 7/13).
SEARCH TIME: In Des Moines, Eugene Rapay noted the nationwide search for a new AD at Iowa State Univ. “is expected to begin this fall,” but until then, Pollard “plans on making sure his successor will be in good standing going forward.” There is “no doubting the growth and change across Iowa State athletics” throughout Pollard’s time as AD, with recent years showing that the Cyclones “now have a seat at the big-boy table nationally.” Pollard “exponentially accelerated and revolutionized the Cyclones’ fundraising success.” Athletics fundraising increased from $9M the year prior to his arrival to $53M during the 2025-26 academic year. The administration “invested more than” $400M in new facilities and building upgrades. Throughout Pollard’s two decades in Ames, the Cyclones have won 24 Big 12 team championships across eight different sports. Pollard earned Division I FBS AD of the Year honors from NACDA in 2019 and 2023. Some financial issues remain. Last year, Iowa State athletics projected a $147M budget deficit through 2031, which the school “said was due to the House settlement that allowed for revenue sharing with student-athletes.” However, Pollard said in June that “through internal decisions and alterations, Iowa State has been able to cut that deficit to approximately” $75M over the next five years (DES MOINES REGISTER, 7/12),
GOLDEN ERA: THE ATHLETIC’s Scott Dochterman wrote Pollard established himself as “the most important and impactful athletics department figure in the school’s history.” At Jack Trice Stadium, the football program has “drawn 50,000-plus fans for 91 consecutive home games,” a mark it “had never even averaged in a season before 2011.” Men’s basketball supporters have filled Hilton Coliseum to “near capacity over the past decade-plus, creating a raucous home environment.” When adversity struck, Pollard “always met the moment.” And the university enjoyed a “golden era of success under his leadership.” Pollard “tapped into fan emotions to generate pride that often lay dormant.” Whether it was his in-state rival, Big 12 officiating, or more recently with the Big Ten and SEC, Pollard “went to battle publicly for his Cyclones.” In turn, he “rallied his supporters and rankled his opposition.” It gave him “credibility with a fan base that wanted to feel good about itself” (THE ATHLETIC, 7/10).
