Houston athletic director Mack Rhoades is expected to be named the new AD at Missouri on Monday, CBSSports.com has learned. (UPDATE: The school officially announced the hire on Monday afternoon.)
The 49-year-old Rhoades would replace Mike Alden, who is stepping down in August. Multiple sources told CBSSports.com that Rhoades was chosen to take over for Alden after other candidates dropped out of the picture.
Ole Miss AD Ross Bjork reportedly took his name out of the running over the weekend. In addition, a source close to Texas A&M senior athletic director Jason Cook said he would not be getting the job.
Rhoades is considered one of the most dynamic administrators in the country. In the last two years alone he has hired championship-winning coaches in basketball (Kelvin Sampson) and football (Tom Herman) while overseeing construction of a new on-campus football stadium.
Sampson, the former coach at Oklahoma, just concluded his first regular season with the Cougars, leading the team to a 12-18 record. Herman, Ohio State's offensive coordinator this past season, took over the Houston football program in January fresh off a national championship with the Buckeyes.
Rhoades arrived at Houston in June 2009, successfully guiding the athletic department from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference during realignment. Under Rhoades’ watch, Houston reached the top 10 and won 13 games in former coach Kevin Sumlin’s final season in 2011.
Rhoades was also instrumental in raising funds for the $120-million TDECU Stadium that was completed in August. Houston is still in the process of building a $25 million basketball practice facility.
At Missouri, Rhoades have more access to resources to build facilities. SEC earnings are expected to skyrocket with the addition of revenue from the SEC Network launched last August.
Mizzou be Rhoades’ first Power Five job. He previously worked at Akron and Texas El-Paso.
With the Tigers, Rhoades will inherit a football program at perhaps the high point of its existence as Missouri played in back-to-back SEC title games as East Division champions in 2013 and 2014.
Gary Pinkel, hired by Alden in 2001, is entering his 15th season with the program as the winningest coach in school history (112 victories). Twice since 2007, Pinkel has led the Tigers to within a game of a BCS title game berth.
While Texas A&M president, current Missouri chancellor R. Bowen Loftin considered Rhoads for the Aggies’ job in 2012. That position eventually went to Eric Hyman.
Rhoades is expected to be formally announced at a Tuesday press conference.
