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On Mike Holder’s Future and the Next Athletic Director in Stillwater

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This has been written about at most of the outlets carrying Oklahoma State athletics news, but I thought I would offer up my pair of pennies and some stuff I’ve been hearing behind the scenes.

Berry Tramel was the first to posit Texas Tech administrator and Oklahoma State graduate Chad Weiberg as a potential successor to Mike Holder in Stillwater. Bill Haisten followed him up with a few other names sprinkled in.

Then Robert Allen offered his thoughts on why a posted admin position in Stillwater doesn’t mean the future is nigh for the end of the Mike Holder era. Here is Allen on the job posting OSU threw out there last week.

The question that crossed my desk this weekend is whether the new job listing is the start of an “athletic director in waiting” process or is it simply a position being hired to replace an outgoing or retiring employee.

Now, it may truly be the publicized AD in waiting that was bantered about this week, but, in my opinion, on the surface it looks like it is the position to replace Dave Martin, who I’ve been told is retiring from the Oklahoma State athletic department and will turn 69-years-old this August. Martin’s current position in the athletic department is listed as deputy director of athletics. [Go Pokes]

Because, you know, the two would never overlap. ?

Anyway, the Weiberg thing is legitimate. I’ve talked to several people who believe it could happen and that it could happen soon. And that it could be happening.

One source told me Weiberg was in the Oklahoma City airport meeting a member of the OSU board of regents the night before Mike Boynton, Doug Gottlieb and others were interviewed for the men’s basketball head coaching position in Stillwater on Thursday March 23.

Nobody has confirmed to me that Weiberg was actually in Stillwater that week, but I think it’s plausible that that was the case. I also think it’s not only plausible but probable that if an AD-in-waiting is hired soon, Weiberg will be the man.

Like Haisten pointed out initially, the timeline is fluid, but would anyone be surprised if the AD-in-waiting was hired this summer? I wouldn’t be. A wise person once told me there should always be a succession plan. That even I should have a succession plan for this website. This is true, and it’s not clear that OSU actually has one right now.

I’ll defend Holder and the Holder era until he’s no longer the AD, but the reality is that he’s nearly 70. Some change might be good for the program which is presumably what Holder wants anyway. What’s best for the kids, for the brand.

We haven’t even touched on the fact that Mike Gundy is the single most important asset in the Oklahoma State University system right now. It’s not really a secret that him and Holder don’t clink Coronas on the weekend, and protecting his future should be paramount for everyone involved at the highest levels.

Obviously none of this means that Weiberg will in fact be the next AD in Stillwater, and even if he is, none of this means it will happen in even, say, the next two or three years. But there is enough smoke to indicate that a fire is indeed on the horizon.

And it sure feels like we’re at the precipice of a new era in Stillwater.

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