From playbooks to power moves: Athletes and visionaries reshaping college sports management

College athletic departments are scrambling. Players are transferring season to season, top talent is demanding big contracts and millions of dollars will start flowing directly from schools to their rostered athletes as early as next week.

That is way too much work for a coach or even a coaching staff. Enter the general manager, a position that dates back nearly 20 years but only recently has exploded in popularity for schools desperate to stay on top of details. The GM has become a key to success for programs looking to be in the mix for conference and national championships. From business schools to the NFL and NBA, schools are searching for the right people to fill some of the most high-demand jobs in college sports.

Crafting a winning roster requires thoughtful strategy and painstaking diligence, but schools have come to realize that a celebrity presence doesn’t hurt, either.

A look at three primary types of GM: The active pro athlete, the high-profile retiree and the pioneers.

Steph Curry

Davidson made a splash when it announced Steph Curry as the assistant general manager of its men’s and women’s basketball teams in March. He was a star at Davidson before becoming the No. 7 overall pick in the 2009 draft and a perennial All-Star for the Golden State Warriors.

Curry earned the title after co-creating an eight-figure fund to support Davidson athletes alongside 2005 graduate Matt Berman. His flashy new title won’t take any time away from his on-court efforts.

“There’s no performance reviews at all. It’s a volunteer honorary title based on the fund that Steph and Ayesha and the Curry family and the Berman family started for us,” Davidson basketball GM Austin Buntz said.

Curry’s name alone has become one of Davidson’s strongest recruiting tactics.

“Everybody knows Steph, he’s the greatest shooter of all time,” Buntz said. “I can’t overstate enough what his career has done for this program and for this college.”

Trae Young

Oklahoma announced the hiring of Trae Young as assistant general manager of the men’s basketball team in March. Young was drafted No. 5 overall in 2018 after leading the nation in points and assists as a freshman for the Sooners.

Young said he hopes to have a hands-on approach and help bring top-tier recruits and transfers to Oklahoma. While the Atlanta Hawks star can’t be on campus daily, there are areas where he can step in.

“I’m there in the summertime. I can be visible. I can go play with the recruits. I can go play with the players and talk to them, give them advice and ultimately help them achieve their dreams,” Young said. “I’ve talked to a few players already. It’s important to me. I mean it’s not that time-consuming or something that can distract me from my game or what I got going on, but I do have a lot of free time and now I can use some of my free time talking to some of these younger kids and helping build my program”

Maxx Crosby

Maxx Crosby was the first active NFL player to take on a similar role, joining his alma mater Eastern Michigan as an assistant general manager. The 2019 fourth-round pick has become one of the most dominant defensive players in the NFL.

“There is no place more important to my personal and athletic development than Eastern Michigan,” he said.

Months into his tenure, Crosby’s efforts have already made a difference. The Raiders defensive end helped the football program surpass its fundraising goal with the “Maxx Match” initiative, where he matched more than $135,165 in donations.

Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille O’Neal is a very high-profile retiree and now can add a new title to his long resume. The 15-time All-Star, first-ballot NBA Hall of Famer, up-and-coming “DJ Diesel” and NBA analyst is joining the Sacramento State men’s basketball team as general manager.

Unlike Young, Curry and Crosby, O’Neal’s new position isn’t an effort to give back to his alma mater. Instead, the former LSU standout aims to shape a promising future for his son’s new team. O’Neal’s son, Shaqir, is expected to make his debut with the Hornets this season after stints at Texas Southern and Florida A&M.

O’Neal will serve in a volunteer capacity for the Hornets, focusing on recruiting, marketing and player development, according to the team.

Adrian Wojnarowski

Former NBA news breaker Adrian Wojnarowski is seeing the game from a new angle as the full-time general manager of St. Bonaventure’s men’s basketball team. Wojnarowski joined the Bonnies in September following a seven-year stint at ESPN.

The university in upstate New York will rely on Wojnarowski to build a roster with an intentional approach and strategic recruiting against schools spending far more money on their players.

Andrew Luck

Years after an early retirement from the NFL, Andrew Luck returned to the game in a different capacity. Luck last fall was named GM of Stanford’s football program, where he was a standout quarterback before going first overall in the 2012 draft.

One of Luck’s first major moves was parting ways with Troy Taylor and hiring Frank Reich as interim head coach for the 2025 season.

Reich and Luck have a history of working together. Reich’s inaugural season as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts was Luck’s final year with the franchise. The head coach and quarterback duo helped the Colts to a 10-6 record, a playoff berth and a 21-7 playoff victory against Houston.

Austin Thomas

Not a familiar name? Well, Austin Thomas is a pioneer as one the first GMs in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. He was promoted to general manager of the LSU football team in 2016 and was instrumental in assembling the star-studded roster that would go on to win the 2019 national championship.

Thomas has held various positions since, but after stints at Texas A&M and Ole Miss, he is back in Baton Rouge. Thomas now holds the title of Senior Associate Athletic Director for Football Administration, overseeing all areas of the program including staffing, daily operations, budget and roster management.

Rachel Baker

The Duke men’s basketball team hired former Nike and NBA staffer Rachel aker for a newly created role with duties that include overseeing name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities for Blue Devils players. She played four years of lacrosse at LaSalle and brings a unique perspective on NIL deals and other support for athletes.

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports