Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick will step down from his position in 2024, at The university announced Thursday. He will be replaced by NBC Sports Group Chairman and College of Notre Dame alumnus Pete Bevacqua, giving the sports department a new president for the first time since 2008. The transition will be completed “sometime in the first quarter” of next year.
Bevacqua, a 1993 graduate, joined the athletics department in July as a special assistant in athletics to Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins. There he will work alongside Swarbrick, learning the ropes of his new position until the transition is complete.
“This is an incredible honor for me and a dream come true. With the exception of my family, nothing means more to me than the University of Notre Dame,” Bevacqua said in a statement. “As an alumna of Notre Dame, I have a deep understanding and appreciation for the life, and transformative benefits our student-athletes receive in a Notre Dame education, which is unique and unlike any other institution in the world.
“I am very grateful to [Notre Dame president Reverend John Jenkins], the Board of Trustees, and of course Jack Swarbrick, “Bevacqua continued.” Jack has become a true friend over the past several years, and I’m looking forward to working with him and learning as much as I can from someone I have the most respect and admiration for in college athletics.”
Swarbrick, 69, will leave the position he has held for 15 years. His tenure included the hiring of former football coach Brian Kelly, who led the Fighting Irish to a BCS National Championship appearance in 2012, and later to a pair of college football playoff games in 2018 and 2020. Kelly left to become LSU’s head coach in late 2021.
Swarbrick was part of the CFP Management Committee, along with the commissioners from the ten FBS conferences. There he played a key role in the College Football Playoff’s upcoming expansion, which will grow from four to 12 teams in 2024.
“It speaks volumes about the leadership of Notre Dame and Father Jenkins that we can implement a well-designed succession plan and attract someone of Pitt’s talent and experience,” Swarbrick said. “I’ve worked closely with Pete throughout his time at NBC and based on that experience, I believe he has the perfect skill set to help Notre Dame navigate the rapidly changing landscape that is college athletics today, and be an important national leader as we look to the future. I look forward to Helping student-athletes and coaches at Notre Dame achieve their goals in the months ahead while also helping Pitt prepare for his tenure as Director of Athletics.”
The change of Notre Dame AD will mark the CFP’s latest shake-up after a series of recent changes to the FBS commissioners’ lineup. Bob Bowlsby stepped down as Big 12 commissioner in the summer of 2022, and Craig Thompson left his position as Mountain West commissioner a few months later. Recently, Kevin Warren stepped down as Commissioner of the Big Ten to become President and CEO of the Chicago Bears.
The future of Notre Dame football as an independent
Bevacqua joins Notre Dame after spending the past half decade at NBC Sports. He served as the organization’s president before being promoted to chairman in 2020. He was heavily involved in the network’s new media rights deal with the Big Ten. The new seven-year agreement makes NBC and Peacock the exclusive home of Big Ten Saturday Night Football.
He spent the previous six years as CEO of the PGA of America, landing extensions with NBC Sports for events including the Ryder Cup and the Senior PGA Championship.
Notre Dame football is the highlight of FBS’s standalone program. Even with Bevacqua’s background in sports television, the Fighting Irish don’t seem to be looking forward to conference membership in the near future. Bevacqua said Pat Forde from Sports Illustrated He “definitely admires the independence” and that it is “another element of what makes Notre Dame different.”
As recently as last year, Swarbrick Cite the reorganization as “achieved” for the Irish to refrain from joining the conference. Although all is still quiet on that front for now, the college athletic community will certainly be watching Bevacqua as he puts his own stamp on Notre Dame’s athletic department in the years to come.