I can't say I'm not surprised. Kevin Blue was obviously operating on another level in terms of athletics. He did a lot of work to bring us up to speed in the D1 environment. He will be extremely hard to replace.

Unfortunate for UCD, but not unexpected that he moves on. I would have guessed a P5 school his destination, but I can also see how a good job in Canada must look pretty good to Canadians right now. And there may well be some serious troubled waters ahead for UCD athletics. I hope he does well in this endeavor. What will be interesting is to see how May responds. Announced so far is asst director will be interim director and a search committee being formed to fill the position in early 21. If this was a known departure, there may already be a successor on deck for a quick strike. If it’s a real search, will be interesting to see if the committee focuses on qualifications or tries to shoehorn a diversity hire.

Very sad to see this, but as has been said, it had to come sometime. 5 years is a long spell for an y AD these days. I think that May is probably the most savvy chancellor we have ever had when it comes to athletics. He seems to really grasp its importance. I think the list of applicants to replace him will be impressive and we will find a quality new AD very quickly. Good luck to Kevin and thank you!

Disappointing timing and a shorter tenure than some would have expected or hoped for. Whoever the next leader is needs to be fully engaged in UCD program and view as a long term destination rather than a step along the way to the next opportunity. Mr. Blue did great things in his time, best of luck to him and family.

Who are the names that will be considered as replacement?

I would not be surprised to see Desiree Reed-Francois of UNLV on the list. She is very highly respected as UNLV’s AD. She is Hispanic and she is doing an excellent job at UNLV. She is also very well known to our new Provost who was just hired out of UNLV. A long shot would be Tiffany Grimes out of Alabama. Probably well known to Chancellor May from his time at Georgia Tech. Tammy Smith
-Jones out of UC Riverside might be a good choice as well. She is very highly respected AD at Riverside. Last but not least, there is Daryl Gross at Cal State LA. Former Aggie and I believe he was a finalist for the Davis AD spot before Blue was named. Thats just the tip of the iceberg. The Davis AD job is a choice opportunity position for many up and coming young assistant and associate ADs across the land. Also, May is well known and respected as the Davis campus’s first black Chancellor and the only one in the UC system. Yes. Expect diversity in this new hire.