TCU chancellor listed as a candidate to become Big 12 commissioner. Is he interested?
The search for the next Big 12 commissioner is underway and potential candidate names are being thrown out seemingly by the minute.
One name that has been floated out there is TCU chancellor Victor Boschini. In a story posted on The Athletic on Tuesday night, Boschini has been reportedly mentioned by multiple unnamed sources as an “out-of-the-box internal candidate.” Boschini recently served as the chair of the Big 12 board.
But it doesn’t sound like Boschini has much interest in leaving his current post.
In an email to the Star-Telegram on the report of him being a possible candidate, Boschini said: “I already have the best job in the world leading TCU; why would I want another job?”
Boschini, 66, has been in his job since 2003, coming to TCU from Illinois State. His background has been in academia rather than athletics. But the Big 12 is expected to cast a wide net in its search for the next commissioner.
One source believes the Big 12 must find a commissioner who has experience and expertise in the TV/ media marketplace. The league’s TV contract with ESPN and Fox Sports runs through 2024-25. Negotiating the next TV deal is among the top priorities the new commissioner faces as the Big 12 is set to enter a new era with flagships Texas and Oklahoma bolting for the SEC and the league bringing in Houston, Cincinnati, BYU and Central Florida in the coming years.
Other university officials listed as possible commissioner candidates in the 24 hours since Bowlsby announced his plans to step down include Baylor president Linda Livingstone, Washington State president Kirk Schulz (who held the same position at Kansas State) and Clemson president Jim Clements (who was West Virginia’s president when it moved to the Big 12 in 2012).
The Big 12 has said it’ll hire a search firm to help in the process of identifying Bowlsby’s successor. Big 12 chair and Texas Tech president Lawrence Schovanec has told various outlets that he’d like to have the next commissioner in place within 90 days.
This story was originally published April 6, 2022 at 11:18 AM.
