Once Tom Holmoe announced he'd be stepping down from his role as athletic director for Brigham Young University, the hunt for his successor was announced to be a national search.
It turns out the answer was in BYU's quiver all along, as they announced the promotion of deputy director Brian Santiago as the next leader of the athletic department. A national search and the answer was under their nose the entire time.
Santiago started his time within the athletic department in 1997 as a member of the men's basketball coaching staff. An administrator in 2001 soon became a senior associate athletic director in 2008 and became deputy athletic director under Holmoe nearly a decade later in 2017.
During Santiago's time in the department, BYU athletics have been highly successful accross the board. Exceptional in volleyball, track and field, cross country, rugby, soccer, and -- especially recently -- football and men's basketball. He's overseen 10 sports during his time with the University, and few understand the inside of the athletic department better than he.
Holmoe's departure from the program marks a major shift from a prosperous era for the school's athletic programs. Navigating a few challenging rounds of conference realignment, BYU has found a home in a power 4 league, the Big 12, in a collegiate landscape in which power changes hands constantly.
In recent years, with the NCAA policy change allowing for players to profit off their name, image, and likeness while competing as a student-athlete, BYU has fully embraced the shift and used their resources to their advantage. Hiring exceptional coaches and drawing top talent onto their campus, the university is in a more powerful position than ever in the NCAA world.
With Santiago now at the helm, the best he can do is stay the course and maintain the momentum that Holmoe provided to the department.