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Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Utah athletic director Mark Harlan is one of five nominees for the 2026 Athletic Director of the Year award from Sports Business Journal.
Harlan, who has been in charge of Utah athletics since 2018, is a finalist for the award alongside Indiana’s Scott Dolson, Texas Tech’s Kirby Hocutt, Vanderbilt’s Candice Storey Lee and Western Michigan’s Dan Bartholomae.
It’s been an eventful year for Utah and Harlan, headlined by the athletic department’s pending deal with private equity firm Otro Capital.
The landmark deal will spin Utah Athletics’ revenue side into a new entity, Utah Brand Initiatives, which will oversee revenue sources, including trademark licensing, event-related revenues, sponsorships, ticketing and more. The deal with Otro is expected to “generate as much or more than $500 million in capital,” per Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, in a first-of-its-kind deal in college sports.
This year, Harlan oversaw the opening of Utah’s new $36 million baseball stadium, Charlie Monfort Field at America First Ballpark, giving the Utes baseball program a state-of-the art on-campus home.
The athletic department also spearheaded record-setting donations in fiscal year 2025 with $63.3 million in gifts.
Utah tied a school record with a 95 percent Graduation Success Rate in 2025. Utah’s ski team won the 2026 national championship and its gymnastics team won the Big 12 championship. Football went 11-2, though the Utes missed the Big 12 title game.
Harlan also hired Alex Jensen to lead the men’s basketball program.
There’s still plenty of room for growth in the athletic department, however, starting with restoring the men’s basketball program.
The Runnin’ Utes went 10-22 in Jensen’s first year, including 2-16 in Big 12 Conference play, and missed the NCAA tournament for the tenth consecutive year.
