Current position: Athletic director, Iowa State University

In lifting the Cyclones out of the doldrums, Pollard has drawn rave reviews for his work as the leader of the department. On top of his successful push to grow Iowa State’s athletic department — tripling its operating budget and investing heavily in facilities — he made one of the best coaching hires in major college football in Matt Campbell. He’s also been able to keep Campbell from being plucked by another program by negotiating lucrative contract extensions.

Iowa State men’s basketball has hit a skid the last four years, going 50-72 and making the NCAA tournament just once, which led to the firing of coach Steve Prohm this spring.

He’s won awards from national organizations like the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and is a member of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee.

Pollard was an associate AD at UW from 1998-2003 and the deputy AD from 2003-05 before taking the top spot in Ames. It may be difficult to lure him away from Iowa State, especially since he signed an extension through 2026 on Monday, but the Oshkosh native could be drawn to his home state.