Potential Boston College Athletic Director Candidate Profile: Vaughn Williams

Who: Vaughn Williams is the Senior Associate Athletics Director for Administration at Boston College. Williams graduated from UMass (where he was a football player) in 1992 and was the Assistant Athletic Director for Operations and Facilities at BC from 1998-2004. Prior to returning to BC in 2017, Williams spent 6 years as the AD at Kennesaw State University. While at KSU, Williams oversaw rebranding efforts, added football and women’s lacrosse programs, and created the the Kennesaw State Athletics Association.

Why: Williams’ is a name that Boston College fans started throwing out as a potential replacement as soon as Martin Jarmond’s departure was announced. Williams is a familiar face around campus, and can frequently be found attending games for a variety of BC teams. While at KSU, Williams was the 2016-17 Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year, showing that he is respected and liked by his peers as well. His familiarity with Boston College and relationships with existing staff are also a plus in general, but also considering the fact that the next athletic director will likely have to hire a new men’s basketball coach, replace Jerry York (men’s hockey), and fight to keep top coaching talent like women’s basketball’s Joanna Bernabei-McNamee and volleyball’s Jason Kennedy. The fact that Williams left BC and ended up returning is also a big positive, as it is shows he is passionate about the school and believes that the athletic department can achieve bigger and better things.

Why Not: Boston College may want to bring in new blood to bring in somebody with new ideas that can bring new life into programs the way Jarmond did with volleyball, women’s basketball, and volleyball. BC likely is also interested in hiring someone from a big name school with big name football and/or basketball programs, as raising the profile of both of those teams is a must for the new AD.