KC Smurthwaite is a consultant for Athletics Admin, specializing in revenue generation, licensing, marketing, and higher education. He has almost two decades of experience in collegiate athletics and the sports and entertainment industry. Smurthwaite is a fractional employee of several athletic departments across the country. He also teaches sports management and journalism as an adjunct professor. Follow him on Twitter or connect on LinkedIn. Smurthwaite can also be reached at [email protected].
There’s a big seat to fill in Cedar City.
Just weeks after Southern Utah University pulled off one of its biggest administrative wins in recent memory — an announced return to the Big Sky Conference in 2026 — the school is now searching for the next leader of Thunderbird Athletics. However, there will be a long runway for an interim leader to help set the course for the future.
On the heels of Doug Knuth’s departure as athletic director in June, SUU tapped retired judge, university donor, and long-time supporter Tom Higbee as interim AD. Higbee is expected to serve at least six months, with an option to extend to a full year, giving SUU leadership time to make what figures to be one of the most important hires of President Mindy Benson’s tenure.
For Benson, this is her second hire of an athletic director. Knuth was the first major hire of her presidency, made in late 2022, and the two discussed shared visions for growing the department while maintaining a strong focus on student-athletes. But just 18 months later, the Thunderbirds are headed in a new direction. That hiring was done with the assistance of Glenn Sugiyama of DHR International. It is not expected that the ‘Birds use a search firm.
The T-Birds Are Back Where They Belong
The timing of the vacancy is especially notable given what Benson accomplished just days after the ousting of Knut: Southern Utah and Utah Tech were both formally invited to join the Big Sky Conference beginning in 2026–27. It’s a move many in the region — and longtime SUU fans — see as a homecoming after the school left the Big Sky for the WAC in 2022.
“This move sets a strong foundation for the future of SUU Athletics by expanding our visibility and creating meaningful opportunities for growth,” Benson said at the June announcement, adding that the return renews regional rivalries and reconnects SUU to institutions that align more naturally with its mission and geography.
Indeed, the Big Sky invitation reportedly wasn’t guaranteed to include both Utah schools, but Benson navigated the landscape beautifully and secured SUU’s spot, alongside Utah Tech. There were sources to HERO Sports even days leading up to the announcement saying it would only be Utah Tech, not both schools.
Knuth’s Tenure: A Short Run, Quiet Results
Knuth arrived in Cedar City with an impressive résumé. Before SUU, he served nine years as Nevada’s athletic director and had built a reputation as a strong revenue generator at UNR and at the University of Utah.
Hired on a three-year, $200,000 base contract (with up to $50,000 in incentives), Knuth inherited programs with recent momentum — particularly in football and men’s basketball — and extended contracts for many of the department’s key coaches, most of whom were hired by his predecessor, Debbie Corum.
We can check in with our friend over at Mirage of Wins to look at the success of the hires based on conference wins below.
The only head coaching hire during Knuth’s brief tenure was Rob Jeter, brought in from Western Illinois to replace Todd Simon in men’s basketball. Jeter’s program is still finding its footing, averaging 11 wins per year after Simon delivered back-to-back-to-back winning seasons before leaving for Bowling Green.
Football, however, has trended up under head coach DeLane Fitzgerald, who recently signed an extension through 2028 after nearly landing an FCS playoff berth last season. Women’s basketball under Tracy Mason (formerly Sanders) has struggled to recapture its 2023 WAC championship form, posting just eight and nine wins the past two seasons amid injuries.
Facilities saw modest improvements — practice and training areas got upgrades — but no major new projects materialized. Plans for a football facility and upgrades to soccer and softball remain in discussion. Meanwhile, the department faces financial pressures: SUU’s athletics budget of roughly $18.5 million sits below the FCS average of $21.5 million, and upcoming statewide budget cuts in Utah, combined with student fee reallocations, are expected to cost the department close to seven figures in operating budgets.
The Landscape: Strengths and Challenges
For all its challenges, Southern Utah remains a unique and attractive destination. Nestled among the red cliffs and fir trees of Cedar City — dubbed the “University of the Parks” thanks to its proximity to more than 20 national parks within five hours — SUU boasts a steady enrollment, a growing regional economy, and regionality to Las Vegas.
The Thunderbirds enjoy natural rivalries with Utah Valley, Weber State, and now Utah Tech, and the return to the Big Sky will enhance that visibility and competitive alignment.
But nearby St. George — home to Utah Tech — continues to grow faster, attract more state investment, and build a reputation as an up-and-coming athletics program with a higher ceiling. For the next athletic director, keeping pace with that growth while capitalizing on SUU’s established foundation will be key.
So What’s Next?
For now, the department rests in the hands of Higbee, who has deep local ties but no aspirations to take the job full-time. Benson and her search committee will begin the process of identifying candidates who can build on her vision of student-athlete-centered leadership and a department that can rally an alumni base that wants to return to the mid-2010s that saw multiple NCAA tournament teams and FCS playoff appearances.
Back in 2022, when she hired Knuth, Benson called him “a leader with a drive to grow Thunderbird Athletics while supporting student-athletes, coaches, and staff.”
Two years later, that mission remains the same — even if the person to carry it forward is still to be determined. Sources also indicate that there will be “more changes” coming to the administration of SUU under Higbee’s leadership.
But the biggest change is the move back to the Big Sky — a decision that was very unpopular among donors, season ticket holders, and even some coaches. At the time, the aspiration was to pursue Football Bowl Subdivision status through the Western Athletic Conference, a plan that ultimately did not materialize. Within months, several schools backed out or moved to other conferences before SUU even officially joined. The move initially resulted in lost revenue, but now it could start to pay dividends moving forward.
In 2022, alongside Knuth, the other finalists for the role were Myndee Kay Larsen, Deputy Commissioner of the Summit League and an SUU Hall of Famer, and Craig Angelos, former athletic director at Hawai’i and Florida Atlantic. Don’t be surprised if those two names are in the mix again.
As the Thunderbirds return to familiar conference skies, the search is on for the right pilot to steer the ‘Birds into the future.
