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PROVO — BYU's national search for its next director of athletics ended in the same offices as Tom Holmoe, who will retire from the position this summer.
The Cougars promoted deputy athletic director Brian Santiago to succeed his longtime mentor and friend Tuesday, the man Holmoe called his "right-hand man, my wingman" since he stepped into the role March 1, 2005, to oversee the 21 intercollegiate sports fielded by the flagship university of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"We are excited to build on the forward momentum and legacy of Tom Holmoe, who is retiring, with the appointment of Brian Santiago as BYU's next director of athletics," BYU president Shane Reese said. "Brian has a track record of leadership and an ability to lead BYU athletics as we navigate the complex and rapidly evolving waters of college athletics. It's become clear to me throughout this search process that Brian will seek to strengthen BYU's academic and spiritual mission, and he understands how it blesses the lives of our student-athletes."
Holmoe leaves big shoes to fill after steering BYU through multiple conference shifts, including a decade as an FBS independent before joining the Big 12 in most sports two years ago. But for many, the next shoes sat on Holmoe's hearth for several years.
A 1988 graduate of Provo High and all-state basketball player for the 1987 state champion Bulldogs, Santiago played collegiately at Utah Valley and Fresno State, where he led the Western Athletic Conference in assists and 3-point shooting percentage before a three-year professional career with the Arecibo Capitanes of the Puerto Rican Superior League.
He was inducted into the Utah Valley hall of fame in 2002.
Santiago came to BYU in 1997 as an assistant coach on Steve Cleveland's staff with BYU men's basketball before moving into athletic administration four years later. After six years as an assistant and associate athletic director, he was promoted by Holmoe to senior associate athletic director in the fall of 2008 and as deputy AD in September 2017.
Since 2015, he's worked in tandem with BYU senior women's administrator Liz Darger and associate athletic director for development Chad Lewis to form a three-tiered leadership team under Holmoe governing BYU athletics and alumni relationships.
Brian Santiago loving how things are going right now for BYU, up 93-88 with 17.1 to go pic.twitter.com/k0TAqcVrYn
— Brandon Judd (@brandonljudd) March 13, 2025
In his current role, Santiago oversees 10 sports, including men's and women's basketball, men's and women's volleyball, baseball, softball, tennis and golf. He also supervises game management for football and basketball, and oversees the department's sports marketing, communications and sport camps.
He previously served on the NCAA men's volleyball committee for four years, including as committee chair in 2013.
But those who know Santiago recall a fiery competitor on the basketball court who translated his competitive spirit since receiving an MBA from BYU's Marriott School of Business in 2001.
He was instrumental in the hire of both BYU men's basketball coach Kevin Young and former women's basketball coach Amber Whiting, and developed strong relationships with prominent alumni donors for the basketball programs — most notably, Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth owner Ryan Smith and Jazz executive Danny Ainge.
He often sits courtside with Ainge when the former BYU star who guided the Cougars to the Elite Eight in 1981 attends games — which is regularly.
"Those who know him know that he truly makes magic happen," Smith said during a radio interview. "I know that there's a lot of programs in the country that would like to bring him as their AD. He knows a lot of those people. So, BYU will get the right answer; they always do.
"If you look at Brian and Tom, they've kind of done it together," he added. "Whether it's hiring Coach (Kevin) Young or Kalani (Sitake), they've done a really good job and a unique job. It's a very, very unique job. It's definitely complicated. And they've figured out a way to play to the strengths. I don't think people understand how well they both curated what is a growing and very large alumni base."
