COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina is set to hire Jeremiah Donati as its new athletics director, according to multiple media reports.
ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel, along with the Associated Press and several other news outlets, cited sources who said the Gamecocks had zeroed in on Donati to lead their sports department. Donati is currently the athletics director at TCU in Texas.
The university has not confirmed the hire, but the school sent out an agenda for a 3 p.m. Thursday meeting of the USC Board of Trustees, which would have to approve the decision. The sole agenda item for the meeting states, "approval of athletics director." They've also scheduled a news conference that will take place shortly after that meeting concludes.
The new person will take over for longtime USC Athletics Director Ray Tanner, who announced in September that he would be leaving his role. Once the new person is on the job, Tanner will become athletics director emeritus and a senior advisor to the school president. Tanner was originally contracted to be the school's athletics director until 2026. Before become AD, he had been the head baseball coach, leading the team to two national championships.
Donati's bio from TCU said he's made $500 million in donor-supported facility upgrades since he got hired by the school in 2017. The Horned Frogs have won eight team national championships and 11 Big 12 Conference titles in his tenure. In 2022, the football team made the national championship game before losing to Georgia. He's also spearheaded numerous major fundraising initiatives in his tenure.