Sources: CFP eyes Air Force's Richard M. Clark to be boss
Air Force Academy superintendent Richard M. Clark has emerged as the top target to become the next College Football Playoff executive director, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Clark is a former star linebacker at Air Force who went on to a distinguished career in the military that saw him rise to the level of lieutenant general.
Sources told ESPN that he impressed the College Football Playoff brass with his deep history of leadership, as he is described as having a strong history as a "leader of leaders." He emerged from a pool of three finalists who interviewed in person this week.
Yahoo first reported the CFP's interest in hiring Clark.
Clark's assignments prior to taking over as the superintendent at the Air Force included commanding bases around the country, working as a White House fellow and working as a senior defense official in Egypt. His assignment prior to taking over at Air Force was deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration at the Pentagon.
He would take over for Bill Hancock, who announced his retirement after this current cycle of CFP bowls. Clark would take over the sport's postseason at a crossroads; the College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams starting in the 2024 season.
There are just two years remaining on the current CFP television contract. The contractual logistics of the final years remaining on the current deal -- for the 2024 and 2025 seasons -- are in flux.
Ultimately, the biggest challenge of Clark's tenure would be the next full CFP contract, which is expected to be a multibillion-dollar deal and projects to be split up among multiple media partners.
Structuring that deal will go a long way to shaping the future of the sport.
Clark also has strong relationships in Washington, D.C., which would loom large if the CFP role expands from the largely procedural role of Hancock.
Popular Reads
ABC News Live