Wisconsin is in the middle of hiring a new athletic director, and one name has recently been leaked as “a finalist” for the position. That’s Arizona’s relatively new athletic director, Desiree Reed-Francois. According to Jason Scheer, she’s also interviewing at two to three other positions. It’s the first name that has popped up (from a legitimate source) for Wisconsin’s open position, and there’s a lot of intrigue to Reed-Francois.
Arizona Athletic Director Desiree Reed-Francois is considered a finalist for the Wisconsin AD job. She is involved with 2-3 others currently.
— Jason Scheer (@jasonscheer) June 19, 2026
Wisconsin’s search for a new athletic director came as a bit of a surprise when former athletic director Chris McIntosh took a new position with the Big Ten. He’s an alumnus and former football player and bleeds Badger red. He’s not someone who seemed like he would ever leave unless forced to, but the ever-changing nature of his job and the push to increase revenue via fundraising may have caused his early exit. It seems as if he is better served in an administrative role that doesn’t need boots on the ground to succeed.
This pushed Wisconsin into a search, and yet at a poor time. The school is already looking for a chancellor and doesn’t seem to be in a particular rush to fill that spot. Which means this athletic director position is going to be filled in the wrong order. The athletic director position is due to be filled before summer is over, but presumably soon. The chancellor will be months away (supposedly)…