The Bryan Maggard era at Louisiana is officially over.

After nearly a decade in Lafayette, Maggard accepted a position as Deputy Athletics Director and Chief Operating Officer at Missouri. Louisiana has named Trey Frazier as interim athletic director while preparing to conduct a national search for the next person to lead the department.

And make no mistake about it: this is a big one.

Louisiana isn’t simply searching for someone who can hire coaches, sit courtside and shake hands in the luxury suites. College athletics has changed dramatically. The next athletic director will be asked to raise money, manage revenue sharing, navigate NIL, improve attendance, repair relationships, connect with local businesses and somehow keep Louisiana competitive without having an SEC-sized pile of money sitting in the backyard.

No pressure.

Naturally, Cajuns fans have already begun tossing around names. Some are obvious. Some are intriguing. Some may be unrealistic. And at least one may need to pass a short course on university branding before being allowed to enter the interview room.

Here are a few names Louisiana could... or perhaps should... consider.

Nico Yantko

Let’s start with the obvious favorite.

Nico Yantko spent five years at Louisiana as Deputy Athletic Director and was heavily involved in some of the most successful years the department has ever experienced. He led external operations and revenue-generating areas, helped secure the $15 million naming-rights agreement for Cajun Field, more than doubled football ticket revenue and played a major role in the hiring of Billy Napier.

In other words, he knows the building. He knows the donors. He knows Lafayette. He knows the strengths of the department, and he probably knows where a few of the bodies are buried too.

Since leaving Louisiana, Yantko has become the Vice President and Director of Athletics at Murray State. His time there has included record fundraising, major facility plans, conference championships and a College World Series appearance in baseball. Murray State recently announced $31 million in philanthropic commitments for 2025-26, and Yantko has been positioning the department to handle revenue sharing and the rapidly changing structure of college athletics.

He checks nearly every box Louisiana should have.

Fundraising? Absolutely. Familiarity with the program? Obviously. Understanding Louisiana’s market and culture? Yes. Experience creating new revenue? That may be his biggest strength.

The problem is getting him.

Murray State is his alma mater, he played quarterback there, earned two degrees there and now lives in Murray with his family. Murray State is clearly home to him.

He also signed a contract extension through 2030. Louisiana would likely have to put together a serious financial package and convince him to leave a university that has fully invested in his vision.

Would he listen? You would certainly hope so.

Would Louisiana be willing, or able, to match his current situation? That may be the biggest question of the entire search.

Still, he should be the first phone call.

Heath Schroyer

Heath Schroyer may be the most fascinating name on the list.

Schroyer recently left McNeese to become LSU’s Senior Deputy Athletic Director and Executive Director of External Relations for the LSU System. He oversees external and legislative relations while also providing executive oversight for men’s basketball.

What he accomplished at McNeese deserves attention.

During his tenure, the Cowboys won 19 conference championships, reached three consecutive NCAA men’s basketball tournaments and collected the first NCAA Tournament victory in program history. Schroyer also raised more than $47 million for facility projects, increased the department’s operating budget and secured major naming-rights agreements.

Whether you loved every move or not, the man created energy.

McNeese became relevant again. People were talking about the Cowboys. Games became events. Corporate partners got involved. The basketball program went from an afterthought to one of the biggest stories in the state.

That type of aggressive leadership could be attractive for Louisiana, especially at a time when the department needs to reconnect with fans and businesses.

Schroyer also understands Louisiana politics and the state’s athletic landscape. He has served on the Louisiana NIL Task Force and has experience dealing with conference officials, legislators, donors, sponsors and television partners.

The downside is timing.

He just accepted the LSU position in March 2026. Would he leave only a few months later? Would Louisiana be enough of an opportunity to pull him away from the resources and connections available at LSU?

There is also the question of scale. McNeese’s turnaround was impressive, but running an FBS department with Louisiana’s expectations, financial commitments and facility needs is a different challenge.

Still, if Louisiana wants someone bold, aggressive and unafraid to make noise, Schroyer deserves a call.

Ben Broussard

Ben Broussard might be the name that makes the most sense when you look at what Louisiana needs right now.

Broussard is currently Deputy Athletic Director and Executive Director of the Wolfpack Club at NC State. The Wolfpack Club is the fundraising organization supporting NC State Athletics, and Broussard oversees its philanthropic strategy across 22 varsity sports.

His résumé is built around raising money.

Before NC State, Broussard held major fundraising positions at Colorado and LSU. During his time with the Tiger Athletic Foundation, he helped lead philanthropic efforts exceeding $250 million. At Colorado, he helped close three of the five largest gifts in school history. At NC State, he has expanded donor engagement and launched campaigns that have generated millions in discretionary support.

There is also a major local connection.

Broussard was born in Lafayette, graduated from Acadiana High and later earned two degrees from LSU. He also served in the United States Marine Corps.

Louisiana has repeatedly talked about needing greater business involvement, stronger fundraising and a wider donor base. Broussard has spent most of his career doing exactly that at schools with much larger operations.

He could walk into meetings with local business leaders and understand the culture immediately. He knows Lafayette, understands Louisiana and has spent years learning how major athletic departments generate money.

The concern is that he has never been the full-time athletic director responsible for an entire department.

He has operated at a very high level and currently carries a Deputy AD title, but becoming the person who makes every final decision is still a step up. Louisiana would be asking a first-time athletic director to take over during one of the most turbulent periods in college sports.

There may also be a compensation issue. He currently works in a Power Four environment with significant resources. Louisiana would have to sell him on coming home and building something, not simply matching what NC State can provide.

But considering Louisiana’s financial challenges, Broussard should be very high on the list.

Tommy McClelland

Now this would be a character arc.

For years, Ragin Review made a living playing that Tommy McClelland video. Sometimes repeatedly. Sometimes unnecessarily. Sometimes because we simply had nothing better to do.

Okay, most of the time because we had nothing better to do.

McClelland was once viewed almost entirely through the Louisiana Tech rivalry lens. But after joining us for an interview and having an honest conversation, he became a friend of the show. We would absolutely welcome his consideration for the position.

And jokes aside, his résumé is legitimate.

McClelland is currently the Vice President and Director of Athletics at Rice. Before Rice, he worked as Deputy Athletic Director at Vanderbilt, where he helped oversee the $300 million Vandy United fundraising and facilities campaign. Before that, he spent seven years as athletic director at Louisiana Tech and previously became one of the youngest Division I athletic directors in the country when McNeese hired him at age 26.

He is also a Louisiana native from Basile and a Northwestern State graduate.

McClelland knows the state. He understands the challenges of running a Group of Five program. He has experience with fundraising, facilities, conference transitions, corporate partnerships and football operations.

At Louisiana Tech, his tenure included record private giving, major facility projects and strong results across several sports. The football program won six consecutive bowl games, while basketball, baseball, softball and other programs reached postseason competition.

There wouldn’t be much of a learning curve.

The downside is whether either side would seriously pursue it.

McClelland has a strong position at Rice and has been there since 2023. Rice has considerable institutional resources, access to the Houston market and membership in the American Athletic Conference. Louisiana might have to offer more than money to get his attention.

There would also be some Cajuns fans who struggle to move beyond the Louisiana Tech history.

But let’s be honest: watching Tommy McClelland walk into Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium as Louisiana’s athletic director after all those years of replaying that video would be one of the greatest plot twists in Ragin Review history.

We may have to ceremonially retire the clip.

Maybe.

Chasse Conque

Chasse Conque may be the best candidate on this list whom Louisiana has almost no chance of landing.

Conque is the Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics at UTRGV. Before that, he served as athletic director at Little Rock, giving him direct experience in the Sun Belt Conference.

What he has done at UTRGV is impressive.

Conque helped launch the university’s football program, guided the department’s move to the Southland Conference and has overseen approximately $180 million in athletic facility improvements. UTRGV also generated more than $38 million in external revenue during his first six-and-a-half years, nearly tripled its athletic budget and dramatically increased attendance.

UTRGV’s inaugural football season was a major success, with the Vaqueros finishing 9-3, selling out all seven home games and ranking among the FCS attendance leaders. Conque was named a 2025-26 NACDA Athletics Director of the Year.

That résumé sounds a lot like what Louisiana needs: fundraising, facilities, attendance growth, community engagement and a clear vision.

The problem is that Conque appears to have nearly everything he could want at UTRGV.

He was promoted to senior vice president and received a contract extension through 2031. The university has invested heavily in his plans, and he is in the middle of building a football program from scratch.

Leaving now would mean walking away from a project that has become closely connected to his name.

He may be a long shot, but he is the type of candidate Louisiana should at least make say no.

Kevin Bostian

Kevin Bostian has served as Northwestern State’s athletic director since 2022.

His background is heavily focused on fundraising, marketing and external operations. Before Northwestern State, he worked at UNC Greensboro, NC State, Georgia Southern, Tennessee Tech, East Tennessee State and South Alabama. He has repeatedly increased donations and corporate revenue throughout his career.

At Northwestern State, Bostian has overseen improvements across much of the school’s athletic footprint, including new turf, lighting, video boards, track upgrades and a new performance center. Northwestern State also recorded its first top-five finish in the Southland Commissioner’s Cup since 2014-15 during his first full year.

He understands what it means to operate with limited resources, which should never be dismissed. Anyone can raise money when donors are already lined up around the block. It takes a different skill set to create momentum at a place where every gift matters.

Bostian also has experience at Georgia Southern, so he has some familiarity with a Sun Belt athletic operation.

The concern would be the jump in scale.

Northwestern State operates at the FCS level with a smaller budget, smaller staff and different expectations. Moving directly into the Louisiana job would be a major step.

Bostian may not be the splashiest name, but his fundraising background and experience building with limited resources make him worthy of consideration.

JT Terrell

Jonathan “JT” Terrell has served as Nicholls’ athletic director since 2020 and was later elevated to Vice President of Collegiate Athletics.

Terrell is a Nicholls graduate, former football player and former coach. Before moving into athletic administration, he spent years in corporate sales and management, where he earned national recognition for his performance.

That corporate background is interesting for Louisiana.

The next athletic director needs to be comfortable walking into boardrooms, selling a vision and convincing businesses that supporting Louisiana Athletics is an investment rather than a donation.

Nicholls has experienced success under Terrell, including a Southland football championship and playoff berth, back-to-back NCAA baseball regional appearances and facility projects supported by private gifts and naming-rights agreements.

He is also a Louisiana native with deep connections throughout the southern part of the state.

Like Bostian, the biggest question is scale.

Terrell’s experience has largely been centered around Nicholls, and the Louisiana position would bring a larger budget, an FBS football program, greater public scrutiny and more complicated financial demands.

Still, his combination of sales experience, Louisiana roots and community involvement makes him an intriguing candidate.

Jay Artigues

And finally, we arrive at Southeastern Louisiana Athletic Director Jay Artigues.

Artigues has led Southeastern’s athletic department since 2013 after previously spending eight seasons as the school’s baseball coach. His tenure has included conference championships, NCAA postseason appearances and facility upgrades across several sports.

He has been an athletic director for more than a decade. He knows Louisiana. He has hired successful coaches. He has experience managing an entire department.

So yes, he can be considered a candidate.

There is just one condition.

Before the interview, Artigues must successfully complete a three-hour course explaining Louisiana’s athletic branding.

The course syllabus will include:

“Louisiana” is the athletic brand.

“UL” is acceptable in casual conversation.

“ULL” is not.

“Lafayette” is a city, not the name appearing on the front of the jersey.

There will be a written exam, an oral exam and a practical portion where he must correctly identify Louisiana on an ESPN scoreboard graphic.

A score of 90 percent or higher will be required before the interview can proceed.

We have standards.

What Should Louisiana Be Looking For?

There will undoubtedly be candidates beyond this list. There may be sitting athletic directors, Power Four deputy athletic directors or internal administrators whose names have not surfaced publicly.

But Louisiana’s priorities should be clear.

The next athletic director must be a fundraiser. That person must be comfortable with local businesses, major donors and regular fans. Louisiana needs someone willing to leave the office, visit communities around Acadiana and explain why people should invest their time and money in the program.

The next athletic director also needs to understand branding, marketing and attendance. The Cajuns cannot afford to wait for winning alone to fill the stadium. The department must actively sell the experience and reconnect with people who have drifted away.

Most importantly, Louisiana needs someone with a plan.

Not a collection of slogans. Not another committee. Not a five-year vision that sits in a binder on a shelf.

A real plan.

Nico Yantko may be the obvious favorite, but landing him will not be easy. Ben Broussard offers fundraising expertise and strong Lafayette ties. Heath Schroyer brings energy and a proven ability to create momentum. Tommy McClelland offers extensive experience and perhaps the funniest redemption story imaginable.

Conque, Bostian and Terrell should not be ignored either.

This is one of the most important hires Louisiana Athletics has made in a long time. The department needs someone who understands its potential, but also understands that potential alone doesn’t pay the bills.

Now Louisiana must find the person capable of turning that potential into progress.