Blake James Officially Named BC's New AD
Boston College has found its new athletic director: Blake James. Less than 24 hours after ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that BC was targeting the former Miami AD, BC announced the hiring of James Wednesday morning.
"Blake brings extensive experience, understands the issues facing intercollegiate athletics today and is committed to BC's mission," said BC President William P. Leahy, S.J. in a BC Athletics statement. "I look forward to welcoming him to Boston College."
James will replace Pat Kraft, who left for Penn State's AD position in April. Senior Associate Athletics Director JM Caparro has served as the interim AD since.
"It is truly an honor to join the Boston College family as the William V. Campbell Director of Athletics," James said in the statement. “I am grateful to Fr. Leahy for the opportunity to lead the Eagles and for his confidence in me and in our shared vision for BC Athletics.
"We will strive for excellence in all of our pursuits in alignment with our Jesuit values. We will compete for championships with integrity, with incredible young men and women, and talented and compassionate coaches and staff supporting their journeys."
James was at Miami for 10 years—eight of which he was the Hurricanes' AD—before being fired last November. He was the first Miami AD to ever be terminated. His dismissal headlined a department reset that also saw head football coach Manny Diaz get canned.
BC was left with its third AD vacancy in six years when Kraft turned to State College after just two years in Chestnut Hill.
Third-year BC football head coach Jeff Hafley is set to work with his third AD since being hired in 2019.
Thamel reported that Kraft's buyout was $2.85 million, and that BC also "received a significant buyout" following former AD Martin Jarmond's departure for UCLA. Additionally, Thamel's ESPN story included that AD candidates for BC's opening were informed of a hefty buyout that would come with the job—setting the expectation for continuity after both Kraft and Jarmond stayed for three or fewer years.
The Athletic's Matt Fortuna reported that the other finalists for the position at BC were Army AD Mike Buddie, La Salle AD Brian Baptiste and Florida executive associate AD Lynda Tealer.
Before James started his tenure at Miami, he was the AD at Maine from 2005-10, where he established Northeast ties and began fostering his fundraising chops. At Miami, he had his ups and downs. He helped the school navigate the fallout of the scandal surrounding Nevin Shapiro—a former Miami booster and convicted felon that orchestrated a $930 million Ponzi scheme—thanks to self-imposed sanctions and in-case cooperation that allowed Miami to avoid harsh NCAA penalties.
During James' eight years as Miami's AD, the 'Canes accounted for five individual NCAA championships, six ACC team titles and 71 individual ACC championships. Not only that, but spring 2021 went down as the 15th consecutive semester that student-athletes at Miami averaged at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
James' stay also featured the construction of the $40 million Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility—mainly for football—the Jimmy and Kim Klotz Baseball Player Development Center and the Schwartz Center for Athletic Excellence.
Additionally, he struck a lucrative, 12-year apparel deal with Adidas in 2015 that moved the Hurricanes away from Nike for the first time in more than a quarter century. And James increased ticket sales for Miami's football and basketball programs.
Things really started to go downhill, however, with the hiring of Diaz, then Miami's defensive coordinator, as the program's next head football coach. James made the decision without a real coaching search—and after Diaz had already accepted the head coaching gig at Temple. Diaz failed to live up to expectations in his three years with the Hurricanes, posting a 21-15 record.
This past season, Miami came into the year ranked inside the AP Top 15 but stumbled out to a 2-4 start. Despite the 5-1 finish and rise of quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, Diaz couldn't save his job.
Since, Miami has committed to a rebrand with an athletic department initiative that has seen increased budgets and splash hires, including Clemson AD Dan Radakovich and Oregon head football coach Mario Cristobal.
James, on the other hand, is looking to bounce back with another ACC school in a familiar part of the country. Even before he was the AD at Maine, he worked in athletic development at Providence.
James' NCAA and ACC experience should come in handy. He's served on the NCAA Board of Directors (2017-19), NCAA Board of Governors (2017-19) and NCAA Football Oversight Committee (2015-17), not to mention that he was chair of the NCAA Division I council, which makes day-to-day decisions for DI athletics. At the ACC level, James was on the Football Committee, the NIL Committee and the Finance and Audit Committee.
"Having lived in New England for eight years, our family is thrilled to return to the region and to immerse ourselves into the Boston College community," James said. "My wife, Kelly, and I cannot wait to come to Chestnut Hill in the coming weeks, and we look forward to our children—Haley and Ryan—visiting us often while pursuing their careers and education.
"We are humbled by the opportunity and look forward to serving Boston College for many years to come."