These 3 things should be at the top of new Mizzou athletic director’s to-do list

Missouri Tigers fans were hit with a shockwave this week.

Desiree Reed-Francois, who had been Missouri’s athletic director since August 2021, accepted the same position at the University of Arizona on Monday.

Her departure leaves important shoes to fill in the quickly evolving landscape of college athletics.

As the search for Reed-Francois’ successor progresses, here are three challenges facing the Tigers’ next AD:

Missouri state laws on NIL

As college sports keeps evolving, so, too, are the rules.

For now, Missouri has arguably the most program-friendly name, image and likeness guidelines in America. That’ll probably change in coming years.

The next AD will need an extensive understanding of how NIL works, and where it’s heading.

The underlying belief within the MU athletic department is that more changes — potentially big ones — are coming to this still relatively new landscape of college sports.

Rebuilding Mizzou’s facilities

Reed-Francois leaves behind a string of positive decisions and projects in Columbia.

The biggest are the upcoming upgrades to Faurot Field and Memorial Stadium, buoyed by a $62 million anonymous donation to the program earlier this year.

Missouri’s next AD will lead the department through those renovations as well as future improvements to the school’s athletic facilities.

What will the new hire prioritize, and how will they continue to bring in money required to fund such upgrades?

Rebuilding (some of) Mizzou’s teams

Reed-Francois hired men’s basketball coach Dennis Gates, extended the contract of football coach Eli Drinkwitz and hired Dawn Sullivan, who was recognized as the SEC’s volleyball coach of the year last season.

But the new athletic director must figure out what to do with a few key coaching positions.

MU women’s basketball coach Robin Pingeton was handed the goal of making the NCAA Tournament this season. So far, her Tigers are 11-14, 2-10 in the SEC and winless since Jan. 18.

In Pingeton’s defense, Mizzou has suffered some injuries to key players down the stretch. But at this point, nothing short of a miraculous SEC Tournament run would get the Tigers into the Big Dance.

Also, that goal (demand?) — making the tourney — was established during Reed-Francois’ tenure. Would a new leader give Pingeton another season and evaluate the program along the way?

Or will they hit the reset button immediately and search for a new coach?

MU also needs a cross country coach. Brett Halter, the Tigers’ head track and field coach, is due to lead that program in the fall. It’s worth wondering if this will change under new leadership.

Missouri Athletics oversight committee

Reed-Francois oversaw an NCAA Tournament berth and a Cotton Bowl victory in the same calendar year.

But even that success was met with some pushback.

The UM System Board of Curators voted unanimously to create a “Mizzou Intercollegiate Athletics Special Committee.” The committee examines, among other things, the MU athletic department’s finances, progress of renovations and NIL arrangements.

In short, it’s an oversight board.

Reed-Francois may have lifted Missouri to the brink of a golden era, but it’s not hard to guess that her decision to leave was sparked at least in part by this development.

How will the existence of this special committee affect the hiring process for Mizzou’s next athletic director? And once this person is in place, how will the committee’s presence affect their ability to perform in the job effectively?

We should know soon enough.

The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.