Iowa State's Pollard Dashes Nebraska Talk

The ISU athletic director says the Huskers' job opening won't lure him from Ames.

Photo: Olivia Sun, Des Moines Register via Imagn Content Services

Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard has been on just about everyone's list as a possible successor to his retiring Nebraska counterpart, Bill Moos. But Pollard made it clear in an interview released Wednesday that he's not leaving Ames.

“Jamie Pollard is a Cyclone, and I’m going to continue to be a Cyclone," said on a Heartland College Sports podcast.

Pollard, 56, said it was a “huge compliment” to be mentioned in Nebraska circles as a desirable candidate, but he also alluded to the two programs' recent trajectories.

Seventeen years ago, people “didn't look at our two programs as being comparable,” he said. “I would argue right now that our program is ahead of their program.”

He did say, however, that Nebraska is “a great program. It has a great history. I have a lot of admiration for coach Osborne, both as a coach and when he was an A.D. in the Big 12, and my daughter goes to Nebraska.”

“I love the city of Lincoln,” he continued, “but I love working at Iowa State and I am not leaving Iowa State. I’m here. We’ve worked really hard for 17 years to get this program in this spot.”

Pollard made a home-run football hire in coach Matt Campbell in 2015, and he was the A.D. who brought Fred Hoiberg (aka "The Mayor" of Ames) aboard as men's basketball coach at ISU in 2010. Hoiberg is now entering his third season at Nebraska.

Earlier this year, Iowa State extended Pollard's contract through 2026.

Moos, 70, announced his retirement at Nebraska late last week while indicating that the decision wasn't entirely his own. A search for his successor is under way.