Michigan State’s athletic department is in the middle of another shakeup, and the case being made here is simple: the Spartans should stop looking around and bring back Mark Hollis.
The situation changed quickly over the past several weeks. Michigan State had been bracing to lose president Kevin Guskiewicz and athletic director J Batt, who had agreed to take jobs at Clemson University and the University of Kentucky, respectively.
Then Guskiewicz changed course and decided to return to MSU, while Batt is set to officially start at Kentucky in late July. That leaves the school searching for a new athletic director, and the argument being pushed is that there is only one real answer.
Hollis, who served as MSU’s athletic director from 2008 to 2018, built a strong résumé during his run in East Lansing. He was a key figure in projects like “The Basketbowl,” the Michigan State-Kentucky game at Ford Field, and he was also involved in the hiring of Mark Dantonio. In 2012, he was named Athletic Director of the Year at the Sports Business Awards, and in 2015 he was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators.
The appeal, according to the reporting here, goes beyond the resume. Hollis was described as fair, demanding, and accountable, but also approachable to fans and the people around him. Most importantly, he is presented as someone who genuinely loves Michigan State.
His exit from the university remains tied to the Larry Nassar scandal, even though the article stresses that Hollis had nothing to do with Nassar and did not know him. Once the details of Nassar’s actions became public, Hollis was pulled into the fallout anyway.
His family was attacked, and he eventually felt forced to choose between the job and the people closest to him. He went to the MSU Board of Trustees and asked them to issue a statement making clear he had no involvement, but they refused.
After that, he resigned.
Longtime Michigan State beat reporter and Spartan Nation founder Hondo S. Carpenter Sr. pushed back hard on criticism of Hollis over the Nassar issue.
“A lot of the critics of Mark Hollis bring up Larry Nassar. The disgusting, vile human being, Larry Nassar,” Carpenter said.
“And they say, 'Well, he got booted because of the Larry Nassar situation.' And let me tell you, you don't know what you're talking about.”
Carpenter also made clear where he stands on the Board of Trustees. “I don't have any faith in the Board of Trustees,” Carpenter said.
“The Board's job is to advise and consent to the president...,” he later added. “…I'm telling you right now, their job is to advise and to consent. I think Michigan State needs to make their constitution extremely clear.”
The broader pitch for Hollis is that he fits what modern college athletics demands. He was run as a business-minded leader, raised money at a high level, stayed connected with coaches, and pushed for excellence. Carpenter was even more direct about his view of Hollis’ standing.
“Mark Hollis was the best athletic director in America,” Carpenter later said. “Award-winner, thinker, businessman, thought outside the box.”
He also said, “Mark Hollis is not just a great family man and a great businessman and a great Spartan. Mark Hollis is a genius.”
Carpenter called Hollis “still in his prime, still connected” and said, “This is a no-brainer.” He went even further, saying, “Every single day that Mark Hollis is not hired, this is an act of futility and malfeasance.
There is no other candidate. I don't care if they went and hired Jesus Christ himself; there is not one candidate better suited for this job.”
The urgency in the argument comes from Tom Izzo’s place in Michigan State history. Carpenter said the university needs Hollis back before Izzo is gone. “If we do not have a Mark Hollis in place when Tom [Izzo] goes, I believe Michigan State is going to go through an abyss, because Tom Izzo is that big of a force,” Carpenter said.
That leaves the Board of Trustees with the responsibility, in this telling, to act quickly and make the move. The conclusion is blunt: Michigan State should not just consider Hollis. It should hire him right now.
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