Josh Heird

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The University of Louisville will hire Josh Heird as its new athletics director, according to a report from Sports Illustrated writer Pat Forde, who cited sources close to the search in a Twitter post.

The hiring is likely to be made official at 8:30 a.m. Friday when the school has scheduled a news conference for a "special announcement" at the on-campus University Club.

A meeting of the University of Louisville Athletic Association is scheduled for 8 a.m. Friday to discuss the position. The ULAA will make a recommendation on the hiring to interim UofL president Dr. Lori Stewart Gonzalez. She will hire the person who will become the program's next AD.

Heird has the support of multiple U of L coaches. One head coach told WDRB: "He deserves the opportunity."

Heird has been the interim AD since Vince Tyra offered his resignation last December. In a short period, Heird has seen both the volleyball and women’s basketball programs reach the Final Four and has overseen the departure of men’s basketball coach Chris Mack and the hiring of former Cardinal Kenny Payne in his place.

The day Payne was hired, Louisville women's basketball coach Jeff Walz threw his support behind Heird as his permanent boss.

"I think Josh has done a remarkable job. I am a huge fan of Josh," Walz said. "I'm on the record as saying I'd love for him to be our permanent AD. I'm really impressed with how he's handled things. Obviously, the search here for the men's coach was pretty seamless. He kept that under wraps. ... Nothing is kept a secret in this city. For Josh to be able to do what he did shows his professionalism and his ability to lead. So, I am a huge fan and hope he gets this job full-time."

UofL retained College Sports Associates out of North Carolina as a search firm to help with the hire in May and reportedly interviewed several candidates, all sitting athletics directors.

A source close to former athletics director Tom Jurich said university representatives reached out to Jurich, who was the subject of a widespread lobbying effort by a number of well-connected supporters of the program. But Jurich did not end up interviewing for the position, according to the source.

Another source said the university has yet to settle on a date for a final vote but that it could come this week.

University spokesperson John Karman said on Wednesday evening, "No hire has been made. Dr. Gonzalez and the university have committed to a process. An announcement will be made at the conclusion of the process."

Since moving into the AD’s office on Dec. 13, Heird has done everything from throw out the first pitch to open the Louisville Bats’ season to navigating the change of medical services provider for athletics to enlisting a firm to help with securing a naming rights sponsor for Cardinal Stadium.

His graceful maneuvering with Mack, followed by his ability to close the deal with Payne, impressed many university leaders.

Still, support for Jurich was considerable, and he wasn’t the only potential candidate. Heird said he kept his eyes on the job, not on the search.

“I don't think it's blinders. Right?” he said to WDRB in an April 25 interview. “I think it's the way I would operate if I was doing this job permanently. And that's just . . . doing the job. And it's nothing more than that. And, you know, we're going to listen to people in the community. That's been something that I've said from the beginning, that I want to do, I will do, I have done. But on the flip side, we have to make sure that we take that input, and based on our experiences, when I say 'our' I mean, our staff, our coaches, our senior staff, and making the best decisions for the athletic department and the university, and that's what we're going to continue to do. I've said it from December 13. We're going to make the best decisions for this university and the athletic department and that's not going to change.”

Until now. It appears he’ll soon get the opportunity to do it on a permanent basis.

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