Bronco Mendenhall Praises Utah State Director Of Athletics Hire
Sep 24, 2025, 8:39 AM | Updated: 1:00 pm
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 23: Head coach Bronco Mendenhall of the Virginia Cavaliers waits in the tunnel as his team leaves the field after a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Scott Stadium on October 23, 2021 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
LOGAN, Utah – First-year Utah State football head coach Bronco Mendenhall had great things to say about Cameron Walker, the next Vice President & Director of Athletics in Logan.
Mendenhall’s decades of collegiate athletics experience and his unique perspective on the state of Utah made him a vital voice in the search for a new AD after Diana Sabau left the program for Maryland in early July.
“I was consulted and the process was pretty extensive,” Mendenhall said of his role in the selection process. “President Smith had had a chance to visit with each candidate. There was a search firm. There also was a search committee… There were a number of coaches that were on a separate panel. And then, independent of all that, I had a chance to visit with the finalists in person. So yeah, I’m really excited.”
Join us Wednesday, Sept. 24 as we welcome Cameron Walker as the next Utah State Vice President and Director of Athletics!
➡️ Wednesday | 1:00 PM MT
➡️ West Stadium Center | 3rd Floor#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/vpZdYSXHAm— Utah State Athletics (@USUAthletics) September 23, 2025
“I love the strategic thinking. I love the critical thinking. I love the law degree,” Mendenhall began when asked about Walker’s background. “I love the development background. I love the various positions that he’s held. I love the depth and breadth that he’s been exposed to in college athletics. I love the transitional nature of where Utah Valley was when he took over, and what that looked like. Central Florida, similar with their transitions and the experience of an SEC program, and all the success that Tennessee has had.”
Mendenhall believes that Walker is the right choice at the right time as Utah State prepares to jump from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 in 2026.
Quick reaction on Utah State naming Cameron Walker as their new Athletic Director. @kslsports pic.twitter.com/NIBhOiwrmO
— Scott Garrard (@ScottyGZone) September 22, 2025
“I was just really excited and thrilled as I got to meet him, learn of his background,” Mendenhall finished. “If you consider his preparation and the current space that Utah State is in, I’m not sure there could be a better match.”
Utah State Athletics settles on Cameron Walker as next AD
It was a whirlwind process, but the Utah State Aggies have their man after a search process that took less than three months since Sabau’s resignation.
Utah State will officially introduce Vice President and Director of Athletics Cameron Walker at a press conference on Wednesday, September 24.
“Cameron is a highly regarded athletic administrator who knows what it takes to foster department-wide success in the new era of intercollegiate athletics,” said Utah State University Interim President Alan L. Smith. “His breadth and depth of experience, local ties, and legal background make him the perfect individual to lead us into the reimagined Pac-12 and to write the next chapter for USU Athletics.”
𝐀 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐞 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 📈
Cameron Walker has been named the next Utah State University Vice President and Director of Athletics.
➡️ https://t.co/1qiDvO6t8q pic.twitter.com/Nel7tLyA4V
— Utah State Athletics (@USUAthletics) September 21, 2025
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to University of Tennessee Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Danny White, UT Chancellor Donde Plowman, and the Tennessee coaches and staff for their trust and support over the past few years,” Walker said. “I am also deeply appreciative of Utah State University Interim President Alan Smith and the committee for their thoughtful consideration and dedication throughout this process.”
He began his college athletics career at Utah Valley University, where he served as the Title IX deputy coordinator, student affairs senator for the Professional Association of Campus Employees, among other positions.
Walker was hired as a senior associate athletics director at the University of Central Florida in 2018. He was later promoted to executive athletics director before leaving for Tennessee.
Walker and his wife, Heather, have one daughter, Aleksandra, and three sons: Hudson, McCann, and Jackson.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
