BYU Athletics pushes back on rumors Brian Santiago is no longer AD
Aug 10, 2026, 6:51 PM | Updated: 7:06 pm
PROVO – The rumor mill was running wild for BYU fans over the weekend.
It’s not uncommon for the popular BYU fan message board, CougarBoard, to be buzzing with speculation and gossip about BYU sports. However, the rumors this time led a BYU spokesperson to go on the board and put the speculation to rest.
That’s a new one for a website that has been around for a quarter-century.
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BYU athletics goes to CougarBoard to shoot down rumors surrounding Brian Santiago
The speculation surrounding the job status of BYU athletics director Brian Santiago. Rumors were swirling that Santiago was going to be “fired.” Even some BYU fans turned to X (formerly Twitter) and jumped in on the speculation.
That led to BYU Associate Athletic Director of Communications & Media Strategy Jon McBride firing up a post on CougarBoard titled, “Lots of swirling around here today.”
The username is “BYU Athletics Official,” created on February 4, 2026, but it was the first-ever post on CougarBoard from that account.
McBride went on to write the following in the post:
I just want to officially confirm that Brian Santiago’s employment status with the university has not changed. He is still the AD.
I was on the sidelines with him, President Reese and Vice President Vorkink tonight for the BYU soccer game.
Lots of great things happening in BYU Athletics right now. Get ready for an incredible season. It’s a great time to be a Cougar fan.
Go Cougs!
BYU Athletics confirmed the post was from the Communications team
KSL Sports reached out to McBride directly to confirm whether he published the post. He confirmed that he did publish the post on CougarBoard.
KSL Sports asked what specifically prompted the decision to address the rumors on a fan message board rather than through a traditional media channel or official university statement. Also, if there was anything else BYU Athletics would like to say about Santiago’s status or the nature of the rumors themselves.
BYU Athletics had no further comment other than confirming that they published the post on CougarBoard.
BYU Senior Associate Athletic Director of Creative Strategy Tyson Hutchins went to X to reply to Extra Points Publisher Matt Brown as to why BYU’s official communications team went to CougarBoard to dispel rumors surrounding Santiago.
“The reasoning is pretty simple… As communication channels become increasingly fragmented, we want the ability to meet fans where they are,” Hutchins wrote on X.
“We already do that by engaging on social platforms, email, YouTube, etc. It’s a no-brainer to have an official account where a number of our biggest fans hang out, discuss, etc.”
Santiago was in attendance at BYU football’s fall camp practice on Monday, August 10, at the Student Athlete Building. He was on the sideline sporting a navy blue bucket hat during the media observation of practice.
Santiago was hired as BYU’s athletic director in May 2025. During his first year as BYU’s athletic director, BYU finished No. 25 as an athletic department in the Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings—the highest-ranked athletic department in the Big 12.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
