BYU uses message board to confirm Brian Santiago is still Cougars’ athletic director

PROVO — BYU Athletics picked a unique way to respond to message board and internet rumors about the athletic department late Saturday night.

The Cougars went straight to them.

BYU addressed “lots of rumors swirling around here today” with a post on the popular BYU message board CougarBoard at 10:29 p.m. MT Saturday. In the post, BYU spokesperson and associate athletic director for communications and media strategy Jon McBride wrote that he “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,” the post continued. “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.”

The Cougars kicked off the 2026-27 athletic year with a women’s soccer exhibition game against Idaho State, which BYU won 5-1 Saturday night. It was the first on-campus intercollegiate athletic competition of the year, which would certainly draw Santiago, BYU president Shane Reese and advancement vice president Keith Vorkink, who oversees athletics, BYU broadcasting, university communicaations, alumni and external relations, and philanthropies, according to his bio.

BYU officials, including McBride, confirmed the authenticity of the post, which came from an account called “BYU Athletics Official” set up Feb. 4, 2026. Saturday’s post was its first — and only, as of Sunday afternoon — post on the message board.

But there was plenty of incredulity related to the notion, which caught the attention of several national media and the popular social media outlet Message Board Geniuses that highlights “the best message board posts” from around college sports.

Just an FYI, #BYU’s athletics director is still employed. Just so you know. pic.twitter.com/7ecHVfkwqV

— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) August 9, 2026

Is Brian Santiago’s job at BYU in peril?

McBride did not confirm the rumor, but the assumption from the response is that it related to Santiago’s status as athletic director.

The former Utah Valley and Fresno State shooting guard who recently finished his first year at the helm of the BYU athletic department has certainly had plenty to do in the past 365 days — and those decisions have occasionally been polarizing among the Cougar faithful.

BYU fired highly successful women’s volleyball coach Heather Olmstead after 11 seasons last fall, and Santiago went to Logan to hire former BYU star and then-Utah State head coach Rob Neilson to lead his alma mater.

A few months later, the school parted ways with women’s gymnastics coach Guard Young, the former NCAA All-American and Olympic silver medalist who had been with the program for 11 years — and won Big 12 coach of the year in his final season. Santiago promoted top assistant Natalie Broekman after the dismissal.

In the same academic year, longtime men’s golf coach Bruce Brockbank and women’s soccer coach Jennifer Rockwood — who had been in their respective positions for more than 30 years apiece — announced their retirements. Santiago swiftly promoted director of golf Todd Miller to fill Brockbank’s position, while a national search for the next coach of the women’s soccer program will commence following the conclusion of Rockwood’s final season this fall.

Santiago also played a significant role in firing former women’s basketball coach Amber Whiting and elevating associate head coach Lee Cummard to the position back in March of 2025, when he was deputy athletic director and basketball sport administrator.

While BYU football advanced to the Big 12 championship game and men’s basketball punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament in both seasons under Kevin Young, all has not been perfect in Cougar athletics. BYU placed No. 25 in the annual Learfield Directors’ Cup for the second consecutive season, buoyed by the two sports as well as the powerhouse women’s cross country and track and field program led by Diljeet Taylor (who also received a senior associate athletic director title).

The Cougars’ spring sports, in particular, have taken a dip. BYU baseball finished eighth in the Big 12 with a 28-28 record and 14-16 mark in conference play, failing to advance to an NCAA regional since 2017. Softball had the fewest wins since the program’s inaugural season in 2000 as 22nd-year head coach Gordon Eakin and the injury-plagued Cougars limped to an 18-33 record and 7-17 mark in the Big 12 — finishing 10th out of 11 teams in teh conference.

Both Eakin and baseball coach Trent Pratt will be back for the 2026-27 academic year.

“I think we’ve been right on the brink of breaking into the national scene the last two years. And we’re right there,” Santiago told the Deseret News when asked about the baseball program during Big 12 football media days in July. “I love what coach Pratt’s doing. And I love that we’re building something that’s gonna be sustainable into the future. I love his staff. I love the players. They’re doing a good job on the recruiting trail, and they deserve a chance to chase greatness with resources. And we need to continue to put resources there.”

Why did BYU address Santiago’s job status on a message board?

It’s impossible to know for sure, but the thinking is fairly obvious.

College sports message boards have long been a place for the most passionate and diehard fans to feel like they have a voice in the program they support, and BYU is no different. But the lack of moderation on many of those websites has occasionally spiraled into a rumor mill that many on the internet have avoided, as well.

Still, as the rumor mill continues to churn, BYU’s response with an official account on one of the fanbase’s most popular boards could be a way to address those rumors without involving outside news media, issuing a press release, or posting on one of the program’s social media accounts with a large following.

The incident is incredibly rare — it’s only happened once, at least by the official school account on CougarBoard. But maybe the tactic becomes more common as the school seeks new ways to communicate directly with its fans — even the most passionate who speak out behind the anonymity of the internet.