SEATTLE — Washington State University athletic director Pat Chun is leaving to accept the same role at the University of Washington.
Chun will get a six-year deal to be the new AD of the Huskies, Thamel reports. Chun had been at WSU since January 2018.
He will be the school's third athletic director in less than a year. Jennifer Cohen departed for the University of Southern California in August and her replacement, Troy Dannen, left last week to accept an opening at the University of Nebraska.
The department has seen significant turnover at its most important positions recently, as head football coach Kalen DeBoer left immediately after the 2023 season to take over for Nick Saban at Alabama. On Monday, UW announced Utah State's Danny Sprinkle as the new head coach after Mike Hopkins was let go after the 2023-24 season.
Chun has been overseeing a similarly turbulent time at WSU in recent months, as the Pacific-12 Conference's fracture left the Cougars alone with Oregon State University in the once-proud league.
The AD did work closely with UW's brass to preserve the future of the Apple Cup after UW's move to the Big Ten left the long-time rivalry in jeopardy.
Chun's resume includes a 15-year stint at Ohio State in a variety of roles and also has served as an athletic director at Florida Atlantic University. Chun became the first Asian-American athletic director in the Power Five when he was hired at Washington State.
WSU's men's basketball teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24, while neither UW team earned a spot in the premier postseason event.
With WSU now a tier below UW and most of the other former members of the Pac-12, departures like this could be a recurring theme for Cougar fans.