Mississippi State Bulldogs athletic director Zac Selmon is introduces during a timeout during the first half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Humphrey Coliseum. Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Zac Selmon honors mentor as Oklahoma AD job opens

Originally posted on Mississippi State Bulldogs on SI
By Taylor Hodges | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The news that broke Monday became official Tuesday when Oklahoma Athletic Director Joe Castiglione announced his retirement after nearly three decades of building the Sooners into of the biggest names in college sports.

Mississippi State Director of Athletics Zac Selmon is one of 32 former employees of Castiglione that has gone on to be an athletic director or commissioner on their own. Tuesday night, Selmon issued his first statement since the announcement on the site formerly known as Twitter.

“This past week, two titans in our industry and influential mentors in my life, Joe Castiglione and Bubba Cunningham, announced new chapters and journeys in their futures. Some people go their entire careers without finding an elite mentor like Joe or Bubba, but I am blessed beyond measure to have a front row seat in watching not just one, but two game changers and difference makers positively transform lives, their communities and fanbases for the better. I carry these invaluable lessons with me each day here at Mississippi State. Overwhelmed with gratitude to these two for paving the way for so many. I “tip my cap” to two of the best - @BubbaUNC and @soonerad!”

Hi. Stay with us forever please
— Dudy Noble Field (@DudyNobleField) July 8, 2025

That’s pretty much the statement one would expect from a someone who admires and respects a former boss/mentor.

However, it does absolutely nothing to dampen the worries Mississippi State fans have about Selmon replacing Castiglione at Oklahoma. To be fair, that wasn’t the purpose of Selmon’s statement. It’s purpose was to honor and show respect to someone Selmon clearly has a lot of respect for.

Still, the speculation on social media and message boards hasn’t ceased. Personally, I don’t expect it to stop until either A) Selmon is announced as Oklahoma’s next athletic director or B) someone else is announced as Oklahoma’s next athletic director.

It’s still way too early to know anything for certain and there’s a process we’ll have to let play out.

But the more I think about the situation, the more I think Mississippi State will soon be looking for a new athletic director.

Zac Selmon was always going to be #Oklahoma's next athletics director. pic.twitter.com/Fk2SE1USln
— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) July 7, 2025

Selmon is from Norman, Okla. where the school is located. He’s spent most of his professional career there. He’s done incredible things in Starkville and someone in Norman has to be asking themselves, “if he did that there, what could he do here?”

My original reaction was that Selmon leaving Mississippi State wouldn’t make sense. But it’s starting to make a lot more sense now and I keep going back to Paul “Bear” Bryant’s famous quote about becoming the head coach at Alabama in 1958:

"Momma called. And when Momma calls, you just have to come runnin'."

For Selmon, Oklahoma may be “momma” and she might be calling.

This article first appeared on Mississippi State Bulldogs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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