SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The leader of Notre Dame athletics will be leaving his position in the near future, and his replacement has already been selected.
Jack Swarbrick announced that he’ll step down as the school’s athletic director sometime in the first quarter of 2024. When he does, NBC Sports chairman Peter Bevacqua, an alumnus of the school, will take over that role and become the 13th person to hold the position in Notre Dame history.
He will officially join the athletic department on July 1 as the special assistant to the president for athletics before succeding Swarbrick next year.
“It speaks volumes about Notre Dame and (University President) Father (John) Jenkins’ leadership that we can implement such a well-conceived succession plan and attract someone of Pete’s talent and experience,” said Swarbrick in a statement from the university. “I have worked closely with Pete throughout his time at NBC and based on that experience, I believe he has the perfect skill set to help Notre Dame navigate the rapidly changing landscape that is college athletics today, and be an important national leader as we look to the future.”
A 1976 graduate of Notre Dame, Swarbrick has been the athletic director since July 2008 when he succeeded Kevin White. As he winds down his tenure, he’ll work with Bevacqua to get up to speed on the role in leading Fighting Irish athletics, which includes over 700 athletes across 26 sports.
Bevacqua, who graduated from Notre Dame in 1993, became the chairman of NBC Sports in 2020 after serving as it’s president since 2018. He arrived at the network from PGA of America, where he served as its CEO for six years.