Even before Sooners’ new AD, Roger Denny, could officially move into his office, he was greeted by a social media post that signaled the end of an era. After 28 years of being the longest tenured AD in college sports, Joe Castiglione has stepped down into the role of Athletic Director Emeritus. The 68-year-old even shared an emotional moving day message on Instagram.

“With gratitude for all the coaches”, Castiglione wrote on Instagram along with a series of pictures. “Staff, university administrators, my family, stakeholders, colleagues, donors, fans, sponsors, media, and most of all, our #sooners athletes who worked so closely together to create Sooner Magic, I packed up a lifetime of memories today. Thanks for making it happen. I’ll have more to share later, but [I] left this place ready for the next era of greatness for Sooner Athletics. Onward and upward. Boomer Sooner!”

This hits hard because Castiglione has seen it all, and he made the Sooners fans see it with him. OU won 26 of its 45 all-time team national championships under his watch. His first plan of action when he came in was the hiring of Bob Stoops in 1998. Stoops led the program to a national title and 10 Big 12 championships. But an even greater achievement is the shift of OU to the SEC.

Castiglione was the main catalyst for the school’s transition to the most prestigious football conference back in 2024. And even though there was a depletion of the revenue distribution during their debut season at the SEC, internal revenue streams grew significantly. Ticket sales rose from over $7 million to $54.5 million, and donor contributions increased by nearly $20 million.

He has directed massive upgrades to Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and initiated the development of a new $1.2 billion entertainment district and basketball arena, targeted for completion around 2028. These are some of the reasons why Castiglione was named the National Athletic Director of the Year three times. He was even inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

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After all this, it was time for him to take a pause. He expressed a deep desire to spend more time with his wife and family. Because let’s face it, the current demanding nature of the sports makes the AD job really hectic.

“In the past couple of months, I’ve moved from a fleeting thought to some deep life reflections, “Joe said during his retirement announcement last year. “We all do that from time to time, thinking about my career, my life journey, my family, my faith. I guess you could say life itself.” He felt it was the “right time to pass the baton” while the program was “pointing up.” And it’s Roger Denny who will now run with the Baton.

A new era of OU athletics

Oklahoma didn’t take much time to move on from Joe Castiglione. Following the July announcement, OU started the search. The process was led by Randall Stephenson, former AT&T CEO and Chair of OU Football. The 12-person committee was set up, which included former OU QB Sam Bradford. After a rigorous search, OU finally announced Roger Denny as their new AD on January 23, 2026.

He was the former deputy athletic director and COO at the University of Illinois. According to ESPN, Oklahoma valued Denny’s legal background and identified him as a strong fit for the rapidly changing landscape of college sports. Before making the jump to a front-office role, Denny was a full-time lawyer. He was a partner at the St. Louis-based firm Spencer Fane LLP.

There, he worked as a pure corporate lawyer. Along with this, Denny also has a leaning towards sports-related business. His resume was the foremost reason why his name stood out. After the announcement of his hire, OU president Joseph Harroz Jr. put forward his kind words.

“College athletics is undergoing profound disruption that requires us to think well beyond conventional structures and roles,” Harroz Jr. said. “In Roger, we have the next natural leader who understands both the complexity of the moment and the opportunities it presents.

Joe Castiglione will now move into an AD emeritus role, where he will be helping out with Denny’s transition.