West Virginia athletics director Shane Lyons resigned Monday under pressure, ending a seven-year run at his alma mater. The move was first reported by WVMetroNews.

The fate of football coach Neal Brown could be tethered to Lyons’ departure. It was Lyons who hired Brown in January 2019 and convinced university administrators to award a contract extension after the 2020 season. Brown is 21-24 in his fourth year with the Mountaineers and would be owed a buyout of nearly $17 million, his remaining salary on a deal that runs through 2026.

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A statement later released from West Virginia University said, “Though Lyons’ departure indicates a shift, (President Gordon) Gee added no changes to the football program will be made in the coming weeks.”

“We are supporting Coach Neal Brown and our team as we complete our season over the next few weeks,” Gee said in the release. “We are aware there are some deficiencies, but we have not given up on the coach and the team, and they have not given up on each other. The evaluation of the football program will be the first task of our new athletic director and no changes will be made until that review has been completed.”

As West Virginia launches a search for Lyons’ replacement, the new AD also is likely to oversee the twilight of basketball coaching legend Bob Huggins’ career. Recently inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame, Huggins, 69, is signed through the 2024 season.

Along with serving on the NCAA’s Division I Council and its football oversight committee, Lyons completed a $100 million renovation plan that modernized Milan Puskar Stadium, the program’s football facility, and the WVU Coliseum. He also oversaw the development of a $45 million aquatic and track center near campus.

Lyons was considered a candidate for the athletic director vacancy at Missouri in 2021 and a possible choice to become ACC commissioner when John Swofford retired that same year.

Gee reportedly offered an opportunity for Lyons to maintain his co-title as associate vice president, but the outgoing AD declined. It was Gee who hired Lyons to replace Oliver Luck in 2015, saying “Shane understands what it means to be a Mountaineer.” Alabama coach Nick Saban also endorsed the hiring of Lyons, who had worked as the Crimson Tide’s No. 2 athletic administrator from 2011-2015.

WVU has parted ways with Director of Athletics Shane Lyons.

President Gordon Gee plans to name a new athletic director soon.

In the short-term, Rob Alsop, vice president for strategic initiatives, is the interim director of athletics.

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— WVU Mountaineers (@WestVirginiaU) November 14, 2022

The University announced that Rob Alsop, vice president for strategic initiatives, will serve as interim AD.

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“I deeply appreciate Shane’s leadership over the past eight years and I wish him well,” Gee said in the release. “But with the ever-changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics, I believe this is an opportunity to bring a fresh perspective to our program.”

 (Photo: Justin K. Aller / Getty Images)