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USATSI

Notre Dame announced Friday that university president John Jenkins will step down from his post at the end of the 2023-24 academic calendar. Jenkins, who has served as school president since 2005, will return to teaching and ministry at the university. 

"Serving as president of Notre Dame for me, as a Holy Cross priest, has been both a privilege and a calling," Jenkins said in Notre Dame's release. "While I am proud of the accomplishments of past years, I am above all grateful for the Trustees, benefactors, faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends who made them possible. There is much to celebrate now, but I believe Notre Dame's best years lie ahead."

In addition to his role as Notre Dame president, Jenkins serves on the College Football Playoff Board of Managers. As an independent institution, Notre Dame holds a permanent spot on both the playoff's Board of Managers -- comprised of presidents and chancellors representing each FBS conference and Notre Dame -- and the Management Committee, which consists of the 10 FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director. 

Consequently, longtime Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, who was hired in 2008, had previously announced his decision to step down in 2024. The university already tabbed NBC Sports Group chairman Pete Bevacqua as Swarbrick's successor. Bevacqua will begin his tenure as athletic director next year, though he joined the university on July 1 as a special assistant to the president of athletics. 

Bevacqua graduated from Notre Dame and maintained a role adjacent to the football program as chairman at NBC. Notre Dame's broadcast partnership with the network plays a key role in its independence. Serving as athletic director, Bevacqua should allow Notre Dame to keep its close partnership with NBC, especially with an eye towards the expanded College Football Playoff format. 

Wave of change for College Football Playoff

Jenkins and Swarbrick aren't the only major management figures stepping away from the College Football Playoff. Executive director Bill Hancock is set to retire on Feb. 1, 2025, as committee leaders continue a search for his replacement. Hancock was named director in 2012, shortly after the four-team playoff was conceived. 

Both the Big Ten and Mountain West Conferences introduced new commissioners in 2023 who now hold roles on the Management Committee. The Pac-12's future -- and that of commissioner George Kliavkoff -- hangs in the balance after all but two of its members announced they would be joining new conferences for the 2024 season and beyond. 

All this as the playoff is set to expand to 12 teams in 2024, its first major format change since the initial four-team layout took effect in 2014. The latest wave of conference realignment, which saw the Big Ten and Big 12 both expand their ranks, could cause adjustment to the playoff's structure in the future.