MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — WVU has a new director of athletics. 

According to an official statement from the university, WVU has parted ways with Shane Lyons, who is no longer the school’s director of athletics. He will be replaced in the interim by Rob Alsop, WVU’s vice president for strategic initiatives. 

A nationwide search has begun to find WVU’s next director of athletics. According to the statement, university president E. Gordon Gee plans to act “swiftly” to hire Lyons’ full-time replacement, with the goal of concluding the search in the next three to four weeks.

The university will utilize Turnkey ZRG to assist in the hiring of its next AD.

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

The change comes in the midst of struggles for the football team, which is 4-6 overall this season, and has enjoyed just one winning season under head coach Neal Brown. However, Gee said in a statement that no changes will be made before a new director of athletics is hired.

“We are supporting Coach Neal Brown and our team as we complete our season over the next few weeks,” Gee said. “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.”

Lyons, a native of Parkersburg, West Virginia, had served as WVU’s director of athletics since 2015. Before that, he completed a stint as the deputy director of athletics at Alabama.

During his tenure at WVU, Lyons oversaw the $100 million “Climbing Higher” capital campaign, which included renovations to the football facility, WVU Coliseum and other athletic venues. WVU also opened its new, $10 million Athletic Performance Center for Olympic Sports and $45 million Mylan Park Track and Aquatics Center under Lyons’ leadership.

Lyons is a respected presence among his counterparts in intercollegiate athletics. He has served as the chair of the Division I Council and as a member of the Division I Football Oversight Committee since 2018. 

Alsop is expected to be introduced to the media this afternoon at a press conference at 1 p.m.. Stick with GoldAndBlueNation.com for more information on this developing story.