Alabama athletic director search: 5 names to know

Since Alabama athletic director Mal Moore announced his exit on Wednesday, there has been a lot of discussion about who would replace him. Moore has been the athletic director at Alabama since 1999, and his been affiliated with the university in some capacity since the early 1960s.

It's never easy to replace a man responsible for so much history, but that's exactly what president Judy Bronner will attempt to do. There haven't been any formally announced interviews at this point, but here are a few names to keep in mind as the search progresses:

Ozzie Newsome

The former Crimson Tide player and Muscle Shoals native would be an immensely popular choice to replace Moore, but it's unlikely Newsome would leave his job as general manager of the Baltimore Ravens. Newsome has been with the franchise for years, and has earned a reputation as one of the best in the business.

Dave Hart

Hart left Alabama to become the athletic director at Tennessee in 2011, and is a former Crimson Tide basketball player and Alabama native. However, after all the turnover that's gone on at Tennessee over the past few years, Hart may not be eager to pick up and leave after such a brief tenure, even if it was to return to his alma mater.

Shane Lyons

Lyons is the deputy director of athletics for Alabama, and would appear to be the best choice if Alabama promotes from within. Prior to coming to Tuscaloosa in 2011, Lyons was the associate commissioner of the ACC, and was also the associate athletic director for compliance at Texas Tech.

Greg Byrne

Byrne as only been the athletic director at Arizona for three years, but he's already overseen a huge stadium expansion project and a baseball national championship. He also has experience in the SEC, as he was the athletic director at Mississippi State from 2008-2010 before taking the job in Tucson.

Chris Del Conte

Del Conte is another intriguing candidate. He's only been at TCU since 2009, but has overseen renovations of the football stadium and football complex, as well as the baseball and soccer facilities. He's also been a part of bringing the Horned Frogs into the Big 12, finishing a long journey that followed the end of the Southwest Conference.

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