The case for Allen Greene as Danny White's successor as Buffalo AD

Who is Allen Greene? The way we see it, he's the frontrunner for the open AD position at Buffalo -- if he wants it.

Greene was brought to Buffalo from Ole Miss by Danny White but his connections to White go back much further. As a student-athlete, Greene was a three-year starter in the Notre Dame outfield before signing with the New York Yankees after his junior season. After a few years in the minors he returned to Notre Dame for a job with compliance, under Danny White's father.

He would spend two more years with the Irish, responsible for the development and execution of various stewardship programs, in addition to numerous on-campus and off-campus events for Athletics Advancement.

He then spent three years at Ole Miss where he took up the role of Assistant Athletic Director for Development and Priority Seating. As a leader in the UMAA Foundation, the fundraising arm of Ole Miss Athletics, Greene oversaw all aspects of football, basketball and baseball priority seating drives and ticket sales, main revenue streams for the UMAA Foundation. In addition to creating new ways to generate revenue from priority seating, Greene was also responsible for major gift fundraising.

White brought Greene to Buffalo shortly after being hired on. Greene first served as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Administration and then took the role of Deputy Director of Athletics. Greene has been responsible for the day-to-day operations of UB Athletics overseeing business operations, human resources, facilities, capital projects, Recreation and Intramurals and sport oversight of football and men’s and women’s basketball. In short, pretty much everything.

Given Greene's experience in the department already, it seems apparent that he'll either ascend to the directorship or leave for somewhere else.

For UB, the benefits of continuity are obvious. We've written about that importance in coaching changes before, and public image aside, the department has been on a clear upward trajectory during White's (and Greene's) tenure. Hiring from within would allow the Department to maintain their momentum with free hiccoughs, and Greene is plenty qualified enough that his hire wouldn't be from within for continuity's sake alone. Furthermore, Greene would stand better chance than any other option of minimizing further defections from within the department to UCF.

While WKBW has reported three possible candidates, we're told that list has been pulled out of thin air. We also know that University President Satish Tripathi has a preference for continuity and the trajectory of the entire department over the last three years. The choice is obvious: offer the position to Greene, a ready-made candidate already in house and up to speed.