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Who is Hunter Yurachek? CFP committee appoints Arkansas AD as new chairman
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- Who is Hunter Yurachek? CFP committee appoints Arkansas AD as new chairman
The College Football Playoff appointed Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek as its selection committee chairman for the rest of the season, after Baylor athletic director and former chair Mack Rhoades stepped down from the role on Nov. 13.
Rhoades, who explained the committee's process in each of the first two CFP rankings releases on Nov. 4 and Nov. 11, is also taking a leave of absence from his duties at Baylor.
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REQUIRED READING: Mack Rhoades stepping away from College Football Playoff chairman, Baylor AD jobs
"We are deeply appreciative of Mack Rhoades' leadership and service as Chair of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee this season," CFP executive director Rich Clark said in the announcement. "Mack has informed us of his decision to step down for personal reasons, and our thoughts are with him and his family during this time. We are pleased to announce that Hunter Yurachek will assume the role of Selection Committee Chair, effective immediately.
"Hunter's experience, integrity, and commitment to the game make him exceptionally well-suited to lead the committee as it continues its important work throughout the remainder of the season."
Utah athletic director Mark Harlan, who served on the committee in 2023, was also appointed to the committee to replace Rhoades.
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Here's what to know of Yurachek, who's now in an important position in college football.
Who is Hunter Yurachek?
Yurachek, the athletic director at Arkansas, has been on the CFP committee since February 2024, and is in his second year of a 3-year term.
Yurachek has been at Arkansas since 2017, after he was hired away from Houston, where he worked from 2015-17. He was the athletic director at Coastal Carolina from 2010-15 after associate roles at Wake Forest , Vanderbilt, Western Carolina, Virginia and Akron.
Yurachek has led Arkansas to three top-15 finishes in the Learfield Directors' Cup, according to his bio. The award is given by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to the schools with the most success in college sports.
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Prior to Yurachek's arrival, Arkansas had one top-15 finish in the past 24 years. He was also a Football Bowl Subdivision Cushman & Wakefield Athletics Director of the Year recipient in 2021-22.
Yurachek hails from Charlotte, and graduated in 1990 from Guilford College , where he played college basketball. He later earned his master's degree from the University of Richmond.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Hunter Yurachek? CFP committee appoints Arkansas AD as new chair
