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DeMarcus Cousins calls for Kentucky to hire DeWayne Peevy as next athletic director

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh03/03/26griffin_mcveigh

The Kentucky athletic department is going to look a whole lot different moving forward. AD Mitch Barnhart will be retiring on Tuesday, per On3’s Pete Nakos, stepping away from the role after over two decades there. He was the longest-serving athletic director in the SEC, now leaving the position open.

Opinions on who should take over have begun to fly in since the news dropped. Former Kentucky star DeMarcus Cousins voiced his thoughts on social media, calling for DeWayne Peevy to be the next athletic director. He urged folks making the hire to “not overthink this” and laid out his reasoning.

“I believe the next AD for Kentucky should be @BlueDemonsAD,” Cousins said via X. “Let’s not overthink this! He fully understands the program as he was once apart of it and knows the expectations that follow. The perfect guy for the job!”

Peevy is currently the athletic director at DePaul. The Big East program hired him in August 2020 and made sure to keep him on board ever since. A title addition came just over a year after his hiring, becoming Vice President of the school. DePaul most recently gave Peevy a contract extension in 2023, keeping him in Chicago through June 2027.

The Blue Devils snagged Peevy away from Kentucky, a place he spent 12 years. Peevy worked under Barnhart and specifically oversaw the basketball program. That’s likely where the relationship with Cousins developed, as he played for the Wildcats during the 2009-2010 season.

Barnhart spoke highly of Peevy when DePaul decided to hire him as the athletic director. A quote from the now-retired administrator still appears on Peevy’s official DePaul profile.

“DeWayne is already a well-respected leader in college athletics as he has shown the ability to be effective in numerous areas of athletics administration,” Mitch Barnhart said. “At UK, his impact will be felt for years to come, and we will be able to enjoy the memories of the successes in our program we experienced together. We’re excited for him and look forward to seeing him grow the program at DePaul.”

There is still a good chunk of the college athletics calendar remaining. Kentucky will have plenty of time to put together a search committee to find a new athletic director. If Cousins gets in the mix, for whatever reason, we already know who he will be clamoring for. Peevy is the guy, in his opinion.