Auburn made it official with its new athletics director on Thursday, naming Allen Greene as the program's 15th AD.
News that Auburn tabbed Greene, who held the same position at Buffalo, to succeed outgoing AD Jay Jacobs spread on Wednesday night.
"Allen kicks off the next exciting chapter for Auburn Athletics," Auburn president Steven Leath said in a release. "In our interviews and due diligence learning all we could about him, it became overwhelmingly clear that Allen has the right combination of leadership, enthusiasm, experience and management to lead Auburn Athletics to success well into the future."
Greene spent the last two years as Buffalo's AD and served as deputy AD and senior associate AD the prior three years under then-Buffalo AD Danny White, who now holds the same position at UCF. Before arriving at Buffalo, Greene worked at Ole Miss from 2009-12 with the UMAA Foundation. He began his career in athletics administration at his alma mater, Notre Dame, where he worked in athletic development and compliance from 2002-09.
Throughout his career, the 40-year-old Greene has developed a reputation as a fierce fundraiser and an up-and-comer in the athletics administration world.
The hiring of Greene ends a two-plus month search after Jacobs announced on Nov. 3 that he was stepping down from his post, which he held since 2005. Greene will be officially introduced as the Tigers' new AD on Friday morning.
Auburn enlisted Parker Search Firm as well as an in-house search committee that included Auburn trustee Gaines Lanier, former Auburn women's golf coach Kim Evans, former Auburn gymnast Adrienne Lee, former Auburn golfer Jason Dufner, Auburn finance professor Beverly Marshall and former Auburn linebacker Quentin Riggins.
"Serving Auburn University as Director of Athletics is a tremendous honor and an awesome responsibility," Greene said in a release. "Time-honored traditions have helped create a culture of success at Auburn that is incredibly rare. I am humbled that President Leath and the Search Committee entrust me to maintain all that is uniquely Auburn and utilize that foundation to forge a path to even greater heights. Whether in the classroom or on the fields and courts of play, these lofty expectations are embraced, and I am eager to get to work for the Auburn Family."
AL.com will update this post.
Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.