Why 'irreplaceable' BYU AD Tom Holmoe has decided now is the time to retire

After two decades of leadership, BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe has announced his retirement, set to take effect at the end of the 2024-25 athletic season.

Holmoe made the official announcement on Tuesday, followed by a press conference Wednesday to address Cougar Nation and reflect on his tenure.

At the conference, Holmoe shared insights into his decision-making process, revealing that the choice to step away had been on his mind for some time.

“I made the decision in July of this year … My wife and I had been saying for a couple of years, ‘Let’s go one more, let’s go one more,’” Holmoe said. “Sometime this summer, I’m not sure of the exact date, I just had a really strong impression that it was time.”

Despite his family’s initial reluctance, Holmoe stood firm in his decision.

“I told my children, and they said, ‘No.’ And I said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, 'Look, whether we go 0-12 or 12-0 in football, this is my last season. But we’re not going to go 0-12 — I knew it.'”

Reflecting on his tenure, Holmoe compared his role to a relay race, emphasizing his responsibility to prepare the program for its next leader.

“I knew it would not be my duty to finish the race or break the tape, but instead to run a good race and be prepared to pass that baton to the next BYU AD at the right time,” Holmoe said. “I believe this is the right time.”

Holmoe also noted the unique nature of his contract with BYU, which was structured on short-term agreements.

“I’ve been here for 23 years on a one-year, two-year contract. I never had a multi-year contract. I never asked for a multi-year contract," he said. "They never gave me a multi-year contract … and I didn’t want it that way. I literally wanted it to be where I had to work for my food.”

BYU President C. Shane Reese joined Holmoe at the press conference and underscored the importance of the selection process, acknowledging Holmoe’s irreplaceable impact on the program.

“We’re going to cast a broad net with the intent of getting the person who is passionate, who bleeds blue … and is committed to the mission,” Reese said. “That means that we’ve got to be rigorous in our approach. And really, when we talk about a replacement, I don’t think you ever replace a man like Tom Holmoe. I think there’s a successor in this role, but Tom Holmoe is an irreplaceable athletic director.”

As Holmoe prepares to step away, he expressed confidence in the future of BYU athletics.

“We’re well down the road in the process. They will make adjustments when I’m not here because I’ll be gone. And that’s a good thing — to have people look at things in a different way,” he said. “I’m totally confident that the shifts, the moves, and the changes will happen naturally and in a normal way. And we got this.”