Georgia’s Josh Brooks is currently in New York as a finalist for Sports Business Journal’s Athletic Director of the Year award.
Brooks is up against Tennessee’s Danny White, Tulane’s Troy Dannen, Pitt’s Heather Lyke, Iowa State’s Jamie Pollard and San Diego State’s J.D. Wicker.
The winner is set to be announced on Wednesday at an awards ceremony at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square.
At the age of 41, Brooks became the youngest athletic director in the Power Five conference when he joined the Bulldogs in early 2021. He may be the youngest of the finalists. But he’s already one of the most accomplished.
“This is a tremendous honor for our entire athletic department,” Brooks said in March, when originally nominated for the award.
“This is not about me — it’s about our phenomenal staff and student-athletes who have committed to making Georgia Athletics the best. Our mission is to graduate student-athletes, support them during their time here and, of course, win championships.”
Brooks’ has seen two football national titles in each of his first two seasons at UGA’s J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics.
In 2022, the women’s soccer and volleyball programs made history as both teams earned bids to their respective NCAA tournaments in the same year for the first time ever, each advancing to the second round.
Furthermore, the athletic department has achieved remarkable fundraising success, raising a record-breaking $86.4 million in 2022, including an impressive $45.4 million in major donations, per Sports Business Journal.
Additionally, Brooks has spearheaded various important facility projects. Notably, he has overseen a substantial investment of nearly $70 million to expand the concourses at Sanford Stadium, as well as the development of a cutting-edge indoor tennis facility. Upgrades to the softball and baseball venues have also been prioritized under his tenure.
He hired a full-time director and an additional clinical counselor to provide support in regard to mental health and performance.
Brooks has been proactive in navigating name, image, and likeness changes, establishing one of the earliest programs to educate athletes, provide multimedia management tools, and assist with building their personal brands.
Georgia also set a school record record with a 3.22 GPA in the fall of 2022 for student-athletes.
