One former Butler basketball player is replacing another as the school's new athletic director.

Butler named Grant Leiendecker its new athletic director on Friday. Leiendecker will replace Barry Collier, who announced his retirement in November.

"I am extremely humbled and excited to serve Butler as the university's Director of Athletics," Leiendecker said in a statement announcing his promotion. "In many ways, our alma mater is home for my wife Kylee and me, and our family has always considered ourselves part of the Bulldog family. I'm grateful to President Danko, the search committee, and the board of trustees for this opportunity, and to Barry Collier for his leadership of Butler Athletics and his mentorship personally. There is a solid foundation, which includes so many talented student-athletes, coaches and administrators, for us to continue to build upon as we boldly pursue unprecedented heights for Butler Athletics and our university as a whole."

A 2011 Butler graduate, Leiendecker served as Butler's Associate Vice President for Athletics since Aug. 2023. Before that he worked four years as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development at Marquette.

Leiendecker's first official day as AD will be May 1.

"Since returning to Butler last year, Grant has developed incredibly positive relationships with our student-athletes, coaches, staff, supporters and members of the University administration," Butler president James Danko said in a statement. "I had the pleasure of speaking with many exceptional candidates throughout this process, but ultimately, Grant — with his vision, passion, and commitment to our mission and values — stood out above the others. He has a bold vision for Butler Athletics as intercollegiate athletics faces unprecedented transformation... Butler Athletics is in good hands!"

Leiendecker was inducted into the Butler Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021 along with his teammates from the back-to-back national championship game teams of 2010 and 2011.

A Homestead grad, Leiendecker was an Indiana All-Star in 2006. He played in 67 games for the Bulldogs (2007-11) and averaged 1.2 points per game for his career.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler hires Grant Leiendecker as new AD to replace Barry Collier