Memphis needs a new athletic director.

News broke Monday that Laird Veatch is headed to Missouri, so the Tigers will need to fill the position. It'll be the first time the university has had to hire an AD since 2019, when Veatch was hired. On Tuesday, university president Bill Hardgrave named deputy athletic director Jeff Crane as the school's interim athletic director, "... as we explore our options in the coming weeks."

It's a job that will no doubt draw plenty of attention, and there will be lots of candidates for Hardgrave to consider. The Tigers' athletic department made national news just last week, when FedEx announced it would commit $25 million over five years to name, image and likeness deals for athletes on several different teams.

Memphis also recently finalized plans for the renovation of Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, where the football team plays.

And then there's conference realignment. University officials have made no secret of their aspirations to get into a "Power" conference, but those efforts have so far come up short. Nevertheless, it'll be something the next athletic director spends a good deal of time working on.

Here's a list of potential candidates for the opening.

Jeff Crane, Memphis deputy athletic director

Crane, who will serve as interim athletic director, has been at Memphis in his current position since 2019.

As deputy AD, he has played a key role in everything the athletic department does. For that reason, he's likely best positioned among internal candidates. He's also the sport administrator for football.

Before coming to Memphis, Crane spent 12 years at South Carolina and had a short stint as interim athletic director at USC-Upstate.

Adam Walker, Kansas State alumni association president

Walker left Memphis less than a year ago to take a job at Kansas State, his alma mater. But he spent nine years before that in various capacities at Memphis.

He was most recently the executive associate athletic director for administration, as well as men's basketball sport administrator. He was at Memphis during the dawn of the NIL era of college athletics, was the chair of the Tigers' NIL working group, and lead fundraiser for the Time To Shine campaign (which saw through the construction of the football program's indoor practice facility).

Mark Alnutt, Buffalo athletic director

Alnutt has been Buffalo's athletic director since 2018. Before that, though, he was the deputy athletic director at Memphis.

Alnutt is a former Missouri football player. He's a potential candidate who's also a sitting athletic director at another school but also one who has spent time at Memphis and knows the university. He was with the Tigers from 2015-18.

Tim Duncan, University of New Orleans athletic director

Duncan is a Memphis alum who played for the basketball team. He has been the athletic director at New Orleans since 2019 and is another candidate with current AD credentials. He's had to shepherd the Privateers through COVID-19 and the launch of the NIL era of collegiate sports.

Before New Orleans, he spent a year as deputy director for external affairs at Northeastern.

Allen Greene, Tennessee senior deputy athletic director

Greene was only hired late last year at Tennessee, but he has a wealth of experience in college athletics. He spent five years as Auburn's athletic director and was at Ole Miss before taking the job in Knoxville.

He also has another connection to Memphis. Hardgrave worked at Auburn for 12 years and was there while Green was athletic director. Greene, a Notre Dame alum, also previously served as athletic director at Buffalo.

Scott Carr, FIU athletic director

Carr has been FIU's athletic director since 2021. He worked at UCF before that when the Knights where in the American Athletic Conference, so he's got experience with Memphis' conference.

He doesn't have any direct ties to Memphis athletics, but he does have a connection to Hardgrave. The two worked also together at Auburn, when Carr was senior associate athletic director for external affairs.

Ryan Alpert, Tennessee deputy athletic director

Alpert has been at Tennessee since he was hired as deputy AD in 2021. He was at Missouri before that.

He also spent time at Memphis from 2011-16, holding a number of roles including assistant athletic director. He worked on a renovation project at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium during his time in the Bluff City.

Bryan Maggard, Louisiana athletic director

The Louisiana athletic director since 2017, Maggard is one of many potential candidates who also has significant ties to Missouri. He spent 22 years in Columbia, including a stint as executive associate athletic director.

Like Veatch, he's a Kansas State alum.

Kenneth 'Ziggy' Siegfried, Evansville athletic director

Siegfried has athletic director experience at two different places, first at Cal State Bakersfield and then at Evansville. He's a Memphis alum and spent eight years working in the Tigers' athletic department before that.

A Bluff City native, he completed his Doctor of Education from Memphis in 2019.

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter. Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis athletic director candidates for Laird Veatch replacement