New Memphis athletic director Ed Scott has not inherited a cushy gig.

Potential challenges galore await the 44-year-old, originally from Kingston, New York, along myriad fronts. Thanks to the colossal antitrust lawsuit settlement earlier this year, the issue of foundation-shifting revenue sharing could be chief among them. There are also conference realignment mountains Scott will attempt to climb. And, of course, there are the other irons Memphis has in the fire – most notably, the massive facility enhancement projects – and the inherent responsibilities that go along with running an FBS athletic department.

But Scott has a vision and a plan to realize it. And that is the biggest reason why he was the right person for the job in Cato Johnson’s eyes.

“If there was one thing that sold me (on Scott), it was his ability to stand before an audience and articulate his vision for where he wants to take this program,” Johnson, chairman of the university’s board of trustees, told The Commercial Appeal Thursday. “When you’re at the University of Memphis and you’re in Memphis, Tennessee, the community wants to know that you have a vision for taking us to another level.

“And he is very, very confident he can make it happen.”

Johnson was appointed by Memphis president Bill Hardgrave to a three-person internal executive committee (that included David North and Doug Edwards) to assist him in the search for a new athletic director following Laird Veatch’s late-April departure. Following an initial round of candidate interviews, the field was narrowed to three: Memphis interim AD and deputy AD Jeff Crane, Tennessee deputy AD Ryan Alpert and Scott, who comes to the Tigers after serving as deputy AD at Virginia.

The three finalists met with Johnson, North and Edwards earlier this week, then interviewed with Hardgrave. Johnson, who was also heavily involved in the hiring process that brought Hardgrave to Memphis in 2022, admits he knew nothing of Scott before Parker Executive Search identified him as a candidate for the job.

So, Johnson did his research. He was impressed that Scott has his doctorate. He liked that Scott was recognized by his peers as the 2021-22 Cushman & Wakefield Athletic Director of the Year.

But, more than that, Johnson, who is also the chief of staff and senior vice president of public policy and regulatory affairs at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, was taken by Scott’s intangibles.

“With the landscape of where college athletics is going, you must be able to not only build relationships but also have existing relationships,” said Johnson. “You must be able to understand where the process is going and know the individuals and entities to help (Memphis) get to the next level.

“Whether we’re talking about college athletics, health care, government, politics and public policy – it’s all still about relationships at the end of the day.”

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But not just relationships with the powerful or influential. That, according to Johnson, does not work in Memphis.

“This community is not a stepping stone,” he said. “You must want to be part of it and you must want to contribute to it. So, you have to be comfortable in the suite but still very comfortable in the street. And he is someone who is comfortable in both.”

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

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What sold Memphis board of trustees chairman on Ed Scott as AD