Georgia Tech reportedly hires Ryan Alpert as new AD

The Jackets have reportedly found their new athletic director

Per Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, Georgia Tech is reportedly set to hire Tennessee deputy athletic director Ryan Alpert to lead the Yellow Jackets’ athletic department.

Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel

Who is Ryan Alpert?

Alpert joined the Tennessee Athletics executive leadership team as Deputy Athletics Director/Chief Operating Officer in August of 2021. In November of 2023, Alpert transitioned to the role of Deputy Athletics Director of Championship Resources/Chief Revenue Officer.

Alpert was appointed as the Senior Deputy Athletics Director and Chief Revenue Officer in November of 2024. In this position, he spearheads the department’s revenue generation strategies and work to enhance its financial sustainability. With a focus on maximizing resources, Alpert will oversee a variety of critical functions that contribute to the athletics program's overall success.

Alpert manages critical areas such as the Neyland Entertainment District, business and finance, capital projects, UT's Nike contract, data analytics and information technology.

"Ryan is truly one of the rising stars in our profession," Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White said. "I couldn't be more excited to add him to a talented, competitive administrative team that is committed to building a bold and bright future for Tennessee Athletics. I'm thrilled to welcome the Alpert family to Rocky Top."

During his tenure on Rocky Top, Alpert provided direct oversight all the external and revenue generating units for Tennessee Athletics.

For the third consecutive year, the Tennessee Fund had an all-time and record-breaking fundraising year during the 2024 fiscal year (FY24) and played an integral role in the historic University of Tennessee Foundation campus fundraising total of $332 million. The Tennessee Fund accounted for $139.7 million during FY24, the best year of athletics fundraising in school history.

The cumulative effect of the revenue initiatives has led Tennessee Athletics to its highest-ever operating revenue of over $200 million in FY23. The FY24 operating revenue soared north of $220 million to set another new benchmark in UT athletics history. Over the last for years the revenue growth has led to nearly $100 million in self-generated revenue growth.

During his tenure as Chief Operating Officer with UT Athletics, Alpert had direct oversight of several major capital projects that total nearly half a billion in total project costs, including a $337 million renovation at historic Neyland Stadium, a $45 million renovation of the Anderson Training Center and a $95 million renovation of Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Alpert serves as the campus and athletics lead on one of the most transformative projects in all of college athletics – the Neyland Entertainment District - the public-private partnership aimed at the development of a first-in-class entertainment district spanning the Tennessee River waterfront near historic Neyland Stadium.

Anchored by a planned hotel adjacent to the stadium's south end, the mixed-use Neyland Entertainment District could uniquely enhance the Tennessee football gameday experience while transforming the campus riverfront and supplementing Knoxville's gathering centers with another attractive leisure and entertainment hub.

Revenue generation has skyrocketed under Alpert's tenure at Tennessee. After finishing with an all-time high of $154.7 million in athletics revenue in the 2022 Fiscal Year, Tennessee Athletics posted a record amount of just over $202 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023.

No stranger to the Southeastern Conference, Alpert—a native of Columbia, South Carolina—transitioned to Knoxville from the University of Missouri, where he was Deputy AD for External Operations.

At Missouri—his second professional tenure there—Alpert was charged with developing new revenue streams supporting the Tigers' 20-sport intercollegiate athletics program while also providing leadership and oversight of the Tiger Scholarship Fund (TSF), ticketing and marketing staffs. He also served as the department's liaison to Mizzou Sports Properties and was the sport administrator for the men's and women's basketball programs.

Alpert's vision and leadership enabled Mizzou to withstand and overcome the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. His TSF staff raised a record $55.5 million during the 2020-21 fiscal year—exceeding its projected goal by more than 250 percent. Despite unprecedented hurdles related to the pandemic, Alpert led Mizzou past the $50 million threshold for the second time in the department's history.

He returned to Mizzou after two impactful years as Brian White's Deputy AD at Florida Atlantic University from 2018-20. Alpert oversaw the Owls' development, ticket sales/operations and equipment staffs while leading the department's strategic planning efforts and serving as sport administrator for football and men's basketball. Under his leadership, FAU saw giving totals grow more than 600 percent over the previous year's total, while the FAU Athletics annual fund, the Paradise Club, expanded by close to 300 percent in dollars raised and increased membership by 25 percent.

Before moving to FAU, Alpert strategically guided Missouri's TSF staff to record-setting fundraising success while also serving as the sport administrator for men's golf. Under his leadership, TSF generated a school-record $50.4 million in support of Mizzou Athletics during the 2016-17 fiscal year, an amount that broke the previous record by nearly $5 million (which was raised in Mizzou's first year of SEC membership).

Alpert first came to Mizzou following five years on the athletics staff at the University of Memphis, where he played a key role in the department's fundraising efforts. After starting his career as an assistant director of development, he was promoted to a director's role and eventually to assistant athletics director. Notably, during his tenure there, Alpert assisted the Memphis development team in securing the largest gift in UM women's athletics history.

Another significant element of Alpert's achievements at Memphis included leadership of a capital campaign that raised $32.5 million over 18 months. He also served as the lead presenter on a $4.8 million project with the City of Memphis to renovate and create new premium-seating opportunities at the historic Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. His experience was wider than securing major gifts, as he oversaw Memphis' $7 million annual fund while spearheading an overhaul of its athletics' gift-in-kind program. Alpert also served as the sport administrator for the Tigers' nationally ranked men's and women's tennis teams.