WVU Athletics
Is WVU’s Wren Baker a Real Candidate for Oklahoma AD Job?
No matter how bumpy the ride has been, Wren Baker has embraced his new home in West Virginia since taking over at WVU just three years ago. He’s even turned down multiple opportunities to jump ship.
Is it now possible the one job Baker won’t be able to refuse is opening at the worst possible time for WVU? Well, ESPN’s Pete Thamel broke the news that Oklahoma is preparing to undergo a search for a new athletic director for the first time since 1988. Current OU athletic director Joe Castiglione is expected to retire from his full-time role during the upcoming 2025-26 calendar year.
Up until this point, Baker has guided the Mountaineers into a new world of college athletics, with a revenue sharing opportunity that he feels will better position West Virginia to compete on a national level once again.
And of course, he’s conducted a coaching search for almost every West Virginia team, many of which occurred in the midst of drama. To his credit, Baker has performed admirably under the circumstances and hit home runs on every hire so far, granted Rich Rodriguez in his return and Ross Hodge both still need to prove themselves when their respective seasons start in a few months.
WVSN photo by Kelsie LeRose
With a monumental shift in college sports and monumental seasons about to get underway, West Virginia needs stability, not an athletic director search.
But Baker may have a chance to return home. For as much as he seems to love his adopted home, he’s a native of Oklahoma, not West Virginia.
Even though Baker’s name became an instant hot candidate for fans (of both schools) on social media, there’s yet to be any legitimate reporting to suggest the job is his if he wants it. There is some speculation, but it’s simply smoke right now.
Sigghhhh. WVU fans better strap in. Wren Baker is going to be on the list.
Not saying he will get the job, but he’ll be a candidate for sure. After the work he’s done here at WVU he deserves to get an interview. https://t.co/BYIUBMWs9I
— Zach (@z_mccoy06) July 7, 2025
Instead, several of WV Sports Now’s contacts and sources close to the Oklahoma program believe Mississippi State’s Zac Selmon is the No. 1 candidate.
While Baker is from Oklahoma, he has more of a connection to Oklahoma State than he does the Sooners. Selmon, however, has already worked at OU and those “in the know” say he was being groomed to eventually take over for Castiglione at that time. He’s also the son of Sooners legend Dewey Selmon and nephew of Lucious and Lee Roy. It’s very possible Oklahoma people prefer Selmon’s legacy credentials to Baker.
Beyond Baker possibly not being Oklahoma’s top choice, the Sooners job may not be as attractive as it once was. Oklahoma football has struggled to contend in the SEC and WVU can argue as being a better overall athletic department based on the current situation for every team combined.
Football is king though. It is Oklahoma. And it is the Oklahoma Sooners after all, a blue blood brand. The combination of going back home and the Sooners brand could be too much to resist IF Baker gets offered the job. The position will almost certainly pay more, too.
Keep calm, Mountaineer Nation. As of now, this is just in the “wait and see” stage when it comes to Baker and his future at WVU.
Stay tuned….
Find more coverage of Wren Baker at WV Sports Now.
