Utah State University Athletics

Ike Ukaegbu (ooo-KAY-boo) joined Utah State as deputy athletics director and chief operating officer in December 2025 after more than three years as the deputy director of athletics at Washington State, where he began in June 2022.
 
At Washington State, he served as sport administrator for football and men’s basketball and led the sports administration unit responsible for daily oversight of the Cougars’ varsity programs. In that role, he helped develop consistent policies and procedures and managed key areas, including public relations, personnel, budgeting, capital projects, fundraising, student-athlete welfare and overall program evaluation.
 
As football and men’s basketball administrator, Ukaegbu oversaw postseason and bowl selection and planning, as well as nonconference scheduling. He was instrumental in fundraising discussions and capital projects aimed at enhancing the student-athlete experience.
 
Ukaegbu served on committees that directed major facility projects, including the $27 million Taylor Sports Complex, an indoor practice facility that opened in October 2024, and the $12 million Champions Center, which houses academic services, student-athlete development, mental health services and performance nutrition. He also helped coordinate the $3.3 million renovation of the football locker room and led efforts to raise $750,000 in support of the Rogers Field turf replacement, overseeing the project’s installation in 2023.
 
Ukaegbu served on the football game day experience committee, which focused on enhancing the fan experience and positioning Washington State among the best in college football. The committee’s efforts included fundraising for facility upgrades such as a new videoboard, LED lighting, sound system and turf, as well as expanding food and beverage options and game day activities.
 
He oversaw the transition of student-athlete healthcare from student affairs to an outside medical provider, completed in June 2024, while assisting the Cougar Athletic Fund with donor cultivation and stewardship.
 
Among his various responsibilities, Ukaegbu supervised several units, including strength and conditioning, sports medicine, equipment operations, nutrition and the department’s name, image and likeness (NIL) initiatives.
 
A respected leader in college athletics, Ukaegbu was one of 10 senior-level administrators from across the FBS selected for the 2023-24 LEAD1 Fellows Program, designed to prepare future athletics directors through industry networking and professional development.
 
Before Washington State, he spent eight years at Texas Christian University as senior associate athletics director for compliance and a member of the athletic director’s executive team. He oversaw compliance for 22 sport programs, served as sport administrator for men’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and women’s rifle, and led the department’s NIL initiatives, including facilitating a partnership with the TCU Neeley School of Business and assisting with the creation of the Flying T Club NIL Collective. Additionally, Ukaegbu assisted the Frog Club with donor cultivation and stewardship.
 
He was also among 20 administrators selected for the NCAA Pathway Program in 2020-21, which prepares senior leaders for athletics director and conference commissioner roles. Ukaegbu served on numerous institutional, conference and national committees, including the National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC) Convention Committee, the NCAA Eligibility Center vice president search committee, and the TCU chief inclusion officer and WSU presidential search committees.
 
In 2020, he received TCU’s Chancellor’s Staff Award, recognizing a staff member for exemplary service and contributions to the university community. Ukaegbu also collaborated with athletics staff and campus partners to launch TCU’s NIL program, Scaled to Succeed.
 
His earlier career included compliance roles at Virginia Commonwealth, Boise State, Cal State Fullerton, American and Florida Atlantic.
 
Ukaegbu earned a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in pre-law from the University of Arizona and a master’s degree in sports administration from St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida. He and his wife, Katie, have three children: Devin, Rosie and Spencer.