SOONER WIRE - The University of Oklahoma formally introduced new Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Programs and Director of Athletics Roger Denny on Wednesday, as Denny is set to succeed former Vice President and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione, who has been at OU since he was hired back in April of 1998. Castiglione announced last summer that he is retiring, and he will be retained for the next three years as Emeritus Athletics Director.

Denny obviously has enormous shoes to fill, and he addressed Sooner Nation for the first time on Wednesday, along with OU Board of Regents Chair Anita Holloway, university president Joseph Harroz Jr., and Chair and Special Advisor to the President for OU Athletics Randall Stephenson.

In the press conference, Denny didn’t waste any time setting what the expectations for OU Athletics would be under his leadership.

“It’s Oklahoma,” Denny said when asked why he chose to come to OU. “There’s only one of these ... There’s only one Oklahoma. This is the standard bearer in college athletics,” Denny said. “This program is defined by an unmatched expectation to compete for titles across generations ... I promise that we’re not here to play small.”

Denny continued to outline what his goals were for the Sooners in the future and set the bar high for what Oklahoma has to be.

“Winning matters, especially here,” Denny said. “Our student-athletes come here to win. Our supporters expect us to win. We’re here to support Coach Venables and go get No. 8 ... The goal is not progress. It’s not wins. It’s championships.”

“Ultimately, I think the answer is not willing to accept anything but going out and winning,” Denny added. “That all-out commitment, and just the unwillingness to accept anything but the absolute best ... When you hear a university president use the word dynasty, that’s when you really get excited, and that’s what we’re here for ... I haven’t shied away at all from conversations about dynasties. I think that’s what Oklahoma deserves. I think that’s what we’re going to go get ... We are absolutely here to build dynasties and I’m not going to shy away from that.”

Denny was most recently the Deputy Director of Athletics and Chief Operating Officer at Illinois. Before that, he was a successful corporate attorney and brings a deep legal background to his new role at OU. His legal expertise is what ultimately drew Harroz, Stephenson, The Athlete Group’s Jake Rosenberg, and a 12-person search committee that included Bob Stoops and Sam Bradford, to choose him as the new Director of Athletics at Oklahoma. They believe that Denny is the perfect person to lead Oklahoma in the NIL-era of college athletics.

Denny is an outside-thebox hire, and not the type of hire many in Sooner Nation though Harroz and Stephenson would make. However, they chose Denny primarily because he’s not what was expected, and because of the rapidly changing landscape of college sports that they believe Denny’s prior experience can help him navigate.

Denny spent nearly 15 years practicing law, focusing on executive compensation, tax, corporate finance, and licensing. Before joining Illinois, he was a partner at SpencerFane LLP in St. Louis. His prior legal experience includes the representation of college athletics departments and sports businesses in a wide variety of critical and complex transactions, including executive compensation and collective bargaining matters. Denny’s legal experience also provides a foundation for leading major athletics programs, overseeing coaching contracts, managing complex operations, and identifying opportunities that expand student-athlete success in a disrupted college athletics landscape.

According to the university, Denny oversaw all athletics’ business operations at Illinois, including a budget that approached $200 million, and he played a central role in Illinois’ name-image-likeness strategy, expanding opportunities for Illinois student-athletes. He became increasingly involved in fundraising and played a pivotal role in securing a $100 million gift announced in fall 2025, the largest in Illinois history. He led Illinois’ facilities planning and served as the athletic program’s primary representative in all head coach negotiations.

Denny expressed great gratitude and excitement to work with Holloway, Harroz, and Stephenson, and called it a “dream job” to take on the challenge of being the Athletics Director at OU.

“Oklahoma is the most respected brand in college athletics,” Denny said. “Reputation was earned through competitive excellence, passionate support and incredible bond between this program, its alumni and its fans. That bond carries a ton of responsibility, and I take that responsibility seriously ... I’m so energized by what lies ahead for this program. I believe deeply in our ability to define a whole new level of success here, and I’m so grateful you all have given me the opportunity to lead that pursuit.”

Denny will officially step into his new role on February 15th, and he’ll be working closely with Stephenson, who will still be extremely involved with OU Athletics in the present and the future at his alma mater.