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John Carroll University Athletics

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Brian Polian headshot

Brian Polian

  • Title
    Vice President for Athletics and National Engagement
  • Email
    athletics@jcu.edu
  • Phone
    4661
Brian Polian ’97 enters his third year at John Carroll in the 2025-26 academic year. Polian was promoted to Vice President for Athletics and National Engagement in August 2024. 

During his second year at JCU, Polian ushered the Blue Streaks to the 2024-25 Ohio Athletic Conference Men's All-Sports Trophy, a record 10th in a row. Polian helped to oversee recruiting efforts that brought in an elevated enrollment class for John Carroll, including many incoming students from national markets. 

In his first year as Director of Athletics, Polian guided the Blue Streaks to the 2023-24 Ohio Athletic Conference Men's All-Sports Trophy. JCU finished 37th in 2023-24 Learfield Directors' Cup standings, tops among OAC schools. 

Under his leadership, John Carroll will transition to the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) in Fall 2025. Polian also set the stage for the addition of Field Hockey as John Carroll's 25th varsity sport, beginning varsity competition in Fall 2026. 

Polian has overseen many changes and improvements for the department, which include: 
  • Creating a special tailgate atmosphere on South Belvoir Blvd. for football games
  • Spearheading the installation of new lights in the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center
  • Rebranding the Blue Streak Scholar Dinner with the creation of the Blue Streak Scholar Award
  • Aiding with facility upgrades such as the turfing of Schweickert & Bracken Field as well as aiding with athletic components of the new Athletic, Wellness, and Events Center (AWE)
  • Renovation of the athletic department as well as team and staff locker rooms 
A 25-year veteran of collegiate sports leadership, Polian most recently served as Associate Athletics Director and General Manager of Football at Louisiana State University (LSU) after spending a season under Brian Kelly as Special Teams Coordinator.

Polian’s roots in athletics and ties to John Carroll run deep. A native of Buffalo, New York, and graduate of St. Francis High School, Polian’s father, Bill, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015. The younger Polian graduated from John Carroll in 1997 with a B.A. in History following a four-year stint on the JCU Football Team. Polian earned All-OAC Second Team honors in 1996 playing alongside College Football Hall of Fame member London Fletcher.

Polian brings extensive administrative experience to the role. Most recently, Polian served as the Associate Athletics Director / General Manager of Football at Louisiana State University after spending a season under Brian Kelly as Special Teams Coordinator. During the 2022 season, the Tigers finished 10-4 as SEC West and Citrus Bowl Champions. At LSU, Polian guided the Tigers through a major roster overhaul, helping to produce two top-10 recruiting classes in 2022 and 2023. 

Polian also worked under Brian Kelly at the University of Notre Dame from 2017-21. During his stint as special teams coordinator, the Fighting Irish made two College Football Playoff appearances and consistently finished in the top 20 special teams rankings. At Notre Dame, Polian led the Irish recruiting efforts that produced multiple top recruiting classes and NFL draft picks. 

From 2013-17, Polian served as the head coach at Nevada, guiding the Wolf Pack to two bowl games and two victories over Power 5 opponents. He mentored three future NFL players (including Browns guard Joel Bitonio) and three future CFL players. As the head coach, he led the Wolf Pack Football program to a perfect 1,000 APR score during the 2016-17 academic year, the only team in the Group of Five to accomplish the feat in that season.

During the 2012 season, Polian worked as the special teams coordinator/ tight ends coach at Texas A&M, helping the Aggies finish #5 in the country during the program’s first year in the SEC. From 2010-11, Polian served as the special teams coordinator, recruiting coordinator, and safeties coach at Stanford under Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw. From 2005-09, Polian served on Charlie Weis’ staff at Notre Dame. During that time, Rivals and ESPN named him one of the top recruiters in the country. 

Previously, Polian spent stints at UCF, SUNY Buffalo, and Michigan State. His coaching career began at MSU under the legendary Nick Saban as an offensive graduate assistant. 

Additionally, Polian served as a member of the inaugural College Football Officials Competition Committee, as well as the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Ethics Committee. In 2021, Polian authored a book, “Coaching Generation Z: Honor the Relationships.”  

Polian is a piece of John Carroll’s NFL pipeline. His father, Bill, was an executive in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, and Indianapolis Colts and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015. The elder Polian helped to launch numerous NFL careers. Brian’s brother, Chris ‘93, along with Tom Telesco ‘95 and David Caldwell ‘96, worked for Bill with the Indianapolis Colts. Chris enters his 28th season in the NFL and his fourth as the Washington Commanders’ director of pro personnel. Telesco is now the General Manager of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Polian is the 12th full-time athletic director in John Carroll University history, following Rev. Edward Bracken (1920-1933), Ralph Vince (1934-1936), Tom Conley (1936-1943), Gene Oberst (1946-1951), Herb Eisele (1951-1970), John Keshock (1970-1978), Ron Zwierlein (1978-1981), Jerry Schweickert (1981-1986), Tony DeCarlo (1986-2003), Laurie Massa (2004-2018), and Michelle Morgan (2018-2023). 

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