Amid reports that he is being considered as a candidate to succeed Dave Brandon as Michigan’s next athletic director, Boston College AD Brad Bates declined comment Tuesday about the opening at his alma mater, where he played football as a walk-on and then earned a scholarship under legendary coach Bo Schembechler.
Despite his ties to the Big Ten school and to Port Huron, Mich., where he was raised and attended high school near the Ann Arbor campus, Bates said he “absolutely loves Boston College,’’ and that he planned to remain at the university “for a long time.’’
Bates was hired two years ago at BC after serving 10 years as AD at Miami (Ohio).
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Asked if he had been contacted by Michigan, Bates replied, “It doesn’t serve any purpose to comment about another institution and their [hiring] process. I don’t want to be a distraction to anyone at Boston College.’’
Bates’s name emerged as a candidate to succeed Brandon, who was fired Oct. 31 and replaced by interim AD Jim Hackett.
“I absolutely love Boston College and am aligned with its mission and its core values,’’ Bates said. “I love the people I work with within the administration and feel like there’s still a lot of work to do.
“Father [William P.] Leahy [BC president] and the administration have been great to me. This is a special place and I do like it here.
“I want to stay here for a long time, or for as long as the university leadership feels like I’m making a significant contribution to the university.’’
Michael Vega can be reached at vega@globe.com.