Photo by: Christina Leung
A Letter to the Dons Family
7/13/2026 3:00:00 PM | General
Dear Dons Family,
From the moment I walked onto the Hilltop and took in that breathtaking 360-degree view of San Francisco, I knew this was somewhere special. The beauty of this place, its history, and the warmth of every person I encountered confirmed what I had sensed from the very beginning: the University of San Francisco is exactly where I am supposed to be. To our donors, alumni, fans, season ticket holders, and staff, thank you. Truly. Your commitment to this institution and to our student-athletes is the foundation on which everything we will build together will stand. I step into this role with both deep gratitude and an inspired vision.Why USF
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________There are places you choose and places that choose you. USF chose me, and I chose it back wholeheartedly. What drew me here was not simply the opportunity, but the alignment. From my first conversations with President Aceves and the Board of Trustees, I recognized a shared vision for what athletics at USF can and should be. This is a university with a strong, clear identity, rooted in Jesuit values and a commitment to the whole person. It's a community that functions not as a collection of siloed groups, but as a single, genuine family. That kind of environment is rare, and it is precisely where meaningful, lasting work gets done.
There is a legacy here that deserves to be honored and elevated. The Dons have an incredible history worth celebrating, and I am driven by the responsibility of stewarding it into the next chapter of success.
A Vision for Athletics
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________College athletics is in a period of extraordinary change, and I believe change, when met with clarity and conviction, creates opportunity. My vision for USF Athletics is grounded in a simple but powerful idea: that we can compete at the highest level without compromising who we are.
That means building a culture defined by shared vision, high trust, and a commitment to something bigger than any one individual. It means investing aggressively and creatively in our programs — through a strategic approach to philanthropy and external revenue generation — while never letting the experience become transactional. The student-athletes who will thrive here are those who want to be Dons: drawn by our comprehensive excellence, our Jesuit tradition, our coaches, and the extraordinary city of San Francisco.
There are places you choose and places that choose you. USF chose me, and I chose it back wholeheartedly. What drew me here was not simply the opportunity, but the alignment. From my first conversations with President Aceves and the Board of Trustees, I recognized a shared vision for what athletics at USF can and should be. This is a university with a strong, clear identity, rooted in Jesuit values and a commitment to the whole person. It's a community that functions not as a collection of siloed groups, but as a single, genuine family. That kind of environment is rare, and it is precisely where meaningful, lasting work gets done.
There is a legacy here that deserves to be honored and elevated. The Dons have an incredible history worth celebrating, and I am driven by the responsibility of stewarding it into the next chapter of success.
Above all, it means taking our responsibility to the student-athlete experience seriously. These are formative years. Our job is to create a holistic environment where student-athletes are challenged, supported, and given the space to fail, grow, and ultimately flourish. A place where they feel like they belong, and a place from which they graduate and say that coming to USF was the best decision they ever made.
Our Commitment to You
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________To our donors and alumni: thank you. What you have given in resources, in belief, and in loyalty has made this department possible. We are entering a moment in college athletics that demands more, and I am committed to finding meaningful, thoughtful ways to align your passion for the Dons with giving opportunities that move us all forward. I look forward to getting to know each of you personally and to working together to build something of which we can all be proud.
To our season ticket holders and fans: your presence matters more than you know. You are the energy in the arena. You are what our student-athletes see when they look up from the court or the field. I ask you to keep showing up and to bring someone new with you. Wear the Dons gear. Fly the flag. Tell the story of this program. The more San Francisco knows about our student-athletes and what this department stands for, the stronger we all become.
To our staff: you are the ones who make it happen every single day. We will work together to build a culture of accountability, trust, and mutual support, in which everyone has the opportunity to grow and become the best version of themselves. That work starts with us.
To the broader San Francisco community: We are the University of San Francisco, but you are also the University of San Francisco. This city deserves an athletic department it can point to with pride, and we intend to be exactly that. Come to campus. Get to know our student-athletes. I promise this place will exceed your expectations.
Looking Ahead
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The opportunity in front of us is significant, and I have no intention of letting it pass. I have spent my career learning that resilience, adaptability, and a belief in the people around you are the qualities that move organizations forward in moments of change.
A phrase I return to often: If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevancy even less. College athletics will continue to evolve with the transfer portal, NIL, revenue sharing, and pressures we haven't yet imagined. Our work is to evolve with it, on our terms, rooted in our values, and always with our student-athletes at the center of our focus.
Years from now, I hope that people will say that I cared about the people around me; that I treated others the right way; and that I helped build a department and a culture where every person is not only empowered to reach their highest potential, but is able to actually achieve it.
That work begins now. I cannot think of a better place, a better city, or a better community in which to begin it.
Go Dons!
With gratitude and excitement,
Brent Blaylock
Director of Athletics
University of San Francisco
Monday, May 11
Monday, May 11
Monday, May 11
Saturday, May 09
