Syracuse athletic director Bryan Blair has been leading the school's athletic department for just a few months and he's already receiving praise from national pundits.

Blair, the former athletic director at Toledo, was recognized by Silver Waves Media as being of the nation's best athletic directors earlier this week. After receiving the distinction, Blair posted this message on the social media platform X: "Lots of work, opportunity ahead!"

Despite his lack of time in Central New York, Blair has been involved in some major athletic initiatives. After getting hired in mid-March, Blair was part of the basketball coaching search following the dismissal of Adrian Autry.

Blair led the search to bring back former player, and assistant head coach, Gerry McNamara. McNamara was hired in late March after leading Siena to the NCAA Tournament. The Saints, as a No. 16 seed, nearly upset No. 1 Duke in the first round.

Syracuse hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament in the last five years.

In addition to the coaching hire, he's also been integral in trying to reshape NIL funding for the athletic department. He also saw both the men's and women's lacrosse programs reach the NCAA Tournament, with the men advancing to the Final Four.

A former college football player at Wofford, Blair began working his way through the athletic department following his time on the field.

In 2022, Blair was hired as the athletic director at Toledo, at that time becoming the youngest athletic director of any of the colleges with teams competing at the FBS level. 

Over the past few weeks, Blair has been active on social media platform X. engaging with fans and showing his personality.

Brown has shared messages, including support of the New York Knicks in the NBA, Gerry McNamara's recent practices with the basketball team, and his stop at a recent Syracuse Mets baseball game.

"Great night out with @OneGroupIns, @CuseFootball, @CuseWBB and the @SyracuseMets! Great energy around all things NY, especially @Cuse! "

Blair's focus will likely be on continuing to build One Orange Alliance, an initiative he announced in April. 

The announcement featured a polarizing reaction from Orange fans. Some fans were excited about the new venture, while others were worried that their NIL donations would go to athletes and programs they weren't intended for. Blair posted this in response to some of the fears of Orange fans. 

"Also, we hear the feedback on flexibility for giving. As we move forward, you’ll see additional options and layers for fans, expanded opportunities for businesses of all sizes, and new ways to elevate Syracuse Athletics.

Much more in store!"

Blair is likely to continue sharing his updates to future projects and success stories within the school via his personal social media accounts. 

For now, the SU Athletics calendar is quiet, but the fall season will be here before you know it, with competitions beginning in mid-August.

Remember to join our SYRACUSE on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Orange fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!