Published December 4, 2025

CAPTION:ƵPresident Dr. Carrie Castille presents new Director of Athletics SJ Tuohy with a helmet at his introductory press conference.
MONROE, La.– Ƶ officially welcomed newly hired Director of Athletics SJ Tuohy to campus at a press conference on Thursday, December 4. Tuohy comes to Ƶafter having served as Deputy Athletic Director of Development at Oral Roberts University.
“With great confidence and genuine enthusiasm, I am proud to officially introduce our newDirector of Athletics, SJ Tuohy. We are thrilled to welcome him into our community and excited for the leadership and momentum he will bring,” said ƵPresident Dr. Carrie L. Castille.“SJ is a dynamic leader whose experience spans multiple levels of collegiate athletics. He has built a reputation for excellence in external relations, fundraising, student-athlete support, and competitive growth,” she added.
Tuohy took to the podium and thanked the ƵWarhawk family for the warm welcome and for the opportunity. He spoke about the bright future of ƵAthletics and why he is excited about his new role.
"For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be an athletic director,” said Tuohy. “People have asked me, ‘Why ULM?’ This is a place that hasa great opportunityand a great foundation to build on.It’sa place that wants to win. This is not a job where you just want to stay afloat.We’regoing tobuild,andwe’regoing to grow,” said Tuohy.
Offering a quote from one of his mentors, Tuohy said, “‘The privilege to lead at any level is really a responsibility,’andthat’swhat I feel most taking this job. I feel responsibletoDr. Castilleto makesure that she has an athletic department that represents her vision for this university. But most importantly,I’mresponsible for ourstudent-athletes. We are going to provide them with the best possible experience of what we can do to the best of our capabilities every day.”
Tuohy spoke about the importance of bringing fun to ƵAthletics. “College sports are supposed to be fun. Winning matters.We’rein an outcome-driven business, but ifwe’renot having fun, thendon’tbe here,” said Tuohy.
Tuohy saidhe’sbeen asked about his vision and his plan for ƵAthletics, and he referenced theold adageof “hit the ground running.” “That’s true, but I want to hit the ground listening,” said Tuohy. “We have a lot to figure out about how to build this thing. We have an unbelievable coaching staff. Thestudent-athletesI’vemet have beenvery passionate. I want to listen, I want to learn, and thenwe’regoing to grow.”
Tuohy says ULM’s key to winning is simple. “Wehave towin the margins. Wehave tobe better at small decisions about how we are stewarding money, how we are spending money, and how we are raising money, and the choices we are making for our student-athletes every day,” hestated. “We have to be the best small decision makers in the country, and I think we are capable of doing that with the staff that wehave,and I’m excited to grow,” he added.
Watch the full press conference at
