Keli Zinn has made her first big hire as the Rutgers Athletic Director, bringing in Todd Knisley to serve as Executive Deputy Athletics Director, Chief Operating Officer, and Revenue Officer for the Scarlet Knights. Knisley has over 15 years of experience in revenue generation, partnerships, and strategic growth with major college and professional teams, and will look to bring his knowledge and expertise to Piscataway.
“Todd has a proven track record driving revenue and leading high-performing teams,”
Zinn said in the press release. “His addition to the Rutgers Athletics staff is critical to our success moving forward. He knows what it takes for athletic departments to thrive and compete at the highest levels. I’m thrilled to welcome Todd, his wife, Kelsey, and their children, Brooks, Chase, and Caroline, to the Rutgers family.”
Knisley worked with Zinn at West Virginia from 2013 to 2020, before serving as the vice president and general manager of Ohio State Sports Properties with Learfield from 2020 to 2025.
“This is an exciting time to join Rutgers Athletics as the department continues to build momentum and move forward under strong leadership,” Knisley said. “Working alongside Keli once again and helping bring her vision of success to life is a tremendous opportunity. I’ve always been passionate about building relationships that drive sustainable growth and leave a lasting impact on both the student-athlete and fan experience.”
Knisley added, “As we navigate the increasingly complex collegiate athletics landscape, particularly with the ongoing evolution of name, image, and likeness – collaboration, innovation, and a strong work ethic will be essential. Together, we have an incredible opportunity to build something truly special, and I’m eager to get started.”
Todd Knisley is a graduate of the Mountaineers, getting both his bachelor’s and master’s from West Virginia by 2007. His first position was with the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings in their marketing and partnerships department, before joining the Oklahoma Sooners as the Assistant Athletic Director of Athletics Marketing and Promotions.
After two years in that role, Knisley made the move to Learfield, which is the top media and technology company in college athletics. Learfield works with over 200 universities and represents more than 150 in multimedia rights, as well as many conferences and the NCAA itself.
Knisley became the Account Executive for TCU Sports Properties in 2010, before going back to his home state as the Senior Account Executive for Marshall Sports Properties in 2013. After a year with the Thundering Herd, he returned to West Virginia, where he worked with Rutgers AD Keli Zinn from 2013 to 2020.
Knisley joined the Mountaineers as the Associate General Manager of Mountaineer Sports Properties before taking over as the General Manager in 2015, serving in that role for five years. He also taught a graduate-level sports sponsorship and sales management class as an adjunct professor at West Virginia starting in 2016. Knisley saw consistent year-over-year growth while overseeing all sales and operations for the West Virginia property.
After seven years with the Mountaineers, Knisley made his next move to Ohio State in 2020, taking the position of vice president and general manager of Ohio State Sports Properties with Learfield. He was responsible for multimedia rights, naming rights, ticket sales, Ohio Stadium tours, digital content, and NIL initiatives, while managing one of the biggest revenue-generating enterprises in all of college sports in Columbus.
Knisley helped form the Buckeye Sports Group, which helped create and enhance NIL opportunities for all 36 Buckeyes athletic programs while creating a sustainable NIL ecosystem that benefits the athletes, brands, and the university. Under Knisley’s leadership, Ohio State’s athletic department has consistently generated over $30 million in revenue, while his property has exceeded its revenue goals in the past six years. Knisley was named to the prestigious “Forty Under 40” list by Sports Business Journal in 2023, highlighting his expertise in his field.
With Keli Zinn beginning to fill out her staff, Knisley’s hire brings in an extremely qualified candidate who has worked with extremely successful athletic departments, including at Ohio State, West Virginia, TCU, and Oklahoma. Knisley was behind a major NIL generation program at Ohio State, while also helping form the revenue-sharing and multimedia rights deals for the Buckeyes.
His familiarity with Zinn continues the key trend of alignment within the athletic department, as both President Tate and Keli Zinn served at LSU before accepting positions at Rutgers. Knisley will use his experience and knowledge to help guide the Scarlet Knights toward modern revenue and NIL-generating practices that will support athletes while making sure the athletic department runs smoothly when it comes to finances.
