New Mexico Basketball Meets a New Power Center: What Ryan Berryman’s Appointment Signals Inside UNM Athletics
New mexico basketball now sits at the center of a leadership shift at the University of New Mexico, after President Garnett S. Stokes announced Ryan Berryman as Vice President and Director of Athletics, removing his interim title following a two-month national search.
What did UNM decide—and who is Ryan Berryman?
UNM selected 32-year-old New Mexico native Ryan Berryman to lead Lobo Athletics full-time, a decision made by UNM President Garnett S. Stokes after a national search assisted by Parker Executive Search. Stokes stated that Berryman was evaluated against “an outstanding field of candidates” and “stood above them, ” pointing to his vision, ability to execute, and trust built within the department.
Berryman is a three-time UNM graduate and, as described in the university announcement, one of the youngest athletics directors in Division I. He is also the first Lobo alumnus to lead the department in the modern era.
His ties to the men’s basketball program are longstanding. He attended basketball camps at UNM as a child and began his career as a student manager for the men’s basketball program in 2012, contributing to back-to-back Mountain West Championships. His early responsibilities included doing laundry for the team as a student manager, and he later became the Lobos’ director of basketball operations before graduating. He was also an ace student at UNM’s Anderson School of Management and served as the school’s governor-appointed student regent.
How did the search unfold—and what changed under the interim period?
Berryman had been serving as interim athletics director since January, and Stokes’ announcement formalized the position after that interim period. In the version of events described by UNM and reiterated publicly, the process involved a two-month national search, culminating in Stokes making the final selection.
During his two-month interim period, Berryman led efforts aimed at improvements at University Stadium and secured a 10-year naming rights partnership with Nusenda Credit Union. Those moves were highlighted as concrete actions taken while he held the interim title—evidence of administrative momentum even before the search concluded.
The appointment also closes a chapter of turnover at the top. Berryman will succeed Fernando Lovo, who left in late December to take the same position at the University of Colorado. Lovo had taken over for Eddie Nuñez, whom Berryman worked under as senior associate AD and chief operating officer, before Nuñez left for the University of Washington in August 2024 after 12 years at UNM. One of Lovo’s first moves, based on recommendations, was to bring Berryman back as deputy AD and chief operations officer.
Where does New Mexico Basketball fit into the new leadership equation?
The men’s basketball program is explicitly part of the leadership narrative surrounding Berryman. His career origin inside the program, and his later operations leadership roles, situate him as an athletics director whose resume is intertwined with basketball on a practical level, not just as a fan or alumnus.
Men’s basketball coach Eric Olen publicly congratulated Berryman and linked their alignment to the program’s direction. Olen said he and Berryman “have the same vision for New Mexico basketball” and expressed excitement to continue working together “to make that a reality. ” He also stated in a university release that Berryman helped bring him to UNM, and that Berryman understands what coaches need, cares deeply about student-athletes, and sets expectations for everyone.
That alignment arrives amid broader claims of momentum across UNM sports. Over the past year and a half, the hiring and success of first-year football coach Jason Eck, and the hiring and success of first-year men’s basketball coach Eric Olen—alongside additional national championships collected by UNM track and cross country athletes—were described as developments that have invigorated Lobo fans. Within that context, Berryman’s permanent appointment can be read as a bet on continuity: keeping the department’s direction in the hands of an internal leader who has been present through recent staffing decisions and early results.
Berryman’s own public remarks, released by the school, framed his outlook as forward-facing. He said he has watched the department grow through hard years and remarkable ones, and believes “the best days are ahead, ” adding that UNM will build something the entire state is proud of “in competition, in the classroom, and in this community. ”
