Syracuse hires top Notre Dame assistant for key football oversight role

As Syracuse continues to make significant changes throughout its athletic department, the Orange are adding a top Notre Dame staffer to their upper administration, USA TODAY Sports has learned.

Yulander Wells, who has spent the past three-and-a-half years as Notre Dame’s deputy athletic director with oversight of athletics strategy, is joining new Syracuse athletic director Bryan Blair’s inaugural staff, three people familiar with the move told USA TODAY Sports.

An announcement including Wells’ addition and those of other new Syracuse executives is expected this week.

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Wells will serve as Syracuse’s chief operating officer and have oversight of football.

Football oversight at a Power conference program is another step up the ladder for Wells, who arrives at Syracuse after recently overseeing men’s basketball and business strategy at Notre Dame.

His time with the Fighting Irish spans the end of the Jack Swarbrick era and the transition to current Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua, the former Irish walk-on punter and ex-NBC executive.

Among Wells’ initiatives while in South Bend are Notre Dame’s lucrative, 10-year renewal of its exclusive apparel deal with Under Armour — a pact Under Armour controls after outbidding Adidas and Nike to maintain its Fighting Irish partnership.