One of Our Own: Why Ryan Berryman is the Homegrown Leader UNM Athletics Deserves
New UNM VP and Director of Athletics, Ryan Berryman, is introduced to The Pit crowd against Nevada back on Jan. 24th 2026. Photo: Erik Moulton/The Pit Press.
Sometimes, things happen for a reason.
The University of New Mexico has a new athletic director, and for the first time in a long time, we aren’t rushing to Google to look up his résumé.
Interim Athletic Director Ryan Berryman will need new business cards now that he officially has been promoted. As Lobo fans, we got the guy I can confidently say the majority of us wanted. Now that the hard part is done, the easy part for fans will be helping him fine-tune his vision for Lobo Athletics.
Berryman is 32 years old, a UNM alum, a former men’s basketball manager and a homegrown head honcho for the Lobos.
The last time the school hired one of its own was way back in 1988 when UNM hired Dr. Gary Ness to be its new AD.
Thirty-eight years later, Berryman will get the chance to put his stamp on the department.
“I am so incredibly grateful to President Garnett Stokes and the members of the search committee for this incredible opportunity to serve our student-athletes and our community,” Berryman said in a statement. “New Mexico is home, and leading Lobo Athletics is the greatest professional honor of my life.”
When Fernando Lovo left for the University of Colorado in late December, I said then that Berryman has the chance to be here for the long haul. We needed someone who wants to be here, someone who knows what a hidden gem Albuquerque is as a sports town.
Lovo did a lot of good here, but when you have one eye on Albuquerque and the other on another job, you aren’t going to have that same passion.
“Ryan has earned that trust every single day since I got here,” Lobo football coach Jason Eck said in a statement. “He doesn’t just support winning programs; he builds the conditions that make winning possible.
Berryman has already done some huge deals in his two months in charge. He’s pushing forward long-overdue improvements to University Stadium. He hammered home the multi-million dollar naming rights deal for the Pit with Nusenda Credit Union.
Add that to the résumé.
We got our guy. Now it’s time to support him by continuing to pack The Pit, University Stadium and all the other venues the Lobos will visit on the road to athletic glory.
Let’s help him show recruits why Albuquerque is the most underrated place to play in the Mountain West.
