First Friday Club of Akron - May 2, 2025- Brian Polian

Join us on May 2, 2025 as Brian Polian,Vice President for Athletics and National Engagement at John Carroll University speaks on Faith & Sports.

Brian Polian ’97 enters his second year at John Carroll in the 2024-25 academic year. Polian has been promoted to Vice President for Athletics and National Engagement, effective August 1, 2024.
In his first year as Director of Athletics, Polian guided the Blue Streaks to the 2023-24 Ohio Athletic Conference Men's All-Sports Trophy. JCU finished 37th in 2023-24 Learfield Directors' Cup standings, tops among OAC schools. Under his leadership, John Carroll will transition to the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) in Fall 2025.
A 25-year veteran of collegiate sports leadership, Polian most recently served as Associate Athletics Director and General Manager of Football at Louisiana State University (LSU) after spending a season under Brian Kelly as Special Teams Coordinator.
Polian’s roots in athletics and ties to John Carroll run deep. A native of Buffalo, New York, and graduate of St. Francis High School. (Brian Polian’s father, Bill, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.) Brian Polian graduated from John Carroll in 1997 with a B.A. in History following a four-year stint on the JCU Football Team. Polian earned All-OAC Second Team honors in 1996 playing alongside College Football Hall of Fame member London Fletcher.
Polian brings extensive administrative experience to the role. Most recently, Polian served as the Associate Athletics Director / General Manager of Football at Louisiana State University after spending a season under Brian Kelly as Special Teams Coordinator. During the 2022 season, the Tigers finished 10-4 as SEC West and Citrus Bowl Champions. At LSU, Polian guided the Tigers through a major roster overhaul, helping to produce two top-10 recruiting classes in 2022 and 2023.
Polian also worked under Brian Kelly at the University of Notre Dame from 2017-21. During his stint as special teams coordinator, the Fighting Irish made two College Football Playoff appearances and consistently finished in the top 20 special teams rankings. At Notre Dame, Polian led the Irish recruiting efforts that produced multiple top recruiting classes and NFL draft picks.