Jay Larson is serving as Co-Director of Athletics at Cal for the 2025-26 year. Larson and Jenny Simon-O’Neill – who serves alongside Larson as Co-Director of Athletics – were formally appointed by Chancellor Rich Lyons into these positions on July 2, 2025, establishing an innovative leadership structure. In this role, Larson and Simon-O’Neill oversee a broad-based athletics program, shaping the department's future amid sweeping changes in college sports.
Larson brings two decades of experience in intercollegiate athletics administration. He previously held the role of Deputy Athletics Director at Cal, playing an integral role in the overall leadership and management of Cal’s athletic department. He served as the sport administrator for Cal’s football program from 2018-2025. He led Cal’s athletic compliance department from 2015-2021, earning a Berkeley Excellence in Management award in 2018. Prior to Cal, Larson was an athletics administrator at San Diego State University and the University of Minnesota.
Larson earned a juris doctor degree from the University of Minnesota, where he served as a managing editor of the Minnesota Law Review, and a bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato. He is a member of the Minnesota State Bar.
