Now that Kevin White is moving on to Duke, the big question amongst Domers is who will replace him as Notre Dame's athletic director.

University President Father John Jenkins said in a statement Saturday that there is no timetable for a successor to be named and that a thorough search will be made.

In the meantime, Missy Conboy, will serve as the school's interim Athletic Director.

The AD position at Notre Dame is one of the most powerful in the country. When the 11 conference commissioners meet to discuss the Bowl Championship Series, the 12th person at the table is the Notre Dame athletic director.

Here are some of the potential candidates who have ties to Notre Dame. This is merely speculation at this point.

Bubba Cunningham
The Tulsa Athletic Director is a Notre Dame alum and previously served as an Associate Athletic Director for the Irish. Before Tulsa, he was the AD at Ball State.

Steve Orsini
The SMU Athletic Director is also a domer. He knows all about Irish football as a former captain on the '77 National Championship team.

Rick Chryst
Another Irish alum. Chryst is the Commissioner of the MAC. He has not been an AD before, but knows all about being those BCS meetings.

Bernard Muir
The Georgetown Athletic Director is not an alum but served as ND's Deputy AD under Kevin White prior to leaving for G-Town.

Gene Smith
Ohio State's Athletic Director would be a major score for the Irish... if he is interested. When asked Saturday about his interest in the position by a Columbus newspaper, Smith elected not to comment. He was a member of the '73 National Championship team.

John Paxson
The former Irish basketball player is not being mentioned by many, but would make for an interesting candidate. Paxson knows a lot about winning, clinching a NBA title for the Bulls with a game-winning shot. He also knows about running in a big-time program, currently serving as the General Manager of the Bulls. Pax does not have any college experience, however. He also does not have experience with football.

Missy Conboy
The former Irish basketball player has been Notre Dame's Deputy Athletic Director for the past few years, having worked in the Athletic Department for two decades. She is currently taking over the AD position on an interim basis.

Other Candidates
Associate Athletic Directors John Heisler and Bill Scholl could also be considered.

Of course, the Irish may not go with someone with ties to the University at all as they did when they chose White---a non-Notre Dame alum who was previously the Athletic Director at Arizona State.