University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Football
- Title:
- Deputy Director of Athletics/External Operations/Sport Administrator
- Email:
- nico.yantko@louisiana.edu
- Phone:
- (337) 482-1836
- Sport Administration:
- Football, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
Nico Yantko joined the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Department of Athletics in July 2017 as the Deputy Athletic Director. In his more than four years with the Ragin’ Cajuns, Yantko has been an integral part of the department’s transformation in competitive success, facilities, resource development and brand recognition.
Yantko’s duties include providing leadership to all external and revenue generating areas, as well as overall planning, implementation, and day-to-day operations while partnering with the Director of Athletics Bryan Maggard in the daily oversight of the department. He also serves as the sport program administrator for Louisiana's football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball programs.
Additonally, he works consistently with key university stakeholders, including the office of the President, The Board of Trustees, Alumni Association Board, General Council and Operational Review, as well as serving on several university committees and appointments.
Since his arrival to Lafayette, Yantko has spearheaded a massive and unique reimagining of the department’s external relations structure, with an emphasis on implementing strategies to generate engagements within the community and growing revenues and the brand of Louisiana Athletics. Some of the department’s notable accomplishments guided by Yantko include:
- In 2021, Yantko secured the University’s largest gift in history for athletics for $15 million to provide Our Lady of Lourdes the stadium naming rights for Cajun Field
- Football Ticket Memberships increased by over 40% from 2019 to 2021 and over 100% in revenue growth in 2019
- The Ragin’ Cajuns have more than tripled their annual Facebook, Twitter and Instagram impressions and engagements since April 2018
- Louisiana's external team was awarded "Marketing Team of the Year" honors after being selected as a finalist for the 2019-20 season, and “Best of” recognitions in 2020-21
- Learfield/IMG recognized Ragin’ Cajuns Sports Properties as Property of the year in 2020
- Negotiated the first ever linear network deal with Cox Sports Television (CST) – placing the Ragin’ Cajuns in millions of households from coast-to-coast
- Implemented fundraising model that led to record setting donations, surpassing $30 million in FY21
An adamant supporter of creating a transformational student-athlete experience, Yantko partnered with Leadership Lafayette and executives and officials from the state of Louisiana to create the Geaux Lead Academy initiative. Funded by private support – this curriculum focuses on civic engagement and education, internship education and job placement, NIL preparedness, as well as roundtables with local CEOs for all Ragin’ Cajuns student-athletes in order to best prepare them for life after graduation.
In 2021, Yantko was selected by industry peers to serve as a mentor for rising minority football coaches through a pathway program with Suite 615 Sport Advisors, helping prepare coaches to transition to the head coach role; coaches include: Jabbar Juluke, Marcus Woodson, and Clint Sintum.
Prior to his arrival in Lafayette, Yantko spent nearly seven years (2011-17) on staff at the University of Missouri, rising to Associate Athletic Director for Development in 2016. Yantko’s leadership in record-setting fundraising created a dramatic transformation of Mizzou facilities and programmatic support during his tenure, including:
- Oversaw fundraising for $250 million in facility campaign initiatives
- Managed fundraising efforts that led to the two largest years in productivity for Mizzou Athletics - $45.7 million and $50.3 million
- Set university record of closing 11 seven-figure+ gifts in fiscal year 2017
- Member of leadership team that led Missouri's transition from the Big 12 Conference to the SEC
- As member of capital project management team oversaw $200 million in renovations to Memorial Stadium (football)
- Mizzou achieved two highest years of football ticket sales: 46,500 (FY15) and 44,230 (FY14)
Yantko reported directly to then-Director of Athletics Mike Alden on external outreach and engagement, as well as coordinating the Mizzou Athletics Statewide Outreach program, which visited all 114 Missouri counties and Chicago to strengthen relationships with Mizzou supporters and constituents. He also served as the liaison to the Kansas City Sports Foundation & St. Louis Sports Foundation, playing a key role in brokering the Mizzou Football game against BYU at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
From 2010-11, Yantko served in a variety of roles at North Carolina State University, including marketing, ticket sales and the Wolfpack Club. During his time at the Wolfpack Club, Yantko was a part of Debbie Yow and Bobby Purcell’s team that surpassed 20,000 donors for NC State. Yantko also oversaw Lifetime Rights Sales for Carter Finley Stadium (FB) and worked with the major gift and capital campaigns team.
Yantko is a dual graduate of Murray State, earning a bachelor's degree in Business and Integrated Studies in 2009 and later earned a master's degree in Human Development and Leadership, Public Administration.
He was a three-year football letter winner and starting quarterback for the Racers from 2007-09 and served as a member of the MSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, while briefly serving as a football staff assistant before embarking on his career in college athletics administration. Yantko served as a team captain and earned all-conference academic honors during his time as the Racers signal caller.
Yantko was recently inducted to Fairborn High School (Dayton, Ohio) Athletics Hall of Fame in September of 2021.
Yantko currently lives in Lafayette with his wife, Marnie, their daughter, Chaney, and their dog, Cannoli.
