FILE PHOTO/Arizona Summer Wildcat Arizona director of athletics Jim Livengood is rumored to be considering the athletic director position at the University of Minnesota. Livengood was hired at UA in 1994.

UA director of athletics Jim Livengood is the leading candidate to become the athletic director at the University of Minnesota, according to reports in a Minnesota newspaper.

Livengood told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune Sunday that he interviewed for the vacant job of AD last week. Livengood has been the director of athletics at the UA since 1994.

The Minnesota search committee plans to meet today and possibly make an offer to Livengood at that time, according to the Star-Tribune.

Livengood has not returned phone calls from the Wildcat.

The other top candidate for the job is Joel Maturi, the AD at Miami of Ohio. This is not the first time that Livengood has been interviewed for a job elsewhere. In the last two years he has interviewed for a similar job at Michigan, and was considered a candidate for jobs at Virginia and LSU.

Livengoodâs first job as an athletic director was at Southern Illinois, where he served from 1985 to 1987. Washington State hired him as athletic director in 1987, and he remained there until taking the Arizona job. Livengood is earning $304,000 a year at Arizona, but the Star-Tribune reports that he could make more if he took the job at Minnesota.

Livengood is the driving force behind the $15 million Eddie Lynch Pavilion set to officially open in September. During his tenure as AD, Arizona has ranked in the top 10 for nine consecutive years in the Sears Cup, which ranks the top athletic programs in the country.

UM needs to replace former AD Tom Moe, whose contract was not renewed.

The Star-Tribune reported that Livengood expects to make a decision on the position this week.