Cal athletic director Jim Knowlton and Washington State athletic director Pat Chun have interviewed for Northwestern’s vacant AD job, according to a report.

That’s per the MercuryNews’s Jon Wilner, who adds that a decision could come within the next 10 days.

Northwestern is looking to replace Jim Phillips, who was named ACC Commissioner back in December of 2020.

This is a very strong athletic director job for a number of reasons, including its proximity to Chicago and strong television revenue via the Big Ten conference.

Chun would make sense on a number of levels. In addition to being a well-respected figure in college athletics, he has roots in the Big Ten. He spent 15 years under Gene Smith at Ohio State from 1997-2012. He left the Buckeyes to take the Florida Atlantic AD job in 2012.

Chun is also a graduate of Ohio State and is a native of Strongville, Ohio.

Knowlton’s background before joining Cal includes time as Army West Point and Air Force’s athletic director. He’s also a graduate of Army West Point.