During Wednesday’s news conference introducing new director of athletics Brian Santiago, BYU president Shane Reese said that he’d heard from many passionate Cougar fans about the hire.

“Is there such a thing as being too passionate about BYU athletics?” Reese joked.

Santiago, sitting immediately to Reese’s left, responded, “There is not.”

We’re all probably about to find out if that’s true.

If there is one character trait that describes Santiago, it’s passion. While Reese said Santiago bleeds blue, he wasn’t an undergrad at BYU, having played hoops at Utah Valley University (then Utah Valley Community College) and Fresno State before receiving an MBA from BYU later.

Santiago’s hiring appears to be somewhat polarizing. He has fiercely loyal friends and co-workers and more than a few detractors and skeptics as he takes over the job.

Santiago and his predecessor, Tom Holmoe, are both former college athletes. But while Holmoe carried himself like an administrator at all times, Santaigo has often carried himself like an athlete: Confident, sometimes cocky, sometimes aloof and preoccupied, sometimes competitive to a fault.

Maybe that was your experience with Santiago in the past.

He says he’s changed in the 27 years he’s been working at BYU, thanks largely to the influence of the patient and efficient Holmoe.

If you’ve ever seen Santiago at a BYU athletic event, you may have watched him chatter at the officials if he didn’t like a call and be fully invested in the outcome. What you may not have seen is after the game, when he’s giving high fives to athletes and coaches after a win or consoling them with hugs after a loss.

It’s obvious no one cares more.

Santiago believes he can win over doubting Cougar fans.

“I think people have seen my competitive side,” Santiago said. “I want to show them my personal side.”

Family members say Santiago always wanted to lead BYU athletics and over the years has had opportunities to do something else. He could have left for a job with the Utah Jazz a few years ago. But he always wanted to follow Holmoe and now he’s getting that chance.

The BYU athletic director job has evolved over the years. Rondo Fehlberg, once a vice president at Pennzoil and a high-powered attorney in the oil business, left in 1999 after just four years amid frustration with all the red tape and “silos” at the university. Vale Hale took the job understanding the limitations of his position and was rudely shown the door in 2004 when the department went through a major internal restructuring. Holmoe emerged from that dark time and over the past 20 years has shaped BYU athletics into what it is today.

One thing that strikes me is that there is so much more at stake in BYU athletics now than 20 years ago.

Or as Reese said, the college sports landscape is more complex than ever.

Santiago is fully versed on name, image and likeness, the transfer portal and revenue sharing. He’s played big roles in a number of key coaching hires over the years. The Cougars finally found their way into a power conference and to play the game, you have to play the game (ie, spend, and make, lots of money). The school shelled out the cash to lure Kevin Young away from the NBA, much of that Santiago’s doing. He began courting Young four or five years ago with the hopes of someday bringing him to Provo. The result was a Sweet 16 berth and the No. 1-rated national prospect, AJ Dybantsa, coming to play for the Cougars. The football team is coming off an 11-win season and its success obviously drives the bus of BYU athletics.

Before the start of Wednesday’s news conference at the BYU Broadcasting Building, the PA system was playing music in the background. The song was “Sweet Emotion,” a well-known rock anthem sung by Aerosmith.

“Turn that music up if you want,” Santiago said with a smile.

The volume is going up at BYU.

Expect it to be loud.

As always, Cougar fans will be listening very closely.