Alabama confirms hiring of Greg Byrne as next AD

Alabama confirmed Monday it's hired Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne for the same position.

Byrne will assume his new duties on March 1, taking over for Bill Battle, whose contract is set to expire. Battle underwent treatment over the summer for multiple myeloma, but previously said his decision to step away from the Crimson Tide is unrelated to his health.

"We knew Bill was considering a change, and we wanted to hire someone who can assume that mantle of leadership and continue the tradition of success that Bill and so many others before him have established," Alabama president Stuart Bell said in a release obtained by Rashad Snell of AlabamaNews.net.

Byrne has spent the last six-plus years at Arizona, and was the athletic director at Mississippi State for three years before that.

Reports surfaced Sunday evening that the Crimson Tide were nearing an agreement to hire Byrne away from the Wildcats.