In the 28 years of writing this column, nothing has ever been exactly like this.

This search for a new University of Arkansas athletic director has been, without a doubt, leakproof.

The flow of information is nonexistent.

If Chancellor John White is telling his lovely wife, Mary Lib, she’s the only one he is confiding in and she can apparently keep a secret as well as him.

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There has been absolutely no indication of whom will replace J. Frank Broyles.

So you can imagine the surprise when calls started coming in Wednesday asking for hints about the new AD.

It didn’t take long for me to realize what had happened.

During Sportsrap, the show I now co-host with Shawn Arnell and Jim Harris on Arkansas Radio Network in the afternoons, Shawn and I were discussing just how incredibly quiet all was on that front.

As a joke I said something to the effect that I was the only one who knew who the next AD was going to be.

It was a joke, and came right after I said White could run the CIA.

Yet, people are so curious about who will be the next AD that the next caller, from Fort Smith, asked if it were anyone associated with Broyles.

I said whomever it is will most likely not be someone who played or worked for Broyles.

The caller said good and hung up.

So let me clear this up right now: I have some great sources, but they adamantly claim they know nothing about who the next athletic director will be.

That said, I do think White has a plan and is sticking to it. Part of that plan was there would be no leaks in the process and the candidate would be someone with experience from a Bowl Championship Series conference.

White told UA coaches earlier he hoped to have someone in place by the start of the football season so they could have some on-the-job training

Now, he also admitted earlier this summer all the drama since football season had not helped in his search.

Yet, you can bet he is not taking the high road on the most important hire he may ever make at the UA.

Which is why he is not rushing, and that is a good thing. Knowing White and having observed the method by which he operates, he had his list of candidates ready the same day he found out Broyles would indeed retire.

He has no doubt deleted some names, but he has probably added some others.

There are a number of quality people who would love to help their alma mater as it makes this huge transition.

Names like Ken Hatfield, Bill Montgomery and Scott Bull are just a few being bandied around.

The most popular theory is it will be UA alum Terry Don Phillips, who is currently the AD at Clemson. Phillips has a law degree, has been AD at Oklahoma State and Clemson and was an assistant to Broyles before going to OSU.

He also was a three-year letterman for the Razorbacks football team.

Yet, all those names seem so obvious that the announcement would have already been made if it were one of them.

Of course, there is the ongoing concern that nothing can happen until Broyles has a new office.

Houston Nutt even said during SEC media days that when they find Broyles an office — meaning it had not been done three weeks ago — he would find it and be there every day.

It was commonly believed that the office would be in the Razorback Foundation building, but apparently there is some sort of hang-up there now.

Basically, that’s all there is to know at this time.

However, if Dr. John White would like to confide in me, I would be happy to keep it a secret.