James Allan

James Allan was promoted to director of strategic communications in Sept. 2024 after serving as an associate director from 2016-24 and an assistant director from 2010-16.  The 2026-27 academic year will be Allan’s 20th season with the Hawkeyes; he was a student assistant from 2000-04.

Allan is the communications contact for men’s basketball and the secondary football contact. He also supervises the communications efforts for women’s tennis programs. During his Iowa tenure, Allan has served as the sports contact for 21 Hawkeye sports.

During the 2025-26 season, Allan led the men's basketball communications efforts during the program's NCAA Tournament Elite Eight run as a No. 9 seed. Iowa was in the media spotlight after hitting a game winner with 4.5 seconds left to bounce top-seeded and defending national champion Florida in the Round of 32. 

In 2015, Allan led the publicity for the Iowa baseball team at the World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan.  The Hawkeyes earned the silver medal while representing the United States.  It was the first American squad to medal in Universiade history.

During Allan's tenure in Iowa City, the strategic communications office has been recognized by the Football Writers Association of America with the Super 11 Award four times in a seven-year span (2019, 2021, 2024, 2025). The honor recognizes the top sports information departments in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

On the football front, Allan has assisted in communications efforts at nine bowl games, including six Jan. 1 bowls and the 2016 Rose Bowl Game. He has also directed/assisted in publicizing 42 football All-Americans since 2010 and All-Americans in baseball, men's basketball, field hockey, women's gymnastics and men's wrestling.

Allan has also assisted in successful promotional campaigns for a number of Hawkeye student-athletes -- Logan Jones (Rimington Award, 2025), Kaden Wetjen (Jett Award, 2024, 2025), Tory Taylor (Ray Guy Award, 2023), Jack Campbell (Butkus, 2022), Tyler Linderbaum (Rimington, 2021), T.J. Hockenson (Mackey, 2018), Josey Jewell (Lott IMPACT Trophy, 2017), Desmond King (Jim Thorpe, 2015), Brandon Scherff (Outland, 2014), Luka Garza (National Player of the Year, 2021, 2022) and Spencer Lee (Hodge Trophy, 2020, 2021).

Prior to returning to his alma mater, Allan was the sports information director at the University of Missouri-Kansas City from 2005-10 and he served as the athletics media relations intern at Texas Christian University in 2004-05.

The Hampton, Iowa, native earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Iowa in 2004.  He is a member of College Sports Communicators, the Football Writer’s Association of America and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

He and his wife, Mary Ann, have four children — Jonathan, Will, Eleanor and Olivia.