BrettRybak

Brett Rybak is in his second season as director of player development at the University of Kentucky. In his role, Rybak oversees Kentucky student-athlete’s off-court experience, including the areas of player welfare and player branding.

Rybak helps manage all name, image and likeness contracts, working in conjunction with each student-athlete, compliance and Kentucky’s branding/licensing team to ensure the viability of each deal while also providing ongoing education to each individual student-athlete as to how they can brand themselves and what they can do to improve their brand and marketability within the UK men’s basketball brand.

In addition, Rybak serves in a player relations role, facilitating all community service and working as a liaison to the UK admissions office and Center for Academic and Tutorial Success. Rybak also provides operations support with official visits, student-athlete housing, program facility guests and staff and student-athlete ticketing.

Rybak initially joined the Kentucky athletic communications and public relations office in September 2022 after almost 12 years in The Ohio State University’s athletics communications office, where he worked with men’s basketball, baseball, women’s soccer and several other sports. He possesses more than 15 years of media relations and communications experience.

A native of Chesterland, Ohio, Rybak is a 2008 graduate of Otterbein University. He and his wife, Ellen, have a son, Paxton.