KNOXVILLE — University of Tennessee associate athletic director John Currie has agreed to take the top position at Kansas State, multiple sources told the Times Free Press on Thursday night.

Currie, the second in command to UT men’s athletic director Mike Hamilton, came to Knoxville in 1997 and returned in 2000 after a brief stint at Wake Forest, his alma mater. Currie had been a finalist in several AD searches in previous years, including Duke, Middle Tennessee State and UT-Chattanooga.

Attempts to reach Currie and Kansas State officials Thursday weren’t immediately successful.

Currie has filled several roles for UT, including marketing, development, ticketing and men’s basketball supervisor. He was involved with the search process that brought men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl to Knoxville four years ago, and he’s been a key figure in the program throughout Pearl’s tenure.

“John Currie’s going to be a tremendous (athletic director) one day, but selfishly, I hope we can keep him around here for a long as possible,” Pearl said last year. “He’s been so important to our program. He’s been one of the guys that’s helped us get to this point.”