If this is the case, I would expect and hope to hear TOC announce his retirement very soon (like within the next two weeks). I hope we aren't going into May not knowing if our AD is coming back or not.
Seems to me that a search committee would need to be formed immediately afterwards--do AD hires move as quickly as coach hires? Typically the cycle for academic hires is at least a semester. Mason just names the new Provost to replace Stearns today and I think he announced his retirement a better part of a year ago.