Florida State fired athletics director Michael Alford on Monday morning, a decision he announced in a statement and later detailed in a press conference inside the Moore Athletic Center.
Alford had been FSU’s athletics director since January 2022 after he was hired in the fall of 2020 to run Seminole Boosters, Inc. The move was effective immediately.
“Michael Alford has served the University and our student-athletes with dedication, and we thank him for his contributions to our athletics programs,” President Richard McCullough said in a statement. “As we begin this transition, our focus remains on the success of our teams and continuing to provide every competitive advantage we can to our student-athletes, coaches, and staff.”
Said BOT chairman Peter Collins in a statement: “Changes like this are never easy, but sometimes necessary. We have made significant investments and structural changes in our athletics program and Seminole Boosters over the past few years, but more are needed. This step begins the next phase of restructuring that the University must commit to in order to compete in this era of college sports. The President and the Board are in lockstep on the mission and what the results must be.”
McCullough spoke on the decision later on Monday at a press conference and said the decision to fire Alford was necessary to compete in a college sports landscape that "is changing incredibly rapidly."
"This is a first step in working toward doing everything that we can to build revenue and take a look at the kind of administration that we need moving forward," McCullough said. "We’re going through a time where the investments that we’re making in college football is rapidly increasing.
"People often say that we have a spending problem. But the spending problem is essentially a reality. The reality is that’s what it takes to be competitive at the highest level."
McCullough has appointed Bruce Warwick, currently Senior Associate Athletics Director, to serve as Interim Director of Athletics. FSU said a national search would be conducted.
Warwick has been at FSU since 2020, when coach Mike Norvell hired him away from the LA Rams.
“It is important that we remain dedicated to providing continuity and support to our student-athletes, coaches and staff, who remain our top priority,” Warwick said in a statement.
In his time at FSU, Alford made significant head coach hires — men’s basketball’s Luke Loucks, baseball’s Link Jarrett, soccer’s Brian Pensky, women’s basketball’s Brooke Wyckoff and lacrosse’s Sara Tisdale. FSU launched a lacrosse program in spring 2025.
FSU also won a pair of soccer titles under Pensky’s leadership, who Alford and FSU’s administration hired to replace Mark Krikorian.
“While I will leave it to others to provide thoughts on our accomplishments and challenges, I am proud of what we were able to achieve together — our student-athletes, staff and coaches — in competition and in the classroom,” Alford posted on Twitter/X. “We have won championships, developed outstanding young men and women and watched them earn their college degrees, built or enhanced facilities and always acted in the best interests of our student-athletes and our institution.
“I believe there is a strong foundation in place for FSU Athletics and I am confident that the momentum will continue.”
Alford’s era at FSU signaled massive facility projects for football, at a price tag of more than $400 million. Construction crews transformed the west side of Doak Campbell Stadium, and the football only facility that broke ground in December 2022 opened up in October 2025.
But Alford’s decision to take on the debt, do a football re-seat of Doak and drive ticket prices higher in sections of the stadium drew the ire of thousands of longtime FSU fans.
The decision also comes as Norvell is on a hot seat after two losing seasons and a lackluster 1-1 start. FSU is a 20.5-point underdog at No. 10 Alabama on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (ABC). If Norvell is replaced in the coming weeks or months, the hire will be made by a new athletics director as well as president Dr. Richard McCullough and Board of Trustees chairman Peter Collins.
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