Florida State president Richard McCullough said “we expect the search for our next athletics director to begin very, very, very soon” in remarks to the school’s Board of Trustees on Friday morning.
McCullough’s speech to the BOT in what had been a previously scheduled meeting often covered a wide range of topics across campus, including athletics. He cited a few success stories with FSU athletics but added on a few comments about the leadership structure of the department.
“We have been working very hard on looking at and benchmarking what other universities are doing around the United States and what kinds of structures make sense,” McCullough said. “… That work is nearing completion.”
Athletics director Michael Alford was dismissed on Sept. 14. A letter to the FSU community on Tuesday from McCullough tried to soothe FSU fans’ anxiety about the football team, which is 3-4 going into Saturday’s matchup against Clemson. But the letter also stated FSU’s search for an athletics director had not yet begun.
Later in the meeting, BOT chairman Peter Collins said “we’ve been working on this (athletics structure examination) for the last several weeks.” He addressed the “what’s taking so long?” question that many in the fan base and media have asked with the AD search.
“First of all, you have to define what that person is going to do,” Collins said. “And that definition is going to change because of the review that we’re doing and have been doing. We’ve now gotten to the point where we can actually define the position. We will start that search, as the president said, next week.”
In addressing the timeline for an AD hire, Collins said he knows that “it’s not happening according to some people’s timeline, their desired timeline. Sorry. I wish I could sit down with everybody out there and explain to them what we felt the problems were, what we felt needed to be changed. But there’s not enough time to do that.”
The Osceola had reported in mid-October that no search firm had been retained or hiring committee had been formed. That could change in November, of course.
While McCullough has not done interviews with the media, he reiterated Friday a prior point about the shifting landscape of college athletics from not paying players to the introduction of name, image and likeness in July 2021 to the House-NCAA settlement that allowed schools to directly pay athletes beginning in July 2025.
“The world of college athletics changes literally every year and sometimes every six months,” McCullough said.
He backed up some national reporting when McCullough said some schools are spending $50 million on their football teams (The Osceola previously reported FSU’s football player acquisition budget in 2026 at approximately $30 million). The Protect College Sports Act, which has been passed by the Senate, will go to a House vote after the midterm elections when the representatives return to Washington.
Collins issued a startling statement about what FSU could be facing if the per-school cap rises to $49 million.
“We underperform woefully on monetizing our brand,” Collins said. “And as the cost in athletics go up, you have to go find that money.”
McCullough seemed to push back on the storyline that FSU’s administration or the BOT aren’t focused on the athletics department. He stated the board is “incredibly involved in athletics.”
Interim athletics director Bruce Warwick has guided the department for the last six weeks. He has spearheaded an effort to improve the fan experience and increase ticket sales for the FSU-Clemson game.
“Bruce has done an absolutely phenomenal job,” McCullough said. “The alignment that we have is fantastic. He is a joy to work with. It’s just been a great team effort.”
Warwick did not speak at the BOT meeting. McCullough made a number of notes about athletes, like Duce Robinson, who is a finalist for the Campbell Trophy. That award is viewed as an academic version of the Heisman Trophy.
“Duce Robinson is one of the finest human beings that you will ever meet,” McCullough said.
He also praised Amy Bond for her induction into the World Golf Coaches Hall of Fame.
As he closed his remarks, McCullough focused on athletics. With the BOT members in Tallahassee for the meeting as well as Saturday’s game, McCullough wrapped with “Go Noles. Beat Clemson.”
It’s clear McCullough wasn’t just being a fan of athletes, which is what he’s been known for over the last five years as FSU’s president. A win would also soothe the anxiety of fans and bring the first rivalry victory for the Seminoles on the football field since Florida in November 2023 — and likely reduce the negative feedback he’s received about the program from FSU fans.
Graduation rates soaring
Earlier in his remarks, McCullough cited FSU’s 97 percent freshman retention rate. That’s the highest among the state’s public schools.
FSU is also enjoying a four-year graduation rate that is up from 78 percent to 82 percent, which is the highest in FSU history. McCullough also said that’s the highest all-time for a state school in Florida. FSU’s six-year graduation rate is 86 percent.
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