The wait is finally over, and Florida State officially hired a new athletic director after a month of putting off the search. The tough decision was made to fire former athletic director Michael Alford in the middle of September, and an initial search for a permanent replacement did not start until late October.
The drama and intrigue are in the past now as Jeff Purinton has been hired as the next Florida State athletic director. Purinton, a graduate of Florida State, got his start in college athletic departments working for the Seminoles. He later left to join the Alabama athletic department, which was a stop that caught the attention of the Florida State administration.
Purinton has spent over two decades working in athletic departments and serving in virtually every role possible. Over the past year, Purinton has worked directly alongside college athletics through his work with LEARFIELD.
The hiring of Purinton comes just two days after Florida State interim football coach Rick Stockstill won his first game in the new role. Stockstill was named the interim coach immediately after the firing of coach Mike Norvell, and Purinton's first major task will be to find the next football coach, and a lot hinges on that process going well.
Was Jeff Purinton the right choice for Florida State?
If you are looking at this hire purely based on the name alone, you probably aren't very excited about the hire. However, once you start digging into what Purinton has done during his career, you understand that this is a man committed to success after witnessing it first-hand for many years.
Purinton has worked with the likes of Bobby Bowden, Mike Martin, and Nick Saban during his career with the Florida State, Alabama, and Arkansas State athletic departments. To say he has seen success up close would be an understatement, as some of the greatest football teams in recent history graced the field during his tenure.
It feels fitting to have the new athletic director be a Florida State guy, particularly since that was a bit of criteria the administration was considering for the next coach of the football program. Not only is Purinton a Florida State guy, but he also worked in the athletic department during one of the most prosperous periods in the history of the Seminoles' athletics.
The selling point is that Purinton has not only been there and done that in college athletics, but he has also seen what it takes to create winning rosters and compete in big games. Purinton spent 15 years with Alabama, and during that time, athletics as a whole thrived in Tuscaloosa.
It may not all have been due to Purinton's presence, especially since there have been a few legendary coaches that passed through during his tenure, but he understands how those teams were able to accomplish so much.
Florida State needs experience and needs someone confident enough to make the hard decisions and changes that will bring in success. Given what Florida State's needs are, Purinton might be an excellent hire due to his extensive background.
Experience that can bring instant success to Tallahassee
The reality is that while football might benefit the most from the hiring of an athletic director, Purinton has turned around other sports as well. Football needs the most help, but there are plenty of other sports that Florida State can improve at with the right help.
During his time with Arkansas State, Purinton assisted in the oversight of budgets, potential staff changes and hirings, and preseason planning. Purinton focused heavily on setting higher goals and aiding in the necessary changes to help various teams improve. Another main focus for Purinton was fundraising, which is vital to the success of many football programs in particular.
Purinton most recently worked for LEARFIELD, a sports marketing company, where he branched out into more business-related dealings. It might not seem like valuable experience to some, but Purinton has a deep understanding of just how critical building a familiar brand is.
Florida State may have one of the most recognizable brands in college athletics, but the last few seasons on the football field have done some damage. Rebuilding the football program into a serious competitor will do numbers for the brand reputation, which is something Purinton likely already understands.
Purinton helped build Arkansas State into a more recognizable brand, and one that people can get behind and get excited about. With the groundwork already there for Florida State, Purinton should be able to instantly revive the fanbase after pulling in record numbers with the Red Wolves.
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