Florida State has officially announced the hiring of John Garrett, naming him to a newly created position of Deputy Athletics Director and General Manager of Player Personnel.
“This is a transformational step for Florida State Football,” Alford said. “The college game has fundamentally changed, and elite programs must operate with the same discipline, structure, and clarity of roles as professional organizations. John Garrett brings a proven background in roster management, player evaluation, and operational
leadership that will allow our coaches to focus on coaching while ensuring we are building our roster in a smart, sustainable, and competitive way.”
“This is about putting Florida State Football in position to win, now and in the future. We are investing in people, processes, and structure that give our student-athletes and coaches every opportunity to succeed.”
Garrett will report directly to Alford, as part of FSU new operations model for the football program, which includes:
- Garrett overseeing all aspects of roster construction alongside Norvell, which includes high school recruiting strategy, transfer portal acquisition and retention, scholarship allocation, and long-term personnel planning.
- NIL, evaluation and recruiting analytics being centralized to “ensure alignment, compliance, and competitive efficiency.”
“John and I share a vision for building a championship program in today’s collegiate athletics structure,” Norvell said. “He was a valuable part of our staff when he was here previously, and I’m excited he will be leading this restructuring of our player personnel efforts. This new model shows our investment and will make us more efficient while enhancing player development, scouting and retention in a collaborative environment.”
Garrett spent two years at Duke as the Blue Devils’ General Manager of Player Personnel, previous to which he spent two years at FSU as director of offensive scouting.
“I am excited to return to Florida State University and to work closely with Michael Alford, Coach Norvell and the rest of the Florida State football staff,” Garrett said. “We will lead a collaborative effort to build a football team with the right kind of student-athletes that will consistently compete for championships. We will build a team that will make everyone associated with Florida State University proud to be a Seminole. Go Noles!”
The full press release:
Florida State University Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford announced the hiring of John Garrett as Deputy Athletics Director and General Manager of Player Personnel, a newly created position that will oversee all football roster construction, player evaluation, recruiting operations, and NIL integration. Garrett joins Florida State from Duke University, where he served as General Manager of Player Personnel.
Garrett will report directly to Alford and work in close partnership with head football coach Mike Norvell, aligning Florida State’s football program with an NFL-style operational model designed to maximize competitive success in the evolving college football landscape.
Garrett brings extensive experience across college football operations, player personnel, and strategic planning. He spent the last two seasons at Duke, where he helped build rosters that won 17 games and the 2025 ACC championship. He played a key role in roster management, recruiting coordination, and the integration of analytics and evaluation processes into football decision-making.
“This is a transformational step for Florida State Football,” Alford said. “The college game has fundamentally changed, and elite programs must operate with the same discipline, structure, and clarity of roles as professional organizations. John Garrett brings a proven background in roster management, player evaluation, and operational leadership that will allow our coaches to focus on coaching while ensuring we are building our roster in a smart, sustainable, and competitive way.”
Prior to his stint at Duke, Garrett played a pivotal role in FSU’s return to prominence while serving as director of scouting for offense during the 2022 and 2023 seasons at a critical moment when roster building in college football was rapidly changing. He helped bring an NFL-style evaluation approach to FSU, focusing on disciplined film study, transfer-portal assessment, and roster analysis to support smarter personnel decisions. During his first stint at FSU, the Seminoles posted a 23-4 overall record, including a perfect 13-0 regular season in 2023 that culminated in the program’s first ACC championship since 2014.
Garrett’s work emphasized identifying players who could contribute immediately, understanding positional needs and depth, and reducing risk in an increasingly competitive NIL and portal environment. Garrett’s role strengthened how the program evaluated talent and laid important groundwork for the front-office model now used across major college football programs.
Garrett was the head coach at Lafayette College from 2017-21 and also has collegiate coaching experience as the offensive coordinator at Oregon State and Richmond and wide receivers coach at Virginia. He has 18 years of experience in the NFL, spending six seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, including his last two seasons as passing game coordinator, as well as with the Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Garrett earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Princeton in 1988. He and his wife, Honor, have four children, John Jr., Honor, Olivia and Caroline. His brother, Jason, was head coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 2010-19, and their father, Jim, spent 38 years in the NFL as a scout and assistant coach.
FSU’s New Football Operations Model
Under the new structure, Florida State Football will operate with a clear division of responsibilities between on-field coaching and off-field football operations:
• The Deputy AD/GM of Player Personnel will lead all aspects of roster construction alongside Coach Norvell, including high school recruiting strategy, transfer portal acquisition and retention, scholarship allocation, and long-term personnel planning.
• The Head Coach and coaching staff will maintain full authority over player development, game preparation, culture, and on-field performance.
• Football NIL, player evaluation, and recruiting analytics will be centralized and integrated into a single operational framework to ensure alignment, compliance, and competitive efficiency.
“John and I share a vision for building a championship program in today’s collegiate athletics structure,” Norvell said. “He was a valuable part of our staff when he was here previously, and I’m excited he will be leading this restructuring of our player personnel efforts. This new model shows our investment and will make us more efficient while enhancing player development, scouting and retention in a collaborative environment.”
Garrett is widely respected for his ability to balance competitive ambition with long-term program health.
“I am excited to return to Florida State University and to work closely with Michael Alford, Coach Norvell and the rest of the Florida State football staff,” Garrett said. “We will lead a collaborative effort to build a football team with the right kind of student-athletes that will consistently compete for championships. We will build a team that will make everyone associated with Florida State University proud to be a Seminole. Go Noles!”
The enhancement of the Deputy AD/GM of Player Personnel role and the restructuring of football operations reflect Florida State’s commitment to adapting proactively to ongoing changes in college athletics, including NIL, the transfer portal, and the increasing complexity of roster management.
“This is about putting Florida State Football in position to win, now and in the future,” Alford said. “We are investing in people, processes, and structure that give our student-athletes and coaches every opportunity to succeed.”
