The FSU Seminoles are bringing Jeff Purinton home. The former FSU staffer and graduate has been hired as the school's next athletic director, with the university formally announcing the hire on Monday morning.
"I want to give my deep appreciation and thanks to President Richard McCullough and BOT Chair Peter Collins for placing their trust and belief in me to lead Florida State Athletics," Purinton said. "Florida State is home to me in so many ways. It's where I went to school, where I got my start in this profession and where I learned from people who helped shape the way I've approached my career. I was fortunate to work with Coach Bowden, Coach Martin and Coach Saban. The lessons I learned from them about leadership, relationships and representing
an institution have stayed with me.
"Coming back to lead this athletics department is a tremendous honor, and a responsibility that I don't take lightly. I know how much Florida State means to our alumni, our fans and everyone who has been part of this program. I also know how much work goes into meeting the expectations that come with wearing the garnet and gold. I'm excited to get started, to listen, to build relationships and to work with our coaches, student-athletes, staff and supporters to move Florida State Athletics forward."
Not only will he be tasked with hiring a football coach, but also with reshaping an athletic department that needs to be modernized. He has spent his entire career in college athletics, spending time with the FSU Seminoles, the Orange Bowl, Alabama Crimson Tide, Arkansas State Red Wolves, and LEARFIELD. Here is a look at the jobs he held at each place.
FSU - 1994-2006
Purinton started his career at Florida State, joining the athletics communications office as an undergraduate student in 1994 before being hired as the assistant sports information director in July of 1999 after he graduated from FSU with a master's degree in athletic administration.
He worked with legendary head coach Bobby Bowden until August of 2006, when he left Tallahassee to work with the Orange Bowl. FSU went 67-22 during his first stint with the Seminoles, winning the national championship in 1999. He also assisted Mike Martin and the baseball program, which made the 1999 and 2000 College World Series.
Orange Bowl - 2006-2007
He spent 11 months working with the Orange Bowl Committee, serving as their director of communications from September 2006 to August 2006 before Nick Saban hired him at Alabama.
Alabama - 2007-2022
He steadily climbed the ranks with the Crimson Tide, starting as their associate athletic director of communications. He was promoted to senior associate athletic director of external operations in 2015, to executive associate athletic director for external operations in 2018, and deputy director of athletics for external operations in 2019. His final promotion came in 2021, when he was named Alabama's executive deputy director of Athletics, a position he held until Arkansas State hired him as their athletic director in 2022.
Alabama went 200-34 during his time with the program, winning six national championships. Saban released a statement after he left, praising the hire by Arkansas State.
I always say that the number one thing that makes our organization special is the people. In terms of our staff and administration, Jeff would be one of those people I'm talking about. He works extremely hard, he thinks ahead and is proactive when you deal with any big picture issues, and he does it with a positive attitude. Anytime we've had to deal with a high pressure or stressful situation, he's calm and doesn't get flustered in those moments. We hired Jeff in the summer of my first year (2007) at Alabama in large part because he brought great outside perspective and had really strong national relationships. I relied on Jeff often, especially those first few years, in areas beyond just the media in terms of building the football program to where it is now. He moved up in terms of his administrative role here and has done an outstanding job as our football oversight. I don't have any doubt Jeff will make an outstanding AD for Arkansas State.
Arkansas State - 2022-2025
Purinton spent three years leading Arkansas State's athletic department, being named the vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics on May 4, 2022. While he did not have to hire a football coach during his time with the Red Wolves, he did hire Bryan Hodgson to lead the basketball program in 2025 and Mike Silva to lead the baseball program in 2024.
Hodgson had two excellent seasons with them, going 45–28 and leading them to the Sun Belt regular-season championship in 2025. He is now the head coach at Providence. Silva quickly turned the baseball program around, going 26-28 in 2025 and 29-24 in 2026, their first winning season since 2017.
The football program went 21-18, winning bowl games in 2024 and 2025. Purinton also boosted Arkansas State's NIL, revenue, and multimedia rights programs before leaving in May of 2025 to join Learfield.
Learfield - 2025-2026
Purinton was hired as an executive vice president for Learfield to help oversee its sports properties, specifically SEC schools. According to Learfield, he led a multimedia rights team consisting of senior leaders, general managers, and local personnel to help improve schools' NIL, multimedia rights, and revenue generation.
Follow us @FSUWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida State news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: FSU athletic director Jeff Purinton's resume
