FSU leadership details athletics changes in board of trustees meeting
· Yahoo Sports
Members of Florida State's Board of Trustees met with Seminole Booster President Stephen Ponder, university president Richard McCullough, and interim director of athletics Bruce Warwick for a meeting on the future of the university's athletic program, Board chairman Peter Collins said in an Oct. 30 board of trustees meeting.
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The meeting took place last week, and it outlined what Collins said were necessary, but "not sexy" changes to the program's athletic operation. Collins said that some changes are already underway, and others will take time to implement.
He also added that the changes may not have an immediate impact on FSU football results, but Collins believes they will have a long-term impact on getting the Seminoles back to where the program feels it should be.
"You've got to pick up every rock. You've got to look under every rock. You've got to fix what's under every rock. And that's what we're doing. I don't know whether those changes are going to immediately impact our product on the football field, but I know longer term they will," Collins said. "So I just appreciate everybody's support. I appreciate everybody's work."
Here are a few takeaways from a nearly 20-minute discussion on the program's athletic department during Friday’s board of trustees meeting.
Collins: AD search 'next week,' FSU 'woefully' under-monetizing brand
The Seminoles football program sits at 3-4 and 1-3 in the ACC, and is 10-21 in the last season under head coach Mike Norvell. It's sparked sharp criticism from fans of the program, and they've made their opinions known by calling, emailing, and posting on social media to voice displeasure with the current state of the football program.
That criticism sparked a response from McCullough, first in a statement on social media and in the board of trustees meeting. He doubled down on his belief in the university's vision for the future of athletics, and promised that the search for a new athletic director would start soon, which Collins later said would be "next week."
The university fired Michael Alford in September, and Warwick has operated as the interim AD since. Warwick has been at the table to discuss the changes referenced by Collins and McCullough. Some of those changes revolve around the program's monetization of its brand, which Collins said has been woeful.
“We have one of the most valuable brands in the country. Yes, our results in football are not what any of us want, but we still have the most eyeballs on us every week. We underperform woefully on monetizing our brand, and as the costs in athletics go up, you have to go find that money. You're just not going to go raise the type of money. If the Protect College Sports Act passes, for example, the rev share cap is going to go to $48 million plus another five [million] for Title Nine sports. So $53 million. That's the new cap. You're not just going to fundraise that next year from your boosters," Collins said.
"You have to figure out how to run your business like a business. New expense. And so it's the way athletics has worked, typically, 85% of the universities out there outsource their multimedia rights to a third party that tries to go monetize those for you," Collins said. "Our multimedia rights receipts have been essentially flat for the last seven years, and in my estimation, they've been a quarter of what they should be, and probably a fifth of what they could be. We have to do a better job there."
FSU supports PCSA, worked hard to amend conference realignment regulations
Collins addressed the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA) and the university's support, which he said was for "98%" of the bill.
He cited a report by multiple outlets that the university was one of four ACC schools (Clemson, FSU, Miami, North Carolina) that penned a letter that opposed Section 205 of the act, which limits conference realignment and caps conference membership.
The PCSA was amended in the Senate, with support from the four aforementioned schools, to raise the conference cap from 19 to 20. Conference realignment still requires multiple years of independence for any institution looking to change its conference allegiance, but it was shortened from five years to three.
"The Senate passed this, and we took a lot of shots for getting those amendments done. And then the Senate passed it, and now they've sent it over to the House. They've sent it over to the House and basically said, 'Hey, you have to pass it as is because we're not going to take anything that you send back," Collins said.
"Well, try to tell 400-plus representatives and their constituencies that they just can't comment on a law. There's going to be a lot of amendments to this in the House. I've been told that by House leadership several times as recently as last week. ... So the idea that Florida State or Clemson or North Carolina or Miami are the ones that are going to kill this bill because of this issue is ridiculous, and it's just politics. And so I just wanted to be clear on our position on that."
FSU BOT not just working on football solution, but solution for all of athletics
While the PCSA's impacts and much of the backlash from fans have been aimed at FSU's football team, board of trustees vice-chair Vivian de las Cuevas-Diaz said the university is developing a plan not just for football, but all athletics.
"This keeps us up at night, not just because of the football; it's athletics, right? So today it's football. In December, once football is over, we'll be talking about another sport, and we're talking about men's and women's sports. And it is a different time. It is a time that we are all working hard to continue to do what is right. We have agreed to pay our players. We've also agreed to give them an education. So I never forget that and what that means. Besides that, we have these facilities and we have these additional items that athletes need," Cuevas Diaz said.
"So it's just looking at what they need and how many people do we need to do these jobs, because we would also like to have the people doing these jobs to be able to sleep at night and breathe and have a moment with their family, because these jobs and their job descriptions have gotten so big. So, it's just allowing us to take a step back, and in my opinion, do what we do best, which is do what's right for Florida State and not worry about what's right for everybody else," Cuevas Diaz added.
McCullough added that "it's not trivial" stuff that FSU's athletic department is facing, and he brought the conversation back to football. He cited college football roster construction, the hectic nature of the transfer portal, and the university's investment in facilities and roster spending.
"That's just one tiny aspect of what we face in the ever-changing world of college football," McCullough said. "While I appreciate people's opinion, I don't think they have a deep understanding of what is actually going on."
Facility investments and the 'student experience'
His comment sparked a response from Collins and Cuevas Diaz about the investment in the Seminoles football-only facility, which McCullough labeled as one of the best in the nation, and renovations to Doak Campbell Stadium. Those projects cost the university upwards of $400 million.
Collins hit back on comments that the program is in a "deficit" due to the construction, highlighting that the board approved a debt issuance for the construction and is actively paying for it with events and game days.
"This board approved that debt issuance. I'd do it again tomorrow if it came up for us tomorrow. We got better for it. We've got an asset. We've got two assets that are being paid for by one of the assets," Collins said. "So I hold my head high, and I'll have that argument with anybody that wants to come and talk to me about it."
Cuevas Diaz later added that the investment was once praised for being ahead of the curve, and that the board always has the best interest of FSU at heart, despite recent upheaval over football results.
She cited opportunities like the Savannah Bannas and other events that could be brought to Doak and generate revenue to help pay for the facilities. She also highlighted the work to better the student experience, and talked about the community being built on campus and in dorms, as well as new student apartments, which she said is just as important to the university.
"It's about the experience and the connectivity and the community that they're building for the alumni base that we want," Cuevas Diaz said. "So, I'm sorry that we're not winning the way people would like. We all want that too. We also know Coach Norvell wants that too, and we are passionate about this university, but this debt that we talk about is an asset, and that's how any real estate deal gets done."
Florida State football schedule 2026
(Current Record 3-4, 1-3 ACC)
vs. New Mexico State | 34-17 W
vs. SMU* | 27-24 L
Bye
at Alabama | 50-36 L
vs. Central Arkansas | 34-7 W
vs. Virginia* | 38-7 W
at Louisville* | 44-20
at Miami* | 43-35 L 2OT
Bye
vs. Clemson* | Oct. 31
at Boston College* | Nov. 7
at Pittsburgh* | Nov. 13
vs. NC State* | Nov. 21
vs. Florida | Nov. 27
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU leadership details athletics changes in board of trustees meeting