Scott Stricklin will officially take over for Jeremy Foley as the Florida Gators new athletic director on November 1, 2016. Stricklin is leaving his current position as athletic director at his alma mater, Mississippi State University. He has served as athletic director there for the past six years and has compiled 28-plus years of experience working in intercollegiate athletics.
The decision to leave his alma mater was one he thought long and hard on. “This was a very challenging decision for me,” said Stricklin. “To make the decision to leave a place that is my alma mater, it’s very important to me, where I had built a lot of relationships, had a lot of family connections.”
Stricklin first began receiving calls from Florida in June, soon after Foley announced his retirement. They communicated back and forth a few times throughout the summer, but he said mid-August is when the conversation really started to pick up. From that point on, he took the time to decide if pursuing a job at the University of Florida was the right thing for him and his family to do.
In the end, he could not turn down the opportunity to be athletic director at the University of Florida. He knew it would be a mistake to turn down a job of that caliber. “Going through this process, it became obvious to me that there’s really only one job I’d leave Mississippi State for, and that is to be a Florida Gator,” he said. “And really that says something really special about Mississippi State and what that place means to me, but it says something really special about the University of Florida and what this place represents.”
The University of Florida has always been one of the premier programs in collegiate athletics and Foley has brought the standard up even more-so in his 25 years at the head of the program. Stricklin said Florida has set the standard for success across the country. He mentioned the 36 national titles, 235 conference championships, and the 180 Olympians the Gators have produced.
“Jeremy, arguably — and it may not be much of an argument — is the best athletic director in the history of the SEC. And I firmly believe that. And there’s been some really good ones. But Jeremy has set a standard,” said Stricklin.
Following up the man that he said is the best athletic director in the history of the SEC could be a scary task to take on, but Stricklin is not worried about that. He is excited to have Foley as a resource and his extensive knowledge at his fingertips. He said he is up to the challenge of taking over for a legend.
“I admire so much what has happened here. And so it was much more excitement than it was trepidation,” Stricklin said. “It’s much better starting off from a position of a place that’s accustomed to success, knows how to exhibit that success, have the right people in place. Jeremy’s put together a great staff. I’m going to really benefit from that. I’m going to benefit from all the work he’s done. So I see it as nothing but a positive.”
Stricklin is set to assume his new position in a little over a month, but for now he will return to Starkville to take care of a few outstanding responsibilities he has at Mississippi State. He plans to leave his alma mater in the best possible position he can before he officially makes his move to Gainesville. While he is thankful for the time he spent at Mississippi State, he has no regrets in his decision and feels that Florida is where he is truly meant to be.
“I think it’s the best job in college athletics,” he said “So it is very special. I have an unbelievable family that supports my dreams. And you know, our faith is strong, and we did a lot of praying over this. And at the end of the day this is where I feel like we were led to be, and I think the doors opened to put us here, and I’m just excited about the opportunity.