TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Jeff Kupper and Carlos Locklyn have been added to Florida State’s support staff, head coach Mike Norvell announced Monday.
Kupper is the Seminoles’ director of player development and operations, while Locklyn is FSU’s director of high school relations.
“I’m excited to announce a couple more off-the-field hires to our support staff,” Norvell said. “First off, Jeff Kupper as our director of player development and operations. Jeff comes with me from the University of Memphis and is one of the hardest-working and multi-skilled administrators I’ve been around. He has a tremendous passion for the all-inclusive development of student-athletes and will serve our players in a variety of different ways. He has an extensive background in operations as well as assisting student-athletes’ development off the field, focusing on organizational structure and life skills accountability. Jeff will be a great asset to our players and the program.”
Kupper comes to Tallahassee following 10 seasons as the director of operations at Memphis. In that role, he was responsible for many administrative duties, including team travel, camps and community service. He also was instrumental in daily communication with student-athletes regarding practice schedules and team meetings.
Prior to his time at Memphis, Kupper spent five years as director of football operations and special projects at Columbia. He was involved with football marketing, development, compliance, equipment and facility operations while also overseeing quality control for game day events and arranging all staff and team travel, both in and out of season. Kupper joined Columbia in August 2005 from Ohio University, where he was a facilities and equipment graduate assistant from 2003-05.
As an undergraduate at the University of Texas, Kupper earned three letters as a student football equipment manager. He oversaw the packing, handling and transportation of equipment and team bags for road games, organized team activities for the travel squad, acted as a liaison between the travel team and hotel staffs, maintained and organized football equipment and worked on reconciliation of equipment orders for six men’s sports. He also was involved in logistical support for three Cotton Bowls and two Holiday Bowls.
Kupper was a three-time recipient of the Darrel K. Royal Scholarship Award and the Glen Swenson Award, both presented to an outstanding equipment manager. He spent four consecutive semesters on the Athletics Director’s Honor Roll.
The Odessa, Texas, native graduated from Texas in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in religious studies. He earned a master’s of business administration and a master’s of sports administration and facility management from Ohio.
Kupper and his wife, Lindsay, have two daughters, Ruby-Wayne and Jennings.
“Carlos Locklyn has been hired as the director of high school relations,” Norvell said. “As a former high school coach, Coach Lock brings a great perspective of the critical role that high school coaches play in the process of student-athlete development. Growing up in South Alabama, he is extremely passionate about providing a connection and resource at FSU that is constantly available to the coaches in the southeast region, and especially the state of Florida.”
Locklyn spent the past three seasons at Memphis, serving as a weight room volunteer his first year before taking responsibilities as an offensive analyst in 2018 and spending the 2019 season as director of high school relations for the Tigers.
He joined Memphis following a successful eight-year run as an offensive coordinator at four Memphis-area high schools. Locklyn’s first stop was Trezevant High School in 2009. He then worked at Westwood High School in 2010-11, Manassas High School from 2012-14 and Cordova High School from 2015-16 before joining Norvell’s staff.
In 2011, behind an offense that topped 40 points five times, Westwood advanced to the quarterfinal round of the 2A state playoffs. Manassas advanced to the 3A state playoffs each year Locklyn was coordinating the Tigers’ offense. Cordova averaged 33.6 points per game over his two years in charge of the offense, qualifying for the 6A state playoffs each year and playing into the state semifinal round in 2016.
Locklyn was a four-year letterman at Chattanooga, rushing for 1,555 yards over three seasons and twice leading the Mocs in rushing while also adding 71 catches for 676 yards. He played cornerback his junior year, tying for the team lead in interceptions, as well as the first four games of his senior year before moving back to running back and leading the team with 867 rushing yards. His average of 123.9 rushing yards per game still stands as Chattanooga’s single-season record, and his 6.5 yards-per-carry average ranks fifth on the program’s all-time list. Locklyn signed with New York Giants as a free agent but was released after an injury and also played in the Arena League following his collegiate career.
Locklyn graduated from Chattanooga with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. He and his wife, Victoria, have twins, son Donovan and daughter Dorian.
