COLLEGETOWN, FL — Florida State University has hired John Garrett as Deputy Athletics Director and General Manager of Player Personnel, a newly created position designed to modernize the football program's operations with an NFL-style approach.
In a press release, Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford announced Garrett will oversee all football roster construction, player evaluation, recruiting operations, and NIL integration while working closely with head coach Mike Norvell.
Garrett joins Florida State from Duke University, where he served as General Manager of Player Personnel for the past two seasons. During his time at Duke, he helped build rosters that won 17 games and captured the 2025 ACC championship.
New operational structure
The report says under the restructured model, Florida State Football will operate with clear divisions between on-field coaching and off-field operations. Garrett will lead roster construction alongside Norvell, including high school recruiting strategy, transfer portal management, and scholarship allocation.
The release says the head coach and coaching staff will maintain authority over player development, game preparation, and on-field performance, while NIL, player evaluation, and recruiting analytics will be centralized under one operational framework.
Norvell says, "This new model shows our investment and will make us more efficient while enhancing player development, scouting, and retention in a collaborative environment."
Garrett says, "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. We will lead a collaborative effort to build a football team with the right kind of student-athletes that will consistently compete for championships."
Return to familiar territory
This marks Garrett's return to Florida State, where he previously served as director of scouting for offense during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The release states that during that stint, 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.
FSU says Garrett's previous work at the school emphasized identifying players who could contribute immediately while understanding positional needs and depth in an increasingly competitive NIL and transfer portal environment.
Extensive football background
Before his college football roles, Garrett spent 18 years in the NFL with multiple organizations. He worked six seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, including his final two seasons as passing game coordinator, and also had stints with the Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Garrett also served as head coach at Lafayette College from 2017-2021 and held coaching positions at Oregon State, Richmond, and Virginia.
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