COLLEGE TOWN, FL (WTXL) — A former student assistant who once answered phones for free is now leading Florida State athletics through a critical transition, starting with the search for a new head football coach.
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Jeff Purinton once worked for free just to be part of Florida State athletics. Now — more than three decades later — he's running the show.
The Seminoles introduced Purinton as their new athletic director, and while it's a homecoming for him, there's a much bigger challenge waiting.
"It's a new era of college athletics and certainly now a new era for Florida State University," said Jeff Culhane, the voice of the Seminoles.
For Purinton, this is more than a new job. It's a homecoming more than three decades in the making. Back in 1994, he was a student assistant in Florida State's athletic department, answering phones for free just to be around Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles. Now, he's returning as the man in charge.
"Did I ever think I could pull that off? Maybe, maybe not, but that was my dream to be the AD and to give back to a place that has meant so much to me," Purinton said.
He returns with quite the résumé. Purinton was part of Florida State's 1999 national championship era before spending 15 years at Alabama, working alongside Nick Saban. He later led the athletic department at Arkansas State and most recently worked in revenue development with Learfield — experience President Richard McCullough says is exactly what FSU needs.
"It's something that we've got to continue to work on, so we're thrilled that he's bringing his expertise and background on that part," McCullough said.
But there's little time to celebrate. With Mike Norvell out, Florida State is still searching for its next head football coach. McCullough says the university moved quickly to get its new athletic director in place.
"But we're trying to get it done because we've got other things we've got to do. We've got to go out and hire a football coach now, and we're already on the case," McCullough said.
Purinton says that search will happen largely behind the scenes, and while Florida State's history matters, the next head coach doesn't necessarily have to be a Seminole alum.
"But we want to get the best coach and the best person to lead this program. And I think our leadership would agree that could be somebody with a degree from somewhere else. It could be a Florida State person, but we want to get the right one and build this thing back the right way and win a bunch of football games," Purinton said.
From learning under Bobby Bowden to working alongside Nick Saban, Purinton has seen what championship programs look like. Now he's tasked with helping build one back at the place where his career began.
Purinton says the football coaching search is his first priority, but he also plans to spend his first 30 days meeting with coaches and administrators across the department. And beyond football, he says maximizing revenue through sponsorships and other opportunities will be key to FSU's future.
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