Florida State fires Michael Alford after four years as Seminoles' AD - USA Today
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information.
Florida State has made a significant administrative change.
The university announced on Monday, Sept. 14 that it has fired athletic director Michael Alford, ending his nearly five-year tenure leading the Seminoles' athletic department. The move comes after Florida State football's bye week and as the program continues to struggle under Mike Norvell.
Alford, who previously served as president of the Seminole Boosters, Inc., was hired in December 2021 to succeed former athletic director David Coburn.
"Michael Alford has served the University and our student-athletes with dedication, and we thank him for his contributions to our athletics programs," Florida State president McCullough said in a statement. "As we begin this transition, our focus remains on the success of our teams and continuing to provide every competitive advantage we can to our student-athletes, coaches, and staff.
"Florida State is committed to maintaining the highest standards for our student-athletes and staff. We want all of them to be able to play for championships. This leadership change reflects that commitment."
In a statement in the university's release, Florida State board of trustees chairman Peter Collins called the firing of Alford the "next phase of restructuring" that Florida State "must commit to in order to compete in this era of college sports."
"Changes like this are never easy, but sometimes necessary," Collins said in a statement. "We have made significant investments and structural changes in our athletics program and Seminole Boosters over the past few years, but more are needed. This step begins the next phase of restructuring that the University must commit to in order to compete in this era of college sports. The President and the Board are in lockstep on the mission and what the results must be."
As noted by The Tallahassee Democrat — part of the USA TODAY Network — Alford received a contract extension in 2024 valued at $6.7 million and earned a base salary of $1.45 million annually under a deal that ran through 2028.
The football program had just two winning seasons in Alford's tenure as athletic director, in 2022 and 2023 — the latter of which saw the Seminoles left out of the College Football Playoffs after quarterback Jordan Travis' late-season injury. Florida State is 8-18 overall in the last three seasons, including a 1-1 mark this season.
Alford's tenure will include two women's national championships and multiple ACC titles in other programs in softball, beach volleyball, men's tennis and men's track and field. The Seminoles baseball program returned to the College World Series in 2024 for the first time since 2019.
Financially, Alford helped increase the athletic department's revenue by 31.5% since 2022. That said, the department also carried $437 million in athletics-related debt during the 2025 fiscal year, one of the highest debt totals among college athletic departments. Much of that debt stemmed from Florida State's investment of more than $500 million in facility projects and upgrades across its athletic programs.
As noted by The Democrat, Alford's tenure also included Florida State's visible legal battle with the ACC, which began in 2023. The legal battle between FSU and Clemson against the ACC was settled in June 2025. The settlement defined the financial cost for any school wanting to leave the conference and allowed schools to keep their television and media rights.
Bruce Warwick, Florida State's senior associate athletics director for football, will serve as the Seminoles' interim athletic director as a national search is conducted, per the university's release.
"It is important that we remain dedicated to providing continuity and support to our student-athletes, coaches and staff, who remain our top priority," Warwick said in a statement.
Florida State travels to Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Sept. 19 for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff against No. 10 Alabama.
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