Florida State has dismissed athletics director Michael Alford, school President Dr. Richard McCullough announced Monday morning. Bruce Warwick, the university’s senior associate athletics director, will take over on an interim basis while Florida State conducts a national search for Alford’s successor.
Alford became athletics director in January 2022. He joined Florida State in 2020 as president of Seminole Boosters Inc. McCullough said Alford contributed to the university’s athletic programs and that the school would focus during the transition on its teams, athletes, coaches and staff.
Warwick said maintaining support and continuity for those groups would remain the priority. The school did not announce how long he would serve in the interim role.
The change comes as football coach Mike Norvell has had two consecutive losing seasons and Florida State has opened this season 1-1. The Seminoles are listed as 20.5-point underdogs against No. 10 Alabama on Saturday.
If Florida State replaces Norvell in the coming weeks or months, the next football coach would be selected by the new athletics director along with McCullough and Board of Trustees Chairman Peter Collins.
During Alford’s tenure, Florida State hired Luke Loucks for men’s basketball, Link Jarrett for baseball, Brian Pensky for soccer, Brooke Wyckoff for women’s basketball and Sara Tisdale for lacrosse. The university began its lacrosse program in spring 2025, and its soccer team won two championships under Pensky, including one in December 2025.
