Steady Through Change: As Football Nears, USF Keeps Momentum Amid Leadership Searches

Things could be unsettled at the USF athletic department these days. A search is underway for a new university president and athletic director.

With the football season less than a month away, it’s not an ideal time to have uncertainty within the top leadership positions. And there is a tight lid from USF on how the searches are going.

Despite that, outwardly at least, things seem to be running smoothly as the search for both positions continues. And knowing some of the people involved in the process, there is no reason to believe that it won’t continue.

It’s a legit question to wonder if USF will get a new president before an athletic director is hired. I would guess that’s what will happen.

But what if the next president is already in the Tampa Bay area? That would solve many problems.

Bulls fans can take comfort in the fact that trustee board vice chair Mike Griffin is the head of the presidential search committee.

Griffin has deep roots in Tampa and USF.

He served two terms as USF’s student body president and as the charter student member of USF’s Board of Trustees. He has also been active on the business side of the university, developing several bond financing projects for USF.

Even though the university is using the search firm Korn Ferry to assist in the process, Griffin will make sure the next president aligns with USF’s vision academically and athletically.

There’s always a fear that Tallahassee politicians could muddle this thing, especially after the Ben Sasse disaster at the University of Florida. But hiring someone well-schooled in state politics could help alleviate that. Griffin says the university wants the public to weigh in on the process, so here are my two cents.

Trustee board chairman Will Weatherford fits that profile. He is a local guy, well-respected, energetic, and wicked smart.

I have no idea if he’d be interested, but he has done sensational work in his time at USF, and as a former state Speaker of the House, Weatherford knows how to work the room in Tallahassee.

That matters more than most people might think. I remember in 2014 when Florida State hired John Thrasher, also a former House Speaker. There was considerable outcry from the FSU faculty over fears that Thrasher would be a political stooge, but the opposite happened. He became a beloved and effective leader during his tenure, which lasted until his retirement in 2021.

Weatherford could be that guy. Staying in-house for a president likely would also mean interim athletic director Jay Strohman could take the permanent position, ensuring continuity at a time when the college athletics landscape is shifting rapidly.

The presidential search committee has a meeting scheduled for August 6, which may shed a little light about what’s going on.

In the meantime, things keep running smoothly. If we’re looking for signs that things are going to be OK, that’s a good one.