GAINESVILLE — UF athletic director Scott Stricklin has agreed to a 3-year extension through 2030, a source confirmed, keeping him in charge of one of college athletics’ most recognizable brands and well-funded programs with a budget of more than $200 million.
Stricklin has navigated through the rapidly changing landscape in college athletics, including the arrival of NIL, the expansion of the SEC and the College Football Playoff, and most recently revenue-sharing with athletes.
Along the way, the Gators have won 13 national championships, including at least one in each of his nine years at the school — the latest the NCAA men’s basketball title under third-year coach Todd Golden hired in 2022 by Stricklin. UF has also won 45 conference titles under Stricklin’s watch.
Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin cuts down the net after winning the NCAA Basketball National Championship Game of Florida vs. Houston at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Monday, April 7, 2025. Florida won the game 65-63. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Florida’s football program has yet to enjoy similar success under coach Billy Napier, who enters Saturday night’s season opener against Long Island University just 19-19 in three seasons. But the No. 15 Gators ended 2024 on a four-game winning streak, the longest current streak in the SEC, and are ranked in the preseason for the first time since 2021.
The LIU game will be the 13th straight sellout at the Swamp, signaling fan enthusiasm about the program’s direction.
In 2020, Stricklin was named the athletic director of the year by the Sports Business Journal and agreed to an extension through 2027 along with a 33% raise to $1.8 million annually.
Stricklin’s new contract extension was first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Stricklin, a native of Mississippi, replaced Jeremy Foley on Nov. 1, 2016, after leaving his alma mater Mississippi State. In 2010, Stricklin had succeeded Greg Byrne, who left for Arizona and is now the AD at Alabama.
Stricklin’s fundraising ability and willingness to spend helped the Gators as the school embarked on several ambitious facility projects, including a $65 million baseball stadium, $17 million in upgrades to the softball stadium and a $87 million standalone football facility.
Stricklin is in the process of planning a renovation of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium that could exceed $1 billion.
The aggressive approach to facilities and willingness to accrue debt ran counter to Foley’s focus on fiscal restraint and distaste for the escalating arms races in big-time college sports.
UF athletic director Scott Stricklin (left) and football coach Billy Napier enter their fourth season together at UF. (James Gilbert/Getty)
Stricklin, who also served a three-year stint as a member on the college football Playoff Selection Committee, has been considered among the nation’s top ADs — one who had risen from the ranks with a background in media relations at Auburn, Tulane, Baylor and Kentucky.
Stricklin has also had some missteps at UF.
Women’s basketball coach Cam Newbauer resigned in July 2021, six weeks after agreeing to a three-year contract extension, because of accusations he belittled players, threw basketballs at them during fits of anger and demeaned Black members of the team because of their appearance.
In April 2022, Stricklin fired women’s soccer coach Tony Amato after a 4-12 season because he lacked the interpersonal skills required to effectively deal with his players.
Football coach Dan Mullen, whom Stricklin hired away from Mississippi State after the 2017 season, did not pan out, following a dramatic fall from a top-10 program to a losing one during a 12-month span.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
