As Mississippi State director of athletics Zac Selmon sat across from me in the Bryan Building conference room, he looked relax. The easy smile that usually appears on Selmon’s face was radiant. There was a sense of peace and accomplishment. In fact, Selmon looked as comfortable as I have ever seen him.
A lot has happened in Starkville over the course of the last several weeks. Mississippi State facilitated a change in leadership for the Bulldog baseball program. State football has announced plans for a football only indoor practice facility. The long awaited House Settlement, that changes so much in college athletics, has finally been ruled upon
The stressors of yesterday have been removed. New challenges await, but the water that has passed under the Bulldog bridge as of late has been rather smooth. That is not to suggest that is time for Selmon to sit back and admire that recent developments. With some direction on how to proceed with new roster limits and revenue sharing, there is still plenty to keep the staff within the Bryan Building hopping.
There are new financial gifts to pursue and other projects to complete. Summertime on the Mississippi State campus has a little less hustle and bustle, but a new crop of students are working through orientation. New student athletes are arriving to begin their preparation for their respective college seasons. End of the year staff evaluations are being conducted.
While there are no ball games to play for nearly two months, the business of Bulldog sports continues. Selmon sat down with me for a lengthy visit and interview to discuss the changing landscape in Starkville and in college athletics as a whole. The focus of the exclusive sit down was to provide a sense of understanding of where things are and where they are headed.
Steve Robertson: A lot has happened since we have had the chance to sit down and visit for a bit. You announced a football IPF, millions of dollars in donations, and hired a new baseball coach. There has been a final ruling in the House Case. Now that those things are settled, what are you focused on now? Where is the mind of Zac Selmon these days?
Zac Selmon: Its been fun, Steve. Getting the IPF up and running was big. We were able to celebrate with Billy Howard Sr. this week. I’ve loved getting to know the Howard family and the story of what all Billy did. He graduated in three years with an electrical engineering degree. His nickname was “The Iron Man”. He lettered in three sports. Having a family like that does a lot for Mississippi State, but also for the state of Mississippi. What Howard Industries has done is really special.
The IPF is going to be huge for the football program and really all of our student athletes. We have had so many people step up, which is huge to make all of this a reality. We still have a long way to go on our fund raising efforts for it. We are trying to phase it all in with the most minimal disruption for the current football team. We are really excited about where that is going to go.
We’ve had to juggle some things. We finished up a baseball season and brought on a new staff. With the nature of things in sports, Coach O’Connor had to hit the ground running, as you know better than anybody. We’ve been getting our roster right.
Two Fridays ago, we had the ultimate news dump with the House Case settling. We’ve been planning for it, but until you get final confirmation, you don’t know everything. These last couple of weeks, we have spent a lot of time digesting the rules and what the questions and answers are. We never got a lot of that stuff before it was fully settled. That is going to be our next big focus these next couple of weeks. We have to make sure that we interpret and educate correctly. There is so much education that has to come along with it.
I am pleased that we are at a point where we know what some of the rules to the game are going to be. Now, it’s about implementing everything for our department and for each student athlete. We have to educate agents and all of the above. Shoot, before we know it, we will be kicking off football season and getting ready for volleyball and so many other sports.
Coming to an end of the year, I think one of the coolest things is having Peyton Bair win a national championship. That is really special.
With all of the planning that we’re trying to do, this time of year is also a chance for our staff to sit back and learn from the things that we didn’t do great, but also celebrate the wins that each of them have had. The part that they are playing in Mississippi State athletics is really special.
I am looking forward, at some point, having the chance to sit back and reflecting on the notes of the year and really start game planning more in depth for what we are about to go through in fall sports. Right now, we’re going heavy on the House and implementation stuff.
