How Zac Selmon was able to 'wow' Mississippi State president Mark Keenum in AD search
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State’s Mark Keenum, who serves as the chairman of the College Football Playoff Board of Managers, is as connected as any university president in college sports. When he called around to ask about Zac Selmon as a candidate for his open athletics director position, Keenum got the respond he wanted.
“Wow, you’re talking to Zac Selmon? Wow. Wow,” Keenum says he heard.
“Then, they would go on with their superlatives about what a wonderful person he is and how fortunate we would be if he’d choose to come to Mississippi State,” Keenum added.
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Selmon, who previously served as deputy AD under Joe Castiglione at Oklahoma, did choose Mississippi State. He was introduced as the school’s 18th AD on Friday inside the Bryan Athletics Administration – the home to his new office overlooking Chadwick Lake.
The hire represented a step toward the new age of college athletics for Mississippi State.
After a 14-minute introduction from Keenum, it took Selmon just six minutes to mention the three letters dominating college sports: NIL.
The implementing of new name, image and likeness laws – which allow student-athletes to profit off their personal brands – has change the landscape. It has forced schools such as Mississippi State to find news ways to fundraise.
While driving traditional donations to the Bulldog Club, MSU must also drive up funding toward NIL collectives such as the Bulldog Initiative. It’s an area where former athletics director John Cohen struggled, which put those three letters at the forefront of Mississippi State’s AD search the last two-and-a-half months.
Selmon, 37, checked the boxes for a university president ready to take a big swing in hopes of pinning Mississippi State against the massive brands with which it competes. Selmon played an integral part in fundraising – traditional and NIL – at Oklahoma. He overlooked various departments including tickets sales and strategic communications. He’s also a former tight end at Wake Forest, which Keenum claimed as a key component to Selmon's success in administration.
Selmon can relate to athletes as well as any candidate in Keenum’s national search. While he doesn’t have the ties to MSU such as Georgia Southern AD Jared Benko or San Diego State AD John David Wicker, Keenum felt Selmon fit the values of Mississippi State – values that remain the foundation in an ever-changing approach.
“(NIL) is something we’re all learning and we’re evolving with,” Selmon said. “It’s not one-size-fits-all solution. As I told Dr. Keenum and others, we’ll be boldly aggressive in this space to make sure that we provide all of our student-athletes the right resources. We’re going to do it the right way, No. 1. We’re going to do it so we can have educational components. I’m not a believer if there’s not education involved. That’s the beauty of college athletics is it happens on college campuses.”
But it’s importance is obvious.
“It’ll be a top priority,” Selmon added.
Selmon’s vision for the future of Mississippi State was aided by his personable ways in winning an introductory press conference. For as much as he discussed his new role, Selmon ensured fans got a glimpse into his life and showed he’s been learning about theirs.
Selmon battled emotions as he thanked his parents, Kathryn and Dewey Selmon, for making college athletics the “bedrock” of his childhood. He joked about going from Big Dewey to Little Dooey − a prominent Starkville restaurant.
Selmon referred to his wife Rachel as the “rock” of their family. He embraced his youngest daughter Rylee (8), who owns the nickname “Meatball,” while he was introduced and had his older daughter Shayne (12) sitting nearby. He started his regards by wishing fans a happy “Maroon Friday.” He discussed watching the Egg Bowl as a child and how the football rivalry with Ole Miss is set to dominate his Thanksgiving plans. He joked about his new cowbell now becoming a toy for Rylee.
“Not only does Zac Selmon have the ‘it factor,’” Keenum said, “he has the ‘wow factor.’”
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: How Mississippi State AD Zac Selmon was able to 'wow' Mark Keenum
