Alabama Executive Deputy AD Jeff Purinton to Become AD at Arkansas State
A longtime member of Alabama's executive staff is moving on from the Crimson Tide. Alabama Executive Deputy Athletics Director Jeff Purinton was announced as the new athletic director at Arkansas State on Wednesday. Purinton is in his 15th year at Alabama after being hired in 2007.
"My family and I want to thank everyone at the University of Alabama for an amazing 15 years working with the Crimson Tide," Purinton said in a statement. "We've developed lifelong friends and relationships during our time at UA, and we are so appreciative of the opportunity we had in Tuscaloosa. Greg Byrne and Coach Saban have been so supportive, especially during this process, and I want to thank them specifically."
Last year, Alabama appointed Purinton the title of Executive Deputy Director of Athletics. He was a member of Athletic Director Byrne’s executive staff and served as the sport administrator for football as well as the men's and women's golf programs after previously overseeing men's basketball. Additionally, Purinton supervised several departments within athletics including human resources, marketing and trademark licensing and is the liaison to Crimson Tide Sports Marketing, Alabama's LEARFIELD property.
When Alabama hired Byrne in 2017, Purinton was charged with the creation and implementation of the department's new strategic plan. His most recent contribution came as he served on the leadership group that helped develop and launch the department's new fundraising initiative, The Crimson Standard.
Purinton was hired at Alabama in the summer of 2007 as the Associate Athletics Director for Football Communications, handling all external areas of the program for Nick Saban. He has coordinated each of the 12 ESPN Gameday visits to Tuscaloosa as Alabama has hosted the show more than any other school during that time frame. In addition to building and maintaining relationships with national media and the marketing/promotion of Crimson Tide football, Purinton helped strategize and implement plans for the Crimson Caravan spring booster tour. Alabama has won six football national championships in Purinton's time with the program.
"I always say that the number one thing that makes our organization special is the people. In terms of our staff and administration, Jeff would be one of those people I'm talking about," Saban said in a statement. "He works extremely hard, he thinks ahead and is proactive when you deal with any big picture issues, and he does it with a positive attitude. Anytime we've had to deal with a high-pressure or stressful situation, he's calm and doesn't get flustered in those moments.
"We hired Jeff in the summer of my first year (2007) at Alabama in large part because he brought great outside perspective and had really strong national relationships. I relied on Jeff often, especially those first few years, in areas beyond just the media in terms of building the football program to where it is now. He moved up in terms of his administrative role here and has done an outstanding job as our football oversight. I don't have any doubt Jeff will make an outstanding AD for Arkansas State."
Purinton oversaw the revision of the football game-day production in 2017, improving the overall atmosphere and interaction from the crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Part of that process included the implementation of new LED stadium lighting in 2019, which received positive reviews from both the players and fans.
In March of 2019, Purinton assisted Byrne in the search for a new head men's basketball coach which resulted in the hiring of Nate Oats from Buffalo.
"We weren't going to take just any coaching job when we were at Buffalo because we had a great situation there, had made it to the NCAA Tournament two straight years, and we'd recently bought a house that we were renovating," Oats said in a statement. "After Greg (Byrne) and Jeff came up to meet with us about the opening at Alabama, there was no doubt that we were going to make the move to Tuscaloosa. They did an outstanding job of presenting all of the positive things Alabama had to offer and answered each and every question we had.
"Knowing Jeff would be our sport administrator for men's basketball was an important factor, and his support has been a key part of what we are building here. Especially with a new staff coming in, Jeff was invaluable in helping us navigate through the first couple of seasons. We were able to win the SEC regular season and the tournament championship in our second year, and advance to the Sweet 16. The support from Jeff and our administration is a big reason why."
Before arriving at Alabama, Purinton served as the director of media relations and communications for the Orange Bowl Committee in 2006. That year, the OBC eclipsed attendance and revenue goals for the Basketball Classic, Fan Fest, Pregame Tailgate Party and Fed Ex Orange Bowl.
