NCAA's Regulatory Chief Stan Wilcox Joins Post-House Wave of Departures
Wilcox, a former Florida State athletic director, joined the NCAA in 2018, succeeding Oliver Luck in the role. Over the past seven years, Wilcox has overseen what many consider the most turbulent period in the association's history—marked by sweeping changes to amateurism rules and multiple high-stakes antitrust lawsuits. Shortly after taking the job, Wilcox oversaw the NCAA's response to the federal government's investigation into bribery allegations involving multiple college hoops programs.
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NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a press release statement Wednesday that Wilcox had originally planned to step down at the end of 2023 but agreed to extend his tenure at Baker's request.
'I especially appreciated his insights and advice during the past year, which has involved more change in Division I college sports than any other in recent memory,' Baker said.
According to the NCAA's latest tax filings, Wilcox was the organization's second-highest-paid active employee in 2023, earning $1.47 million.
His retirement comes on the heels of other major departures. Just last week, longtime NCAA senior VP of policy and governance Kevin Lennon—the national office's longest-serving employee—announced his retirement effective at the end of August. Additionally, VP of academic and membership affairs Dave Schnase will step down on Sep. 2, concluding a 30-year career with the organization.
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Before joining the NCAA, Wilcox—himself a former college basketball player at Notre Dame—served as athletic director at Florida State University from 2013 to 2018. His tenure in Tallahassee was marked by significant controversy, including a high-profile Title IX lawsuit against the school by a woman who accused former FSU star quarterback Jameis Winston of rape. FSU ultimately agreed to a $950,000 settlement with the accuser.
Wilcox also oversaw the departure of beloved head football coach Jimbo Fisher, who left for Texas A&M in late 2017 for a 10-year, $75 million contract. In Fisher's place, Wilcox hired Oregon's Willie Taggart, one of the few Black head coaches in major college football at the time. The move drew criticism from some fans who accused Wilcox of driving Fisher out. Former Florida Congressman and FSU alumnus Matt Gaetz went further, publicly castigating Wilcox—who is also Black—as a 'racist' and a 'stain' on the university.
Wilcox defended himself, stating that FSU simply couldn't match the financial and resource commitments offered by Texas A&M. Fisher, for his part, had openly criticized Florida State's investment in its football program before leaving and reportedly pushed, unsuccessfully, for Wilcox to be replaced. Taggart struggled during his brief tenure, posting a losing record and being fired midway through his second season—triggering an $18 million buyout.
In hindsight, however, the loss of Fisher might not seem as detrimental. In 2023, Texas A&M paid a record-breaking $77.5 million buyout to part ways with the coach, just two years after tendering him a 10-year, $95 million contract extension.
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As for Wilcox, his move from Florida State to the NCAA turned out to be a case of jumping from the frying pan into the fire, as he became embroiled in the organization's more and more tenuous efforts to enforce its bylaws.
That included the NCAA's high-profile investigation last year into alleged recruiting violations at the University of Tennessee, centered on NIL-related payments to multiple athletes, most notably former quarterback Nico Iamaleava. The probe ultimately sparked an antitrust lawsuit by the attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia, challenging the NCAA's restrictions on schools facilitating NIL deals—which effectively stalled the governing body's efforts to enforce its policies on third-party and booster payments to players.
Reflecting on the case in a podcast interview last March, Wilcox lamented that NCAA rule-making had increasingly fallen into the hands of the courts.
'It might be good for that one institution, but that may not be good for the vast majority of institutions who all agree that this is how the rules should be and this is how it should operate,' Wilcox said at the time.
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An NCAA spokesperson did not immediately respond to request for comment about what the association's succession plan for Wilcox is.
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