New FSU Athletic Director?

Word on the street is that despite having yet to be interviewed, former 'Nole Martin Mayhew (a Super Bowl champ with the Redskins and currently senior vice president and assistant general manager for the Detroit Lions) has the inside track in the competitive push to be Florida State's next athletic director. 9 candidates have made it past the first cut, and three frontrunners have emerged in Mayhew, former Marlins president Don Smiley, and Georgia Tech associate athletic director Wayne Hogan.

Mayhew's an interesting candidate, and I love the idea of a shake-up at FSU. The good Lord knows we need one - and it seems to be happening, with the announcement that John Lilly and Jody Allen are leaving.

What I love about Mayhew is that despite being a standout cornerback, he has never rested on his laurels. While a starter at the Redskins, Mayhew would finish practice and then race over to Georgetown for his law classes. He graduated from law school in 2000, and has been on the fast-track as a talented front office guy in the NFL.

We'd be very lucky to have him, of course, but there are some other quality candidates prepping to interview as well - like Hogan and Smiley. Either way, I have a good feeling about the future of athletics at FSU.

Hogan has worked for FSU Athletics in the past, but over the past decade has notably been scapegoated at the University of Montana over a $1m budget shortfall, where he figuratively fell on his sword as athletic director. He currently is an associate AD at Georgia Tech.

And then there's the polarizing figure of Don Smiley. Any MLB fan remembers the 1997 firesale of the Marlins. So he's definitely a longshot...

Hogan and Mayhew are the ones I'll be watching most closely...