Troy University Athletics
Johnson’s Journal – Kyle George’s First Year as Troy AD Defined by Growth, Success and Opportunity
7/21/2026 11:43:00 AM | General
TROY, Ala. – Kyle George fittingly calls it a "whirlwind" when describing his first year on the job leading the Troy University athletics department.
"Putting it into words is hard because I always dreamed of this opportunity and wanted to be in a role like this," George said. "I remember talking to my wife about what that might look like, and there was a part of me that always hoped it would be at Troy, but you just don't ever know how things are going to play out."
George, who was hired to Troy from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2017 as deputy director of athletics for external operations, became interim director of athletics last August when Brent Jones left to become associate vice president/executive deputy AD at Georgia Tech. Three months later, George was elevated to full-time director of athletics.
"I always knew the characteristics of a place that I hopefully wanted to one day be an AD at, and Troy obviously checked every single box for me," George said. "The family connection and the community pieces are amazing here."
When George was promoted to his current position in November, he was already battle-tested after universities began paying student-athletes a stipend through income generated from the athletics department.
"Brent's departure took place when it was literally our first month of having revenue share take place," George said. "It was kind of jump in and figure it all out.
"I love that part because it's sink or swim. As much as you prepare and get ready, you never know until you're in it. You've just got to jump in and do it."
Troy: More Than a Job
Next March will mark 10 years at Troy for George, a native of Hoover, Ala., who graduated from Samford University with a bachelor's degree and then earned his master's degree at Southern Miss.
"My first time seeing Troy was at midnight, basically," George said. "I wanted to sneak around and kind of see the facilities before I got a chance to meet with Jeremy (McClain, Troy AD at the time). You saw all the potential just kind of oozing out.
"I'll never forget coming up George Wallace Drive and it (campus) just kind of popped out at you for the first time. I love that when we bring people to the campus for the first time, you come up that drive and it's just a wow factor."
For George, it's become much more than a job — Troy has become home for him and his wife, Lynne, and two sons, Grayson and Graham. A third son is due this fall, ironically the same date as the home football season opener on Sept. 5 against Sam Houston State University.
"Any time I'm interviewing people for jobs at Troy, I always want it to be a conversation to know the person, and vice versa, I want them to know me, too," George said.
"A lot of people ask me the same question of, 'Why have you been at Troy so long?' Well, I came as a single guy, and now I'm married and have two young boys and a third about to be here in September, so I've seen Troy from different aspects.
"As much as I feel that I've grown in my time here, Troy has grown just as much, too. That's what I love about it."
First-Year Success
George couldn't have scripted his first year overseeing the athletics department any better.
The Trojans' football team won the West Division title, played in the Sun Belt Championship Game and in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl in Montgomery.
The men's basketball team won the Sun Belt Conference regular-season title and SBC Tournament championship along with advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. The women's basketball team went 25-8 and played in the WBIT Tournament.
To top it off, the Trojans' baseball team hosted and won a Super Regional and advanced to the College World Series in Omaha for the first time in school history.
"I had a lot of the ADs in the conference say, 'Hey, you're making this AD thing look way too easy,'" George said. "I say that joking, but it's been a culmination of everything.
"It's what we've been growing toward, and it all came to a head. A few members of our staff who have been here for a few years now, once we got through Omaha, they all came to me as individuals and were like, 'You've been saying this for years, and we didn't really listen all the way until all of the sudden it hits you like, oh my gosh, it's actually here … we have the real opportunity.' I've been saying that you've got to be ready for the moment. You never know when it will come. You've got to be ready when it hits."
Community-Wide Effort
The Super Regional hosted by Troy in June brought nationwide attention as the university and town put their best foot forward.
Riddle-Pace Field was packed for two days as Troy swept the best-of-three series against Little Rock (Ark.) with national TV cameras rolling, winning the first game 12-2 and the second 7-2.
Portable bleachers were brought in that were stationed beyond the outfield fence as the series attracted Troy baseball record crowds of a combined 13,459 fans over the two days.
"We talk about being 'One Troy,' but when we really come together as 'One Troy,' it's a special, special place," George said. "There was a plan and a vision, but then you're in the moment, and you have to pivot because it wasn't a guarantee we were going to get a Super Regional.
"But you look at it and it was because — credit to Mike Frigge (executive associate athletics director/internal operations) and Geveda Lowery (associate director of athletics/business operations) — they were the ones that said, 'Hey, we've got to make sure we check this box to get this part in.' It's them all looking ahead.
"I think I saw a stat where there have been eight overall three seeds that have hosted a Super Regional, and we're one of those. It definitely helped our path to get to Omaha to have that right in Troy, Alabama."
The Hiring and Firing
While George has been involved with the hiring and firing of past coaches, he knows the responsibility is largely on his shoulders now.
"The firing part is the absolute worst part of the job," George said. "I know it's easy for people to maybe say you have to make X-Y-Z decisions, but there is a human aspect in all of it. No matter how long I end up being an AD in my career, I will always hate that part of the job.
"The part I love the most, though, is identifying the right person for the job. I think that's the best part because you find that partner to work with."
Since George has been in charge, he's already hired a new men's basketball coach in Adam Howard, a new women's soccer coach in Jake Wyman and a new women's golf coach in JD Lamm.
"With men's basketball we had to be ready," George said of Scott Cross leaving for Georgia Tech. "The fact that he went from Troy to Georgia Tech is truly incredible.
"We had our basketball coach go to the ACC — the top basketball league for years and years. It's great to see what we've become from that standpoint.
"Just as excited as people were when we hired Gerad Parker (three years ago) … we've got the Notre Dame offensive coordinator coming to Troy as the head football coach.
"These things come in cycles, and you have to be ready for all of those cycles."
Keeping Them in Place
George also understands the importance of holding on to coaches who have had success and are coveted by others.
"Retaining folks like Skylar Meade (baseball) and Chanda Rigby (women's basketball) — those are key pieces to it," George said. "All being said, getting the right person is always key.
"I was able to talk to a lot of great coaches in the searches we were part of. The same thing I told all of them is, 'That search firm is me, myself and I. I'm not sharing it with anybody else.'"
But George does get input from others, most importantly the student-athletes.
"I got a chance to visit with all of them before I jump into searches and just ask them to share feedback with me," George said. "I don't want to hear negative pieces; I just want to hear positives.
"What are you looking for characteristic-wise? Don't give me names. I want to hear what values, what characteristics you think are needed for this team.
"Those things stay in my head the entire time throughout the process. Bottom line, the person I'm hiring is going to work with those student-athletes.
"They're not here to win over the fans, necessarily. That's certainly part of our job, no doubt. But the most important thing is they are going to nurture and take care of those student-athletes and help them grow as people."
Success Across the Board
No matter the sport, George wants to build winners.
He hopes the momentum from the past year will carry over to future success.
Still, George knows there will always be ups and downs.
"The reminder I take from it is never get too high and never get too low," George said. "But all of those teams winning … it just made each other look even stronger at the end of the day.
"When you can look at the entire year and say, 'We're the only school in the Group of Six (conferences) to have a football program in a bowl game, men's basketball March Madness, baseball in a regional … it just galvanizes the fan base.'
"I think a lot of schools today are focusing on one or two sports. I don't want to be a place like that. I want to make sure all of our teams can win."
It's what drives George as he leads the way.
"Putting it into words is hard because I always dreamed of this opportunity and wanted to be in a role like this," George said. "I remember talking to my wife about what that might look like, and there was a part of me that always hoped it would be at Troy, but you just don't ever know how things are going to play out."
George, who was hired to Troy from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2017 as deputy director of athletics for external operations, became interim director of athletics last August when Brent Jones left to become associate vice president/executive deputy AD at Georgia Tech. Three months later, George was elevated to full-time director of athletics.
"I always knew the characteristics of a place that I hopefully wanted to one day be an AD at, and Troy obviously checked every single box for me," George said. "The family connection and the community pieces are amazing here."
When George was promoted to his current position in November, he was already battle-tested after universities began paying student-athletes a stipend through income generated from the athletics department.
"Brent's departure took place when it was literally our first month of having revenue share take place," George said. "It was kind of jump in and figure it all out.
"I love that part because it's sink or swim. As much as you prepare and get ready, you never know until you're in it. You've just got to jump in and do it."
Troy: More Than a Job
Next March will mark 10 years at Troy for George, a native of Hoover, Ala., who graduated from Samford University with a bachelor's degree and then earned his master's degree at Southern Miss.
"My first time seeing Troy was at midnight, basically," George said. "I wanted to sneak around and kind of see the facilities before I got a chance to meet with Jeremy (McClain, Troy AD at the time). You saw all the potential just kind of oozing out.
"I'll never forget coming up George Wallace Drive and it (campus) just kind of popped out at you for the first time. I love that when we bring people to the campus for the first time, you come up that drive and it's just a wow factor."
For George, it's become much more than a job — Troy has become home for him and his wife, Lynne, and two sons, Grayson and Graham. A third son is due this fall, ironically the same date as the home football season opener on Sept. 5 against Sam Houston State University.
"Any time I'm interviewing people for jobs at Troy, I always want it to be a conversation to know the person, and vice versa, I want them to know me, too," George said.
"A lot of people ask me the same question of, 'Why have you been at Troy so long?' Well, I came as a single guy, and now I'm married and have two young boys and a third about to be here in September, so I've seen Troy from different aspects.
"As much as I feel that I've grown in my time here, Troy has grown just as much, too. That's what I love about it."
First-Year Success
George couldn't have scripted his first year overseeing the athletics department any better.
The Trojans' football team won the West Division title, played in the Sun Belt Championship Game and in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl in Montgomery.
The men's basketball team won the Sun Belt Conference regular-season title and SBC Tournament championship along with advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. The women's basketball team went 25-8 and played in the WBIT Tournament.
To top it off, the Trojans' baseball team hosted and won a Super Regional and advanced to the College World Series in Omaha for the first time in school history.
"I had a lot of the ADs in the conference say, 'Hey, you're making this AD thing look way too easy,'" George said. "I say that joking, but it's been a culmination of everything.
"It's what we've been growing toward, and it all came to a head. A few members of our staff who have been here for a few years now, once we got through Omaha, they all came to me as individuals and were like, 'You've been saying this for years, and we didn't really listen all the way until all of the sudden it hits you like, oh my gosh, it's actually here … we have the real opportunity.' I've been saying that you've got to be ready for the moment. You never know when it will come. You've got to be ready when it hits."
Community-Wide Effort
The Super Regional hosted by Troy in June brought nationwide attention as the university and town put their best foot forward.
Riddle-Pace Field was packed for two days as Troy swept the best-of-three series against Little Rock (Ark.) with national TV cameras rolling, winning the first game 12-2 and the second 7-2.
Portable bleachers were brought in that were stationed beyond the outfield fence as the series attracted Troy baseball record crowds of a combined 13,459 fans over the two days.
"We talk about being 'One Troy,' but when we really come together as 'One Troy,' it's a special, special place," George said. "There was a plan and a vision, but then you're in the moment, and you have to pivot because it wasn't a guarantee we were going to get a Super Regional.
"But you look at it and it was because — credit to Mike Frigge (executive associate athletics director/internal operations) and Geveda Lowery (associate director of athletics/business operations) — they were the ones that said, 'Hey, we've got to make sure we check this box to get this part in.' It's them all looking ahead.
"I think I saw a stat where there have been eight overall three seeds that have hosted a Super Regional, and we're one of those. It definitely helped our path to get to Omaha to have that right in Troy, Alabama."
The Hiring and Firing
While George has been involved with the hiring and firing of past coaches, he knows the responsibility is largely on his shoulders now.
"The firing part is the absolute worst part of the job," George said. "I know it's easy for people to maybe say you have to make X-Y-Z decisions, but there is a human aspect in all of it. No matter how long I end up being an AD in my career, I will always hate that part of the job.
"The part I love the most, though, is identifying the right person for the job. I think that's the best part because you find that partner to work with."
Since George has been in charge, he's already hired a new men's basketball coach in Adam Howard, a new women's soccer coach in Jake Wyman and a new women's golf coach in JD Lamm.
"With men's basketball we had to be ready," George said of Scott Cross leaving for Georgia Tech. "The fact that he went from Troy to Georgia Tech is truly incredible.
"We had our basketball coach go to the ACC — the top basketball league for years and years. It's great to see what we've become from that standpoint.
"Just as excited as people were when we hired Gerad Parker (three years ago) … we've got the Notre Dame offensive coordinator coming to Troy as the head football coach.
"These things come in cycles, and you have to be ready for all of those cycles."
Keeping Them in Place
George also understands the importance of holding on to coaches who have had success and are coveted by others.
"Retaining folks like Skylar Meade (baseball) and Chanda Rigby (women's basketball) — those are key pieces to it," George said. "All being said, getting the right person is always key.
"I was able to talk to a lot of great coaches in the searches we were part of. The same thing I told all of them is, 'That search firm is me, myself and I. I'm not sharing it with anybody else.'"
But George does get input from others, most importantly the student-athletes.
"I got a chance to visit with all of them before I jump into searches and just ask them to share feedback with me," George said. "I don't want to hear negative pieces; I just want to hear positives.
"What are you looking for characteristic-wise? Don't give me names. I want to hear what values, what characteristics you think are needed for this team.
"Those things stay in my head the entire time throughout the process. Bottom line, the person I'm hiring is going to work with those student-athletes.
"They're not here to win over the fans, necessarily. That's certainly part of our job, no doubt. But the most important thing is they are going to nurture and take care of those student-athletes and help them grow as people."
Success Across the Board
No matter the sport, George wants to build winners.
He hopes the momentum from the past year will carry over to future success.
Still, George knows there will always be ups and downs.
"The reminder I take from it is never get too high and never get too low," George said. "But all of those teams winning … it just made each other look even stronger at the end of the day.
"When you can look at the entire year and say, 'We're the only school in the Group of Six (conferences) to have a football program in a bowl game, men's basketball March Madness, baseball in a regional … it just galvanizes the fan base.'
"I think a lot of schools today are focusing on one or two sports. I don't want to be a place like that. I want to make sure all of our teams can win."
It's what drives George as he leads the way.
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