USF athletic director Michael Kelly accepts position with US Naval Academy

The University of South Florida will be searching for a new athletic director because Michael Kelly is taking on the same role with the U.S. Naval Academy.

Both USF and Navy announced the move in news releases Wednesday afternoon.

USF president Rhea Law has asked USF Foundation CEO Jay Stroman to tentatively lead the athletic department after Kelly starts at Navy on June 23. Stroman will also continue to serve as senior vice president for advancement and alumni affairs.

Details regarding the search for a permanent successor will be announced at a later date, according to the USF release.

Over seven years, Kelly stabilized and strengthened USF’s athletic department, exponentially growing fundraising while leading the push to finally get shovels in the ground for a long-sought on-campus stadium.

At the same time, he had to navigate through difficulties in the school’s revenue sports. That included dealing with the tragic death of successful first-year basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim last year.

Kelly won't be a stranger in Annapolis. He will be near his hometown of Washington, D.C., and USF and Navy are rival members of the American Athletic Conference.

ALSO READ: USF breaks ground on a new on-campus football stadium

He said his decision was not about leaving USF, but instead a chance to serve a place that has been meaningful to him.

"This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity came along at a time that feels right for me and my family," he said. "I'm deeply proud of what we've built together here and incredibly grateful for the relationships, achievements and momentum that will continue to carry USF forward. I am confident that with this team — and in alignment with the university — even better days lie ahead for the Bulls."

Resurrected the athletic program

Kelly has overseen several major projects, including the construction of a new $348 million stadium and training center, the $22 million Porter Family Indoor Performance Facility, and a $3 million football locker room renovation.

Stroman, who also co-chaired the stadium project planning committee with Kelly, said the department is stronger because of Kelly's efforts.

"MK has forever changed our campus and our community for the better, and I am proud to call him my friend and to have worked with him to move USF athletics forward," Stroman said.

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Under Kelly, the department nearly doubled its budget to $100 million and secured more than $100 million in philanthropic gifts.

During that time, USF expanded to 21 varsity sports with the addition of women’s lacrosse and beach volleyball. The Bulls won 21 AAC team championships, two divisional titles, two NCAA championships and eight cheer national championships.

Twenty-seven athletes have been named All-Americans, and in 2024, and USF was named to Front Office Sports’ first “Best College Athletic Departments” list.

"Michael has supported our students, coaches, alumni and fans like a family, and that culture of success is among the highlights of his legacy here as a leader within Bulls Nation," Law said. "We are grateful for his service and wish him continued success at the U.S. Naval Academy."

Reversing fortunes of revenue sports

While the successes were many the school’s two revenue sports, football and men's basketball, struggled until recent seasons.

Kelly had to move on from head footbal coaches Charlie Strong and Jeff Scott after a 25-42 run that severely crippled the program’s national standing and led to fan apathy at home.

Under Strong and Scott, USF failed to keep top Florida talent while rival University of Central Florida thrived, eventually earning a place in an expanded Big 12, a power conference. According to experts, USF was not seriously considered despite the size of the Tampa television market and the university's significant enrollment and alumni numbers.

ALSO READ: USF's Yuengling Center will host the AAC basketball tournaments in 2027 and 2028

With the new facilities and the 2023 hiring of head coach Alex Golesh in 2022, Kelly looks to have the football team on the upswing. Under Golesh, the Bulls have back-to-back winning seasons and bowl appearances.

The 2024 death of Abdur-Rahim brought another challenge. The men’s basketball team struggled until his hiring in 2023, and he quickly rebuilt the program and campus enthusiasm. Abdur-Rahim’s only year brought the most regular-season wins in program history and first conference title.

Abdur-Rahim replaced Brian Gregory, who had one good season but failed to maintain consistency over six years, finishing with a 79–107 mark. Kelly also had to fire one of Gregory’s assistants for making “unacceptable” comments to players in 2021.

An experienced athletics administrator

Kelly was hired in 2018 to replace Mark Harlan, who left to take the AD job at the University of Utah. The administration knew what they were getting, as Kelly served as USF’s associate athletic director for development and external relations in 2001-2002.

Although at USF for only a brief time, Kelly helped the football team transition to Division I-A and led fundraising efforts for the athletic center now named after the late Lee Roy Selmon, the AD who hired him.

For his second tenure, Kelly brought a thick national sports resume and was deemed the “perfect hire" by Rob Higgins, executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission.

Before taking the job, Kelly served as associate commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference, director for three Super Bowl host committees, including Tampa’s from 1999 to 2001, and chief operating officer for the College Football Playoff from 2012 to 2018.

Back to the DMV

In Annapolis, Kelly returns to the area of his youth. Kelly was born in Washington, where he attended St. John's College High, before graduating from Wake Forest University in North Carolina, where he began his athletic administrative career in 1995.

Kelly will step into a better situation at Navy than he began with at USF. He replaces Chet Gladchuk, who retired in March after 24 years in the post. At the time, he was the second-longest tenured AD in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Under Gladchuk, Navy added six varsity sports and now has 36, tied with Stanford and Ohio State for the most in the FBS. Over that time, the Midshipmen have won four national titles and moved into the AAC after 134 years as an independent.

Kelly, whose father attended Navy, said in a statement the values of the military academy have been a guiding force in his life.

"Returning to this remarkable place in this capacity is a full-circle moment that fills me with both pride and purpose," Kelly said. "Together, we will build on the extraordinary foundation laid by Chet Gladchuk and ensure that Navy athletics continues to represent excellence — in competition, in the classroom and beyond. Go Navy! Beat Army!"