The Search Party is an ongoing series that breaks down athletic director vacancies at schools like Utah State, Arkansas State, Ohio, and more.
Let’s take a dive into another athletic director opening, this time in Clarksville, Tennessee: Austin Peay State University. The opening occurred when Gerald Harrison, who had led the Governors since 2018, accepted the athletic director job at Marshall University. His departure closes a seven-year run that transformed Austin Peay’s athletics profile and leaves the Govs with a fascinating crossroads.
When Harrison arrived, he promised to elevate the student-athlete experience and to build APSU into a program that could compete athletically, academically, and socially. He delivered on many fronts.
The Governors moved from the OVC into the ASUN in 2022, and they are positioned to join the new United Athletic Conference in 2026. He shifted basketball into the sparkling F&M Bank Arena after nearly 50 years in the Dunn Center. His department launched the retooled Victory Fund and struck a groundbreaking all-revenue partnership with Taymar Sales U.
Success followed.
Austin Peay athletes recorded 16 straight semesters with a 3.0 GPA or higher and captured 13 conference titles, including three football championships. Harrison’s vision matched the city’s growth, and his farewell note left little doubt about his pride in what was built: “It’s fair to say Austin Peay State University is no longer one of the state’s best-kept secrets – it’s one of college athletics’ best examples of what can happen when there is true alignment between the Board of Trustees, the president, the AD, the staff, the student-athletes, and the community they represent.”
Harrison’s own contract history at Austin Peay is a good case study in how schools protect themselves while still rewarding their AD. He originally signed a four-year deal running through June 30, 2022, before receiving an extension in 2022 that bumped his term through August 12, 2027, along with a $100,000 bonus.
Yet the fine print (in addition to multiple confusing addendums) revealed what some insiders referred to as a “red herring” clause: his guarantee amounted to only one year’s salary, prorated, if he chose to leave on his own. The buyout was capped at just $30,000 if he accepted another job, but by year four, his buyout would be $0. While the heavier language was reserved for a university-initiated dismissal, including offset provisions that would reduce Austin Peay’s burden if Harrison landed elsewhere. In the end, those terms made his exit to Marshall fairly straightforward and relatively inexpensive.
Harrison, taking in conference wins only, did a really good job of hiring coaches. Something that I’ve been told was discussed in the Marshall search. His head coach hires went a combined 205-179-9 in conference play. (Shout out to Mirage of Wins for the permission.)
Interim Leadership and the Search Ahead
To steady the transition, President Mike Licari appointed Jordan Harmon as interim AD. Harmon is as “Stacheville” as it gets. A two-time Austin Peay graduate and former Govs baseball player, he worked nearly every role in athletics fundraising and revenue generation before being promoted to chief revenue officer and then general manager of APSU Athletics. He knows the donors, understands the market, and has been trusted with APSU’s NIL and revenue strategies.
Licari inherited Harrison from his predecessor, Alisa White, and now has the chance to put his stamp on the athletic department. This will be his first full-time athletic director hire. The university has engaged CSA Search Consulting to run a national search, with a permanent hire expected by February 2026.
This all raises the obvious question: if Harmon already has the résumé, the ties, and the inside track, why spend the money on a national search? You know the sayings, “national search … look far and wide … high and low,” to find the best person right in front of you. APSU isn’t the only institution to do this, but it often feels like an exercise in optics rather than necessity. The Governors’ leadership has shown confidence in Harmon, and unless something surprising happens, he should have every chance to earn the job outright. This is not an endorsement of Harmon; I don’t even know him, but my spidey senses point to him.
Coaches and Competitiveness
APSU’s coaching contracts show both investment and expectation, particularly when stacked against their conference peers. Salaries at APSU consistently place their coaches in the upper tier of their conferences among public schools, excluding private peers such as Bellarmine, Jacksonville, Lipscomb, Queens, and Stetson, whose financial details aren’t as transparent. Regardless, the Governors are signaling through these contracts that they intend to compete at or near the top of the league.
On the football side, Jeff Faris is the highest-paid coach in the United Athletic Conference at $340,000, and after a 4–8 debut season, there will always be pressure to show progress in year two. His contract runs through December 20207. Should the Govs make the FCS playoffs during his tenure (through 2028), Faris’ contract is automatically extended by one year.
Men’s basketball coach Corey Gipson, a former Gov point guard, is signed through 2028 at an annual salary of $400,000. His first year was a stunning turnaround with 19 wins, but a 14–19 mark last season underscored how quickly momentum can stall.
Women’s coach Brittany Young has one of the highest salaries among public institutions in the ASUN at $185,000, with her deal also running through 2028. After an impressive start that featured more than 30 wins in her first two seasons, the program has leveled off, with her last two years finishing at or below .500. Still, her presence on the sideline has elevated expectations in women’s basketball and put APSU in a position to compete near the top third of the league when the roster clicks.
The point is clear that Austin Peay is p(l)aying to win. The next AD will inherit contracts that rank near the top of their respective conferences, which means there’s no hiding from expectations and little patience for mediocrity.
Stacheville and the Bigger Picture
What makes Austin Peay unique is the community it represents. Clarksville is often described as a military town or a rural outpost, but the reality is far bigger. With a population of about 170,000, it is one of Tennessee’s largest cities, sitting just 60 miles northwest of Nashville on the Kentucky border. APSU embraces its quirky identity with “Let’s Go Peay!” chants, the nickname “Stacheville,” and even calling staff and fans the “PEAYple.” That blend of personality, population growth, and proximity to Nashville makes the school more attractive than many casual observers realize.
Budget-wise, APSU sits in the middle of the ASUN pack at around $17.6 million, supported by healthy student fees. The department just posted a record GPA across its sports. With the shift to the United Athletic Conference, the Govs have a clearer league identity (with “like-minded institutions”) than in years past.
The Search Party Verdict
Austin Peay is not a stagnant program. It is a growing university in a booming city with resources that can punch above the FCS median. Harrison built the momentum. Now, Licari must decide who will take it forward.
Will the Govs stick with Harmon, the internal candidate who knows the place inside and out, or will they pay a search firm to deliver an outsider for the optics of a “national” hire? That’s the tension in Clarksville, and it will define how Austin Peay positions itself in the next round of realignment and beyond.
Harrison’s parting words still ring: “The best is yet to come.” The pieces are in place, but the search will reveal just how bold Austin Peay really wants to be.
