SEC Media Days: Mississippi State's Zac Selmon believes he'll 'always be connected' to OU

NASHVILLE — Zac Selmon is enjoying life in Mississippi.

The Mississippi State athletic director, who is acclimating after being a fixture in Oklahoma’s athletic department for years, believes he’s had a smooth transition to his new job in the South.

And still, it’s been a strange one.

The daily talks with OU athletic director Joe Castiglione are no more.

“It’s weird, because he’s someone I’ve seen every day for a long period of time,” Selmon said Tuesday at Southeastern Conference Media Days. “But the silver lining is we’re so close we still talk quite a bit. We talk on the phone, we text quite a bit. He’s someone I know I'll always be connected with.”

Selmon’s name is ubiquitous with OU and Norman, and not only because of his dad, Dewey, who shares a statue with brothers Lucious and Lee Roy outside the Sooners’ stadium.

Selmon made his own impact at OU. He joined Castiglione’s department in 2015 and spent eight years there. He left as the school’s deputy athletics director for external engagement and advancement, with a speciality in fundraising that helped OU keep pace with college football's facilities arms race.

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Now at MSU, in his first head AD position, he’s in charge of capital projects, fundraising and all the hefty responsibilities athletic directors face.

“I’ve been blessed to work with some of the best ADs in America in Bubba Cunningham (at UNC) and Joe Castiglione," Selmon said. "They probably saw something in me I didn’t see in myself, and even at times put me in positions to stretch and grow.

“There’s a big difference from making recommendations to making decisions. I think I learned that early on, there’s an acknowledgement of the mental fatigue”

Selmon's currently developing the MSU athletic department’s “core value system,” he said, and addressing the state of facilities.

He helped make the decision to pause a renovation project to Davis Wade Stadium to make time to develop a comprehensive master plan.

“It’s sitting back and thinking critically. We want the best investment for MSU. At the time, I didn’t feel like it was right,” Selmon said. “Coming up on the fundraising side, I always value the donors we have to ask to help and want to make sure we spend their money wisely, even if we realize it may cost a little more. At the end of the day we know it’s not about positioning us for right now, but the future.”

Selmon, 37, and MSU football coach Zach Arnett, 36, began their jobs almost within a month’s time. Arnett was hired in December.

Together, they’re facing a new MSU era.

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“It's been fun to work with him on a daily basis. He's with me here today,” Arnett said, pointing out Selmon in the crowd at SEC Media Days, “and it's going to be fun going forward.

OU will soon join them in the SEC. The Sooners, along with Texas, will begin play there in 2024.

Selmon is confident OU can still compete for championships in its new league.

And his former boss will be around a little more frequently.

Castiglione, who is in his 25th year at OU, is ushering the school into yet another era in college sports.

“Joe is healthy, he’s energized. I’ve been doing this job for six months. I don’t want to do this for 30 years like him, but for Joe, this is his life's work,” Selmon said. “He’s driven every day by his mission and purpose. I do not know how long Joe will go but however long he goes it will be good for college athletics, because college athletics needs great people like him.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: SEC Media Days: Selmon transition to Mississippi State smooth, strange