Arkansas State extends contract of Jeff Purinton through 2028

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - Arkansas State announced a one-year contract extension for Vice Chancellor of Intercollegiate Athletics Jeff Purinton.

The deal will now run through June 30th, 2028.

A-State Chancellor Dr. Todd Shields said the following in a statement: “Jeff has been a great leader on our campus and in our community, and under his leadership, we’ve seen great collaboration between athletics and all parts of campus. In these times of great changes within college athletics, we wanted to offer Jeff an extension to provide the Red Wolves with continued consistency of leadership for A-State Athletics.”

Purinton was hired in May 2022 to lead the Red Wolves athletic programs. He hired Bryan Hodgson to be the men’s basketball head coach and tabbed Sujay Lama to lead women’s tennis. Purinton also led the way for A-State agreements with multimedia rights holder Learfield along with Adidas.

“It is an honor to serve as the Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics at Arkansas State University, and I want to thank Chancellor Shields, President Welch, our Board of Trustees and our Red Wolves Foundation Board for their confidence that we are on the right track to accomplishing our collective goals and fulfilling our vision for A-State Athletics,” Purinton said in a statement. “I am positive we can continue to enhance our national brand, win championships, excel academically and develop our student-athletes in everything we do. I also can’t overstate how extremely supportive our Jonesboro and university community have been, making this a wonderful home for me and my family. I’m excited about the future of A-State Athletics and the great things we can all accomplish together.”

Purinton served in various roles over 15 years at the University of Alabama before arriving at Arkansas State.