CFP Names Air Force Lieutenant General Richard M. Clark Next Executive Director

Air Force Lieutenant General Richard M. Clark will take over as executive director of the College Football Playoff in 2024.

In a press release issued on Friday, Mark Keenum, President of Mississippi State University and the chairman of the College Football Playoff Board of Managers, said Clark has agreed to run the CFP:

"I'm pleased to announce that Lieutenant General Clark has accepted our offer to run the CFP and I'm highly confident he will do a superb job in this important position.

"General Clark's experience leading the U.S Air Force Academy as a Three-star General and also being a four-year letter winner with the U.S Air Force Football team gives him a strong background to excel in this crucial leadership role.

"I would add that we will surely miss Bill Hancock, but I want to note that Bill has graciously offered to stay on board through January 2025 to help General Clark get ready. Bill will remain at the helm throughout this season, while 2024 will mark a year of transition. Bill has been an outstanding leader for CFP's first 10 years. Everyone in college football owes Bill a debt of gratitude."

Clark said he was "honored" to be selected for the role and looks "forward to beginning my work."

Hancock announced in June that he was going to step down as College Football Playoff executive director when his contract expires on Feb. 1, 2025.

"The plan was established several years ago for me to notify the CFP Board of Managers a year in advance if I decided to step aside, in order to provide ample time to plan a smooth transition to the next executive director," Hancock said. "I'm advising the board now, so the new executive director will have a long on-ramp, as he or she prepares to guide the CFP into the 12-team era."

The College Football Playoff was formally approved in 2012 and went into effect starting with the 2014 season. Hancock was named executive director shortly after the playoff format was approved.

Since its inception, the College Football Playoff format has been comprised of four teams that are determined by a 13-member selection committee. The committee is made up of athletic directors, current and former players, coaches and reporters.

In December 2022, the College Football Playoff announced it was expanding to 12 teams starting with the 2024-25 season. The new format will feature the six highest-ranked conference champions receiving an automatic bid, with the top four seeds receiving a first-round bye.

The remaining playoff teams will be the six highest-ranked teams in the College Football Playoff poll as determined by the selection committee.

General Clark currently serves as superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy. He was a four-year letterman for the Falcons as a linebacker from 1982 to '86. The 1985 team finished eighth in the Associated Press Top 25 poll with a 12-1 record, tied for the most wins in program history.