Florida State is set to lose one of the people helping steer its athletic department’s financial machine.
Iowa State announced Friday that Josh Turner, FSU’s deputy athletics director and chief financial officer, is headed to Ames to serve as the Cyclones’ senior deputy athletics director. The move reunites Turner with new Iowa State athletics director Jared Benko, who previously worked with him at Georgia Southern.
Turner’s exit comes at a moment of change in Tallahassee. Florida State fired athletics director Michael Alford on September 14 without cause and named Bruce Warwick interim athletics director while it searches for a permanent replacement.
Benko praised Turner’s background in the announcement.
“Josh brings a great deal of experience and knowledge, particularly in building out front office operations and managing revenue sharing,” Benko said in Iowa State’s announcement.
Turner will handle strategic planning, revenue generation, revenue sharing and name, image and likeness initiatives at Iowa State. He will also lead the front office staff and work with Benko on coaching contracts.
Per the Cyclones' website, "Turner will serve as Senior Deputy Athletics Director, with his responsibilities including strategic planning, commercial strategy, and revenue generation, as well as revenue sharing and NIL. He'll also provide leadership for front office staff and work alongside Benko in the area of coaching contracts."
The hire is still pending a background check, according to Iowa State.
Turner had only been at Florida State since February 2025, but he arrived with a resume built around business and budgeting work in college athletics. He previously spent time with Benko at Georgia Southern from 2020-22 as a budget analyst, then worked two years at Miami before returning to Georgia Southern as senior associate athletics director for business operations.
Iowa State said Turner oversaw Florida State’s $243 million consolidated athletics budget and put together a long-range financial plan. The school also credited him with creating FSU’s revenue-sharing and NIL model, working with coaches, sport general managers and support staff to allocate resources to rosters.
The Cyclones also pointed to Turner’s role in helping Florida State reach record revenue in fiscal year 2026. Among the commercial efforts highlighted were the department’s first jersey patch sponsorship, on-field and on-court sponsorships, and a push to turn Doak Campbell Stadium into a year-round entertainment venue.
FSU’s staff biography also lists multimedia rights, contracts and analytics among Turner’s responsibilities, along with work with university finance officials, legal counsel and Seminole Boosters.
In Iowa State’s release, Turner said, "I'm honored to join Iowa State as Senior Deputy Athletics Director and grateful to Jared Benko and university leadership for their confidence," Turner said in the release. "As the economics of college athletics evolve, the institutions best positioned to thrive will be those that pair strong traditions with disciplined, forward-looking strategy."
In Other News...
Arizona Put Iowa State In A Spot No Big 12 Team Wants
A bye week was supposed to give Iowa State a chance to reset, but Arizona made sure the Cyclones never got comfortable. The Wildcats jumped out with multiple early touchdowns, putting the Cyclones behind before the game had a chance to settle in and leaving them to chase from the opening stretch.
The second half brought a quarterback change, with Connor Moberly replacing Jaylen Raynor in an effort to spark the offense, but Iowa State still had trouble finding a rhythm. Now the Cyclones head back home with Oklahoma State next on the schedule, and they are trying to turn a rough road lesson into something more stable before the Big 12 race tightens any further. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Heads Home With Big Questions After Embarrassing Arizona Loss
Arizona turned Iowa States trip into a lopsided setback, rolling to a 39-3 win as Noah Fifita threw two touchdown passes and the Cyclones never found much rhythm on either side of the ball. Iowa State even made a quarterback change during the game in search of a spark, but the offense still sputtered while the defense had no answer for Arizonas control of the matchup.
Jimmy Rogers did not sugarcoat where things stand afterward, saying the Cyclones have plenty to clean up before they can feel better about themselves. The good news is they get a chance to reset at home next, with Oklahoma State coming to town, and Iowa State will need a far sharper effort if it wants to put this one behind it. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State May Have Found The Offensive Spark It Needed
Ryan Prather Jr. gave Iowa State exactly the kind of perimeter boost it has been looking for, scoring 25 points and drilling six of seven shots from beyond the arc as the Cyclones rolled past Northwestern 84-59 in an exhibition game. The approach looked familiar in the best way, with Iowa State leaning on paint touches to open up clean looks on the outside, while fifth-year point guard Tamin Lipsey returned for his preseason debut and added 14 points and seven assists to steady the offense.
The performance also had the feel of a deeper lineup finding its footing, with several Cyclones chipping in through rebounds, blocks and timely scoring as the group moved closer to its season opener. For a team that has been searching for a more reliable offensive spark, the exhibition offered a promising snapshot of what this roster can look like when the ball is moving, the spacing is there and the shots start falling. [Read more 🡒]