Carl McAloose is not only excited about becoming Clayton State’s new athletic director but the chance to compete once again.

“The goal here is to graduate the kids,” McAloose said. “That is our number one goal then in the meantime we want to win contests. I’m the most competitive person in the world. I want to win. I haven’t had a win in three years so I’m excited to get our first win. I’m looking forward to that more than anything.”

After serving as CEO and president of Athletics Staffing and Consulting, McAloose began his tenure at Clayton State on June 4, replacing Mason Barfield, who retired last fall.

“I missed being on a college campus,” McAloose said. “President [Tim] Hynes was kind enough to offer me this and I think it’s a great situation. I think we can build upon what they have already done. It’s a fantastic foundation they already have in place so I think we can do some fairly special things.”

Twelve years ago, McAloose was the first athletic director at Florida Gulf Coast University just like Barfield was CSU’s first AD. During his tenure in Fort Myers, McAloose led the program’s transition to Division I in 2007 — which was the fastest in NCAA history – and helped secure the largest cash contribution ($5 million) in the school’s 10-year history for Alico Arena.

“We are delighted that Mr. Carl McAloose will be our next director of athletics,” said Hynes back in March. “He brings to Clayton State a wealth of knowledge and experience both as an athletic director and as a conference commissioner. We anticipate that he will build on the foundations of an excellent program now and only make it better.”

“We plan to do a lot of community service, show the community we’re here and that we have a great product,” McAloose said. “We want people to come out and see our contests. Hopefully, they will feel it’s their university and that is what we want.”

So with a new leader on campus, can fans in the Clayton county area expect one of Georgia’s biggest sports?

“Football is a big task and a lot of money so I haven’t given that one thought yet,” McAloose said. “When you add football you really need to be at the top level in the current sports you have. It’s expensive and we certainly don’t have the facilities now.”