The UNF Athletics program is fresh off one of its best weeks in recent memory. 

An array of sports contributed to a week that, according to athletic director Nick Morrow, felt like March Madness in November. 

“It’s been incredible,” Morrow said.

Morrow mentioned the number of engagements UNF Athletics has received on social media because of the success, adding that the department plans to release a graphic about the impressions increase. 

“We were the talk of the college basketball scene nationwide,” Morrow said.

How did UNF Athletics get to this point? Well, all UNF men’s basketball had to do was knock off multiple Power 4 teams. While making it look easy, the Birds of Trey defeated South Carolina on Nov. 4 and overpowered Georgia Tech on Nov. 10 by double-digits. 

These wins have amounted to nearly one million total impressions on X, formerly known as Twitter, and about half a million views on Instagram, according to Morrow. These upsets have generated more than just social media views, they’ve also garnered recognition from national media. 

“That’s getting our brand out there,” Morrow said. “There’s not many things you can do on a campus, if any, that can get that kind of exposure in a one week period.”

Additionally, Morrow said UNF was paid $95,000 to play South Carolina and $90,000 by Georgia Tech. So, the Ospreys received not only major exposure, but also a hefty payday, which surely helped the UNF brand. 

“There’s no one in the country that had two Power 4 wins in the first week of college basketball,” Morrow added. 

Men’s Basketball’s success also helps other UNF athletic programs, according to Morrow. 

“When our teams are elevated—especially men’s basketball—everyone else is elevated with them,” Morrow said. “It raises the national brand, national attention.”

How the AD plans to build off this

National recognition like this spurs momentum, not just for the athletic department but the University as a whole. Morrow said the athletic program can impact enrollment, student life experiences, and community engagement. 

However, Morrow reiterated multiple times that student attendance impacts games and the athletic program as a whole. 

“When our student section is full, we have the greatest atmosphere in the ASUN conference,” Morrow said. “It’s an intimidating place to play, it’s loud, and it motivates our student-athletes.”

There are some instances where enrollment increases for schools that acquire major upsets, especially during March Madness. As for UNF, Morrow said he’s been receiving the most ticket requests since the Osprey’s last ASUN Championship. 

“We want to capitalize on that and get people in the building to watch this [basketball team] play because this team can play,” said Morrow. 

On the fundraising side, Morrow said that people want to invest in success, and that makes raising money easier. 

“When you have this kind of success, you have got to be engaging with your donors and your fanbase quickly and often,” said Morrow. 

Goals becoming a reality helps donors see their contributions in action. According to Morrow, when success is actually happening, there’s less need to sell a vision of success. 

“When you share that passion with donors and they start seeing it come to fruition, then it’s a lot easier to keep fundraising,” Morrow said

“Can’t write a better script”

It’s not just men’s basketball that’s exceeding expectations. UNF Men’s Soccer, under first year head coach Jamie Davies, won the ASUN Championship on Saturday. Even before this win, Morrow talked highly of Davies and his early impact on the program. 

“Can’t write a better script than that in year one,” Morrow said. “Coach of the year, and several all-conference players.”

UNF will face West Virginia in the program’s second-ever NCAA tournament appearance and its first since 2015.

In addition to soccer, Men’s Cross Country finished sixth place in the NCAA Regionals last week. The Ospreys placed ahead of multiple top programs, including Georgia and Florida. Other sports such as Volleyball and Women’s Soccer have found sporadic success throughout its season. 

Morrow attributes this success to focusing more on the process than the outcome. More specifically, he wants programs to have coaches with good values and provide student-athletes with enough resources. Morrow said the department has worked towards these goals over the past few months. 

“It’s exciting to see just knowing how hard these coaches work and knowing how hard these students work,” Morrow said. “Just makes me really proud.”

UNF Athletics will look to continue its success as Men’s soccer and volleyball begin postseason events this week. Students can attend Men’s and women’s basketball games for free by claiming tickets here. 

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