Jeremy Foley, Florida AD to Retire: Latest Comments and Reaction

The University of Florida announced Monday that athletic director Jeremy Foley will retire effective Oct. 1.

"You always want to leave an organization in good shape," Foley said in the school's press release. "Right now, we obviously have a great group of coaches, we have had a good year and we've got things moving in the right direction. I just think that makes it a good time to transition." 

The 63-year-old will leave the Gators' athletic program in a better state than when he arrived. ESPN's Brett McMurphy noted how much Florida has won during Foley's two-and-a-half decades as AD:

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey also praised Foley's work:

Most notably, the Gators have won three national championships in football and two in college basketball since Foley took over in 1992. Foley can't take credit for hiring Steve Spurrier, who was heading into his third year in '92, but he did bring aboard Billy Donovan (basketball) and Urban Meyer (football)—two of the most successful head coaches in Florida history.

USA Today's Nicole Auerbach highlighted how Foley played an instrumental role in Donovan's hiring:

Under Kevin O'Sullivan, whom Foley also hired, Florida has become a national powerhouse on the baseball diamond. The Gators are a game away from reaching the College World Series for the second straight year and fifth time in O'Sullivan's nine years as head coach.

Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde doesn't think Florida will have a shortage of candidates lining up to replace Foley:

In addition to Florida's achievements in athletics, the Gators have become one of the top revenue-generators in the country. According to USA Today, the school ranked sixth in total revenue ($147,105,242) for the 2014-15 fiscal year.

Foley laid the groundwork for Florida to continue being among the top athletic schools in the country. His successor will have a difficult task ahead to maintain that level of success and take the school even further.