Maroon Friday Update: July 18
July 18, 2025 | Athletics
Happy Maroon Friday!
It's a great day to be a Mississippi State Bulldog!
Another busy week here within Mississippi State Athletics! If you're getting tired of reading that each week, just remember that it's better than the alternative. Last Sunday, I started the week with my good buddies, football letterwinners and legendary supporters Lee and Leo Seal, fishing down on the coast. Although I never had the opportunity to meet their late father, Leo Seal Jr., a generous supporter and football letterwinner at Mississippi State, I've loved hearing the stories his sons share about him. His clear passion for the Mississippi Coast and its people, along with his love for Mississippi State, lives on through his sons and family. I didn't catch anything but a sunburn on the boat, but it was a great day on the water with legacy Bulldogs who have generously invested in Mississippi State Athletics for decades. This family is one of a kind, and I'm thankful to call them friends.
Earlier this week, we announced that, thanks to direct investment from many of you, Mississippi State shattered its fundraising record in fiscal year 2025 by raising $84.6 million in donations and pledges.
Our team put together some great information to help share just how impactful Bulldog Club member investment was this year, and I've included that here for you:
• The $84.6 million total more than doubled the department's previous all-time fundraising record.
• Out of the 202 major gifts received this year, 10 were $1 million or more. That number is more than the last 10 years combined and more than double the previous record set in 2011.
• The Cristil Society grew from 311 to 439 members during FY25. A quick reminder, the Cristil Society launched in August 2024 and is named in memory of the legendary voice of the Bulldogs, the late Jack Cristil. It was created to honor Bulldog Club members whose commitments go above and beyond priority seating contributions.
It is truly remarkable, and we are overwhelmed with gratitude to our Bulldog Club members. It's hard to put into words how much this support means to us. It is critical in this era. This type of investment from so many of you fuels our ability to compete at the highest levels. This year's support set the standard for what we strive to achieve each year going forward, and for that, we are grateful.
So, one of this week's S.T.A.T.E. Shoutouts goes to our Bulldog Club members for exemplifying our core values: Serve, Together, Act, Transform and Excel. We can't thank you enough!
I do have another shoutout I want to give. Our entire athletics department proudly works tirelessly to provide great experiences, deliver results, and uplift not only our program, but also our institution and community. It takes every person in our department contributing to achieve this level of excellence during a historic fundraising year. That said, I want to give a special S.T.A.T.E. Shoutout to the Bulldog Club staff. These folks are on the front lines working with many of you, and we are grateful for their work, their time, and their intentionality in displaying our values. Next time you talk to a Bulldog Club representative or fundraiser, I hope you'll tell them thank you.
I know our Bulldog Club team is proud of the work and what we all achieved last year together. But we're not built to be satisfied. The work to break this year's record has already begun, full throttle. Let's see what we can do together again!
Update from last week: I mentioned the Bulldog Club team and their families were coming over to our house to celebrate the record-breaking year. Rachel and I wanted to take the evening to say "thank you" to the staff and their families for the incredible work and time they dedicate to Mississippi State Athletics throughout the year. Bo Hemphill and Josh McCowan joked last week that they were going to take over my grill, and I made it clear I had it handled! I stepped away for two minutes to grab the pool toys, and they took over… Except they called in backup – Zack Harrington. My burger was a little dry, fellas! Must've been out raising money instead of mastering your grilling skills. 😊
Coach Lebby, Blake Shapen, Isaac Smith and Brenen Thompson did a phenomenal job representing our football program at SEC Media Days on Wednesday at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. This annual event, with more than 2,000 credentialed media members, always signals that football season is right around the corner. The SEC office puts on a first-class event every year. We're grateful for the effort they pour into making it such a success. Since coming back home, our team has heard from several national and local media members, including folks at ESPN, who went out of their way to share how well our group represented Mississippi State. Isaac stayed behind in Atlanta for a couple extra days to serve on the SEC Student-Athlete Leadership Council at their annual meetings. I'm proud to say he's one of four Bulldogs serving this year, alongside Josh Hubbard, Chandler Prater, and Dellquan Warren.
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I appreciate each of you. I hope you do something this weekend with the people in your life who bring you joy and happiness. My family and I have some fun planned and we are looking forward to it, but more on that next week.
Hail State!
Zac
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It's a great day to be a Mississippi State Bulldog!
Another busy week here within Mississippi State Athletics! If you're getting tired of reading that each week, just remember that it's better than the alternative. Last Sunday, I started the week with my good buddies, football letterwinners and legendary supporters Lee and Leo Seal, fishing down on the coast. Although I never had the opportunity to meet their late father, Leo Seal Jr., a generous supporter and football letterwinner at Mississippi State, I've loved hearing the stories his sons share about him. His clear passion for the Mississippi Coast and its people, along with his love for Mississippi State, lives on through his sons and family. I didn't catch anything but a sunburn on the boat, but it was a great day on the water with legacy Bulldogs who have generously invested in Mississippi State Athletics for decades. This family is one of a kind, and I'm thankful to call them friends.
Our team put together some great information to help share just how impactful Bulldog Club member investment was this year, and I've included that here for you:
• The $84.6 million total more than doubled the department's previous all-time fundraising record.
• Out of the 202 major gifts received this year, 10 were $1 million or more. That number is more than the last 10 years combined and more than double the previous record set in 2011.
• The Cristil Society grew from 311 to 439 members during FY25. A quick reminder, the Cristil Society launched in August 2024 and is named in memory of the legendary voice of the Bulldogs, the late Jack Cristil. It was created to honor Bulldog Club members whose commitments go above and beyond priority seating contributions.
It is truly remarkable, and we are overwhelmed with gratitude to our Bulldog Club members. It's hard to put into words how much this support means to us. It is critical in this era. This type of investment from so many of you fuels our ability to compete at the highest levels. This year's support set the standard for what we strive to achieve each year going forward, and for that, we are grateful.
So, one of this week's S.T.A.T.E. Shoutouts goes to our Bulldog Club members for exemplifying our core values: Serve, Together, Act, Transform and Excel. We can't thank you enough!
I do have another shoutout I want to give. Our entire athletics department proudly works tirelessly to provide great experiences, deliver results, and uplift not only our program, but also our institution and community. It takes every person in our department contributing to achieve this level of excellence during a historic fundraising year. That said, I want to give a special S.T.A.T.E. Shoutout to the Bulldog Club staff. These folks are on the front lines working with many of you, and we are grateful for their work, their time, and their intentionality in displaying our values. Next time you talk to a Bulldog Club representative or fundraiser, I hope you'll tell them thank you.
I know our Bulldog Club team is proud of the work and what we all achieved last year together. But we're not built to be satisfied. The work to break this year's record has already begun, full throttle. Let's see what we can do together again!
Update from last week: I mentioned the Bulldog Club team and their families were coming over to our house to celebrate the record-breaking year. Rachel and I wanted to take the evening to say "thank you" to the staff and their families for the incredible work and time they dedicate to Mississippi State Athletics throughout the year. Bo Hemphill and Josh McCowan joked last week that they were going to take over my grill, and I made it clear I had it handled! I stepped away for two minutes to grab the pool toys, and they took over… Except they called in backup – Zack Harrington. My burger was a little dry, fellas! Must've been out raising money instead of mastering your grilling skills. 😊
Â
Hail State!
Zac
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2024-25 Mississippi State Athletics Recap
Thursday, August 21
STATE OF MIND: EP 4 | FT. ZAC SELMON
Thursday, January 09
STATE OF MIND: EP 1 | FT. JOSH HUBBARD
Monday, November 04
Zac Selmon Joins Charlie Winfield And Bart Gregory On Out Of Left Field
Thursday, October 03