Nick Polk enters his first season with the Gators after being named Associate Athletic Director/Football General Manager ahead of the 2025 season.
Polk will oversee the front office for the Gators and be responsible for revenue share and NIL allocation, student-athlete contract negotiations, football budgets, roster management and work with football personnel. Elsner will assist Polk with management of the salary cap and contracts, but will also lead the program's efforts in analytics and A.I. for all parts of the organization.
Polk comes to Gainesville with a tremendous amount of experience, including serving 17 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons as Director of Football Administration and Director of Football Operations. Polk's duties with the Falcons included salary cap management including draft negotiations, contract proposals, player contracts, coaches contracts, cross-check scouting assignments on both college and the NFL, trades and trade value analysis, CBA Compliance, football budgets, league liaison and daily cap monitoring and strategy.
For his first two years with Atlanta, Polk oversaw the Georgia Force (AFL) each spring, serving as Senior Director of Football Operations, handling all aspects of the Club's roster management, operations and financial management.
During his time with the Falcons, the team played in in 11 playoff games, advancing to the NFC Championship game on three occasions and making the Super Bowl in 2017.
Prior to arriving in Atlanta, Polk served five season in the NFL League offices from 2000-04. For three seasons, he was the NFL Europe Director of Football Administration and was the NFL Europe Senior Director of Football Operations for two.
Following his time at with the Falcons, Polk worked at Athletes First, where he served as an advisor, contract negotiator, search firm relations and professional development with players and coaches.
Polk also brings 13 seasons of college coaching experience to Gainesville, including four years as the head coach at Lock Haven University. He also was a member of coaching staffs at Delaware State, Brown, James Madison and Southern Connecticut State.
What They are Saying
"The University of Florida is getting a highly detailed and dependable professional in Nick Polk. Nick has a tremendous work ethic, deep expertise in the operations and financial management of a football team and was someone who engendered a strong measure of trust from me and our staff during his time in Atlanta. I'm confident he'll be a valuable asset to not only the UF leadership in football, but across the athletic department."
- Arthur Blank, Atlanta Falcons Owner and Chairman
"Nick Polk is a cornerstone of effective leadership. His extensive background with all things football will create a winning edge for the Gators."
- Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders Head Coach
"Nick adds an impactful range of football experience and wisdom to the Gator football program as the program sets out to gain an edge in the consistently evolving climate of college football. The Florida Gators, and college football as a whole, are a lot better with leaders like
Scott Stricklin, Billy Napier and now Nick working collaboratively to engineer a competitive, competent and educational environment."
- Les Snead, Los Angeles Rams General Manager
"Nick brings a wealth of football experience and expertise. In the challenging world that is college football personnel today, Nick's skill set will be a great asset for the Gators."
- Rich McKay, Atlanta Falcons CEO and AMBSE CEO
"In the new era of college athletics, there is no one better to have in the general manager role than Nick Polk. With his extensive background in both the NFL and working with an agency, Nick is highly qualified for this position. UF will be on the forefront in the field with Nick on board and I can't imagine anyone better suited for this very important position as organizations work through the ever-changing landscape in college athletics."
- Mike Smith, former Atlanta Falcons Head Coach
"Nick is built for this position. His NFL and cap management experience, combined with his ability as an excellent talent evaluator and his ability to connect with people will add tremendous value to the Florida football program."
- Jim Mora, UConn Head Football Coach
"Nick Polk has been an invaluable member of our team ad we deeply appreciate his dedication and contributions during his time with us. His leadership, expertise and commitment have made a lasting impact, and while we certainly will miss him, we are thrilled to see him take on this new opportunity at the University of Florida. Nick's decades of relationships and experience in both the NFL and college football will be invaluable to Florida. Go Gators!"
- Trace Armstrong, President of Athletes First Coaching Division
