Tennessee Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer announced Tuesday that CJ Fayton has been hired as Director of VFL Programming.
Fayton returns to his alma mater after building an impressive resume in both collegiate athletics administration and the private legal sector. Most recently, he held the role of Associate Athletics Director at Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee. He served as the Scots’ Title IX Deputy Coordinator and was also the sport administrator for football, men’s and women’s basketball and golf.
In his new role with Tennessee Athletics, the three-time UT graduate and former two-sport student-athlete will administer comprehensive career and professional development programming to student-athletes across all 20 sports while also directing the Vol For Life (VFL) program and working to keep former letterwinners engaged and connected to Rocky Top.
“I am very excited to have CJ Fayton join our team,” Fulmer said. “He will touch all phases of the student-athlete experience at Tennessee, from recruiting to life after sports. CJ will work under my direction with our letterwinners for all sports, our development efforts, our alumni relations office, our marketing department and the Thornton Center.
“He brings a lot to the table as a former Vol and UT graduate with a law degree and experience in administration. He has excellent communication skills and understands how important this position is to me, as we connect our past to the future.”
A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Fayton was recruited to Tennessee as a wide receiver during Fulmer’s impressive tenure as head football coach. Fayton lettered on the gridiron from 2002-05, during which time he twice earned SEC All-Academic Team honors and was a member of two SEC Eastern Division championship teams and three teams that made postseason bowl appearances. He also was a member of the Tennessee men’s basketball team during the 2000-01 campaign, appearing in three games.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to serve as the Director of VFL Programming for all sports,” Fayton said. “What makes Tennessee a special place is the people. To have an opportunity to work with the current student-athletes, former letterwinners and the whole VFL community is an honor. Tennessee’s traditions were built by a number of great coaches, student-athletes, administrators and fans. I’m thankful that Coach Fulmer has entrusted me with connecting that past tradition and history to our current student-athletes and program.”
After receiving his degree in Sport Management in 2005, he gained an array of administrative experience at Tennessee as a development assistant with Tennessee’s VASF staff, a recruiting assistant with the football program and a graduate assistant for football administration. He earned his Master’s degree in Recreation Administration in 2008 and a Juris Doctorate degree in 2014—both also from Tennessee. He is a current member of the New Jersey Bar and the Knoxville Bar Association.
Fayton also boasts experience as an assistant football coach at Norfolk State (wide receivers, 2010-11), a compliance assistant (Vanderbilt athletics, 2012-13) and a private-practice law clerk (2013).
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