NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Matt Wilson announced Friday that he will step down as commissioner of the Gulf South Conference to accept the same position with the Ohio Valley Conference. Wilson will remain with the Gulf South Conference through the league's spring championship season.
Wilson has served as the seventh commissioner in GSC history since May 2014. During his tenure, he guided the conference through a period of growth and transformation, including expanding championship opportunities for student-athletes and strengthening the league's national profile.
Dan Boone, president of Trevecca Nazarene University, expressed appreciation for Wilson's leadership and the role he played in welcoming the institution into the conference.
"I am grateful for the welcome Matt extended to Trevecca Nazarene University when we joined the Gulf South Conference," Boone said. "It has been a joy watching him lead our member institutions. We appreciate his service to the conference and wish him well as he begins this new chapter with the Ohio Valley Conference."
Mark Elliott, Trevecca's director of athletics, also reflected on Wilson's impact on the conference and its member institutions.
"Matt is a kind and compassionate friend who graciously directed the GSC through pivotal changes during his tenure," Elliott said. "His superpower, however, is strategic leadership. He has a unique ability to move initiatives forward quickly and efficiently while keeping people at the center of the process."
Wilson described his time leading the Gulf South Conference as a privilege.
"Serving the Gulf South Conference membership has been an amazing privilege," Wilson said. "Everyone bought into the vision for the league and helped us achieve great things in the last 12 years. The trust by the Board, the collaboration of athletic administrators, the passion of coaches, and the talent of student-athletes make this the best commissioner job in Division II. Finally, none of what we have accomplished would have been possible without a staff that shared the standard set for the GSC."
Carl A. Stockton, chairman of the GSC Board of Directors and chancellor at Auburn University at Montgomery, thanked Wilson for his leadership.
"On behalf of the GSC Board of Directors, we wish Matt well in the next step of his career," Stockton said. "For more than a decade, Matt has been instrumental in growing the Gulf South Conference and helping it develop into one of the best Division II conferences in the nation. He will be truly missed by everyone in the conference. We are happy for him and his family. Job well done, Matt. You will be missed by all of us."
Under Wilson's leadership, the conference expanded from 14 to 19 championship sports while enhancing the overall experience for student-athletes. The GSC also achieved significant academic progress, highlighted by a 15-point increase in the NCAA Division II Academic Success Rate over the past 12 years, reaching an all-time high of 77 percent in the most recent report released in December 2025.
Wilson also guided the conference to become the first non-Division I league to partner with FloSports on a media rights agreement. In addition, he worked to strengthen officiating programs by hiring nationally respected coordinators and implementing enhanced training and evaluation systems.
A respected voice within NCAA Division II governance, Wilson served as president of the Division II Conference Commissioners Association and participated in the 2024 NCAA Division II Think Tank, collaborating with conference leaders on national issues including eligibility, championship access and governance.
The GSC Board of Directors will work with an outside firm to conduct a national search for the conference's next commissioner.
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