Ryan Raymond joined the Tennessee State University athletic department in April 2026 as a member of the Academic Services unit, where he provides dedicated academic support for the football program along with multiple Olympic sport teams.
Raymond arrived in Nashville following a successful tenure at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), where he served as the academic advisor for the baseball and track and field programs while assisting with transfer evaluations. Prior to UIC, he worked as Director of Academics at Norfolk State University, overseeing academic support for multiple programs and serving as the primary academic advisor for football.
Across previous roles at UIC, Norfolk State, and Fresno State, Raymond established a strong reputation for improving academic performance and program accountability. He implemented APR recovery plans, elevated team GPAs across several programs, and helped student-athletes achieve sustained academic success. While at Fresno State, he developed the department’s first student-athlete career fair and contributed to the women’s soccer program earning a record-setting 3.57 team GPA.
An active professional within the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A), Raymond is a graduate of the organization’s 2022 Leadership and Manager Professional Development Institute (PDI).
Raymond earned a Bachelor of Science in Sport and Entertainment Management from the University of South Carolina, where he competed as a standout rugby student-athlete. He later completed a Master of Sport Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Coaching from Florida State University, along with a certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace from the University of South Florida.
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Raymond previously served at UIC, Norfolk State, and Fresno State prior to joining Tennessee State. In his spare time, he remains active in the Nashville running and rugby communities.
