Adam Widman joined UCF as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Brand Communications in May 2024. He brings more than 20 years of high-level communications experience to UCF Athletics, including five years in the NFL and more than a decade at two Big Ten institutions.
“Adam stood out among the many qualified candidates we interviewed with his experience, knowledge, and passion for college athletics,” said Terry Mohajir, Vice President and Director of Athletics. “He is a dynamic, well-rounded leader who brings a unique and versatile set of skills and ideas to our department as we head into this new era of college athletics, with a focus on player brands and public communication. We are excited to have him join the UCF family.”
Widman oversees the strategic communications team and serves as the primary point of contact for all executive-level communications, including those for Vice President & Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir and football head coach Scott Frost. He also leads strategic messaging efforts to maximize brand awareness and support organizational initiatives, while serving as the department’s liaison to university communications.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Widman comes to UCF from Chicago, where he served as Director of Football Communications for the Chicago Bears for five seasons. In that role, he worked daily with high-profile players, coaches, and executives on media management and preparation for weekly and postgame interviews. He and his staff managed relationships with Chicago media outlets and developed communications strategies that strengthened the organization’s brand and highlighted off-field human interest stories.
Widman also oversaw the editing of the club's media guide, weekly game release, the @BearsPR public relations Twitter/X account, and all content on its media web portal. Additionally, he collaborated weekly with network TV partners (CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, NFL Network) and coordinated content shoots for annual media days.
Before joining the Bears, Widman spent nearly 10 years at his alma mater, The Ohio State University, where he served as Associate Director of Athletics Communications from 2007 to 2017. While in Columbus, he was the lead communications assistant for the football program and also worked with the women’s basketball, track and field, and women’s lacrosse teams. He contributed to Ohio State’s communications efforts at four BCS bowl games, the 2014 and 2016 College Football Playoff (CFP), two national championship games, two Big Ten Championship Games, and the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four in New Orleans. He also served twice as media coordinator for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament first and second rounds in Columbus.
During his tenure at Ohio State, Widman supported football recruiting efforts in collaboration with the director of operations and director of player personnel, and he managed the team’s weekly media release. He oversaw a communications staff that worked with more than 1,000 student-athletes across 36 varsity sports and was responsible for all press box and game day operations.
Prior to Ohio State, Widman worked for two years at Northwestern University as Associate Director of Athletics Communications, leading public relations for the men’s basketball, men’s soccer, and nationally ranked women’s lacrosse teams. He was part of two NCAA national championships in 2006 and 2007 with the lacrosse program.
His first full-time position was at Kent State University from 2003 to 2005, where he served as Assistant Director of Athletics Communications for the women’s basketball, baseball, and field hockey teams.
Most recently, Widman spent the 2023–24 season in corporate public relations at Advocate Health Care in Chicago, where he led brand communications for corporate sports sponsorships with the Chicago Bears, Bulls, Cubs, and Milwaukee Brewers.
An avid Cleveland sports fan, Widman is a graduate of Ohio State, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism. He and his wife, Emily, have two sons, Mason (5) and Logan (2).