Tara Goolsby is entering her third year on Samford’s football staff and first the first as Chief of Staff. Goolsby previously held the title of Director of Football Management for the Bulldogs.
In the chief of staff role, Goolsby runs all aspects of team operations, personnel and administration including serving as an NFL, athletic department and university liaison. She also manages the current roster’s scholarship implications as well as projecting future scholarship allocations.
During the summer of 2023, Goolsby served as a Scouting and Personnel Intern for the New York Jets. In her time with the Jets, Goolsby aided the Personnel Department with player evaluations throughout the NFL pre-season and monitored the potential personnel moves around the league.
Goolsby arrived on Lakeshore Drive as the Director of Football Management prior to the historic Southern Conference championship season of 2022. As Director of Football Management, she was responsible for spearheading all aspects of recruiting and personnel for both high school and transfer recruiting.
Before joining the Samford staff, Goolsby was a Recruiting and Operations Graduate Assistant for the Tulane Green Wave from 2019-22. In this role, she supported staff in all stages of prospect identification, communication, in-person evaluation and retainment while Assisting the Director of Football Operations in all aspects of team travel and event management.
Goolsby got her start on the gridiron as the Football Equipment Head Student Manager in 2016 and held that position until 2019.
The Longview, Texas native, holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from Tulane’s A.B. Freeman School of Business and a Juris Doctor from Tulane Law School. Goolsby is also a member of the Texas Bar Association. Goolsby resides in Birmingham with her golden doodle, Moose.
