Jeff Hundley officially assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of the Allstate Sugar Bowl on July 1, 2019, and has served the organization for over three decades. During his tenure, the Sugar Bowl has experienced unprecedented growth in programming, revenue generation and national prominence, solidifying its position as one of college football’s premier postseason events.
One of the most experienced executives in postseason college football, Hundley has played a significant role in six national championship games. He served as Executive Director of the New Orleans College Football Playoff National Championship Host Committee for the 2020 CFP National Championship, when LSU defeated Clemson to cap an undefeated season. He will again serve in that capacity again for the 2028 College Football Playoff National Championship after helping lead New Orleans’ successful bid, which was awarded in October 2025.
Prior to the CFP era, Hundley helped oversee three national championship games played as part of the Sugar Bowl: Florida’s victory over Florida State following the 1996 season, Florida State’s win over Virginia Tech after the 1999 season and LSU’s championship triumph over Oklahoma following the 2003 season. He also played an integral role in the stand-alone BCS National Championship Games held in New Orleans, including LSU’s victory over Ohio State following the 2007 season and Alabama’s win over LSU after the 2011 season, an event widely regarded as one of the largest sporting events in the history of the South.
Hundley was instrumental in securing the Sugar Bowl’s place as one of the six bowls in the College Football Playoff rotation when the CFP launched in 2014. Since then, the Sugar Bowl has hosted four CFP Semifinals (following the 2014, 2017, 2020 and 2023 seasons) and the inaugural CFP Quarterfinal following the 2024 season. The Bowl hosted another CFP Quarterfinal on New Year’s Day following the 2025 season, and it will stage an additional national semifinal on January 15, 2027.
Under Hundley’s leadership, the Sugar Bowl has expanded beyond its traditional postseason game with several marquee events. In September 2022, the organization hosted the sold-out Allstate Louisiana Kickoff at the Caesars Superdome, where Florida State defeated LSU before a national television audience of 7.9 million viewers on ABC. Hundley also spearheaded the inaugural Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff, the organization’s first major music event, featuring Garth Brooks—the best-selling solo artist in U.S. history—and Louisiana native Lainey Wilson, the reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year. Together, the two events generated an estimated economic impact approaching $200 million for the Greater New Orleans region.
Beyond college football, Hundley has played a leading role in bringing major sporting events to New Orleans. In addition to coordinating the city’s successful bids for the 2020 and 2028 College Football Playoff National Championships, he served as Co-Executive Director of both the 2012 NCAA Men’s Final Four and the 2013 NCAA Women’s Final Four.
A respected leader throughout collegiate athletics, Hundley previously served four years as chairman of the College Football Playoff New Year’s Six Marketing and Sponsorship Committee. In 2022-23, he chaired the Executive Committee of Bowl Season, the organization representing all 43 college football bowl games.
Hundley has also guided the organization through some of its most challenging moments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he successfully helped lead the Sugar Bowl through unprecedented operational challenges while hosting the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal between Ohio State and Clemson and the 2022 Allstate Sugar Bowl featuring Baylor and Ole Miss. Most notably, following the tragic terrorist attack on Bourbon Street on New Year’s Day 2025, Hundley worked alongside the Sugar Bowl Committee, the College Football Playoff, ESPN, and local, state and federal officials to safely stage the CFP Quarterfinal between Notre Dame and Georgia after only an 18-hour postponement.
While the annual Allstate Sugar Bowl remains the organization’s signature event, Hundley has continued the Bowl’s longstanding commitment to community engagement. Over the past decade, the Sugar Bowl has sponsored nearly 500 youth, high school and collegiate sporting events while investing more than $1 million annually in amateur athletics throughout the region. This includes a new 6-year arrangement to sponsor every Louisiana High School Athletic Association state championship.
The organization also sponsors several prestigious awards and programs, including the New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame, The Manning Award, presented annually to the nation’s top quarterback, the local chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame—which has awarded more than $800,000 in scholarships—and the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award, presented by the Football Writers Association of America.
Hundley joined the Sugar Bowl as Assistant Executive Director in November 1993. He was promoted to Associate Executive Director in 1995, Chief Operating Officer in 2006 and Chief Executive Officer in 2019.
Before arriving in New Orleans, Hundley spent seven years with the University of Georgia Athletic Association in the sports information office. During his final five years, he served as editor of The Georgia Bulldog magazine, earning multiple national awards for writing and publication design.
A native of Creston, Iowa, Hundley was an all-state football and basketball player and is a member of the Creston High School Hall of Fame. He earned his bachelor’s degree in
journalism from the University of Iowa and completed graduate studies in sports administration at Western Illinois University. He and his wife, Janine, have two sons, Roman Gabriel and Benjamin Davidson, and a daughter, Carolyn McCall.
