June 6, 2026

Ferris State's Rob Bentley named a finalist for inaugural FloCollege CSC Spotlight Award honoring top athletics communications professionals

Ferris State University Associate Athletics Director Rob Bentley is a finalist for the inaugural FloCollege CSC Spotlight Award, recognizing outstanding achievement and leadership in collegiate athletic communications.

The CSC Spotlight Award honors communications professionals from the College Sports Communicators who have demonstrated excellence in storytelling, media relations, content creation and service to student-athletes, coaches and their institutions.

Bentley has played a pivotal role in promoting Bulldog Athletics on the regional and national stage. His work has helped elevate the visibility of Ferris State's athletic programs, including multiple national championship teams and numerous individual student-athlete achievements.

Bentley is midst his 26th year working at Ferris State University and serves as the associate athletics director where he coordinates the Bulldogs' media relations, broadcast, multimedia and social media efforts while leading the department's external operations team.

He serves as the sport administrator for the Bulldog men's and women's basketball programs and is the secondary administrator for football.

He also is the radio voice of Ferris State football along with men's and women's basketball on the airwaves and the host of the Ferris Sports Update television show in addition to other broadcast functions.

The award highlights individuals who set the standard in the profession by building meaningful relationships, producing impactful content, enhancing broadcast quality, navigating crises with professionalism and championing the achievements of those they serve.

This year's finalists represent the 18 FloCollege partner conferences from 2025-26 across the country with Bentley named as the lone recipient from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The grand prize winner will be announced at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics convention on June 9.

"We wouldn't be able to operate without the contributions of these finalists and the many deserving nominees who were considered for this recognition," said John Turner, vice president and general manager of FloCollege. "It's impossible to read through more than 100 nominations and not feel inspired by the passion, creativity and dedication these communicators bring to their work every day. While only a handful could be named finalists, the submissions made one thing clear: college athletics is stronger because of the professionals who work behind the scenes to tell stories, promote student-athletes and elevate their institutions."

This past year, under Bentley's leadership, the Bulldogs led the GLIAC in viewership and produced two of the country's top five most-watched college football home games on the FloCollege platform.

All Ferris State home contests are produced in conjunction with the Bulldogs' athletics communications team and the Television and Digital Media Production program on the Ferris State campus.

In addition to serving as the play-by-play voice for the Bulldogs, Bentley also coordinates all streaming productions and marketing of Ferris State broadcasts in partnership with the GLIAC and FloSports.