The Peach Bowl has installed its new leader, announcing Tuesday that David Epps had assumed the role of CEO.
Epps succeeds Gary Stokan, who had led the organization since 1998 and elevated the game to one of college football’s premier bowl games. After announcing his retirement in August, Stokan stayed through Friday.
Born and raised in Atlanta, Epps began working for the Peach Bowl as an intern in 1994 and has remained there for the entirety of his career, most recently serving as chief operating officer and vice president of marketing.
“It is an incredible honor and the fulfillment of a career-long dream to take on this role after more than 30 years with the organization,” Epps said in a statement. “We are operating at the highest level in our history, but we aren’t satisfied to ‘take a knee’ on that success. We’re at an inflection point within an inflection point in college football, and our focus is to stay ahead of that — continuing to deliver best-in-class events, strengthen our partnerships and ensure the Peach Bowl organization and Atlanta remain central to the future of the sport.”
The Peach Bowl, played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, is an integral part of the landscape in collegiate sports, positioned as one of the College Football Playoff bowls.
Part of Epps’ leadership plan includes using the Aflac Kickoff game to create name, image and likeness deals for participating athletes. Epps collaborated with Auburn, which moved a 2026 home game with Baylor to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to generate NIL agreements for Tigers players for promoting the kickoff game. The arrangement, touted as a first for a neutral-site game, was announced in October.
“David’s leadership, experience and deep understanding of both the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and the changing college football landscape make him the ideal leader to guide this organization forward,” Peach Bowl board chair Percy Vaughn said. “He has been instrumental in every major milestone we’ve achieved during the past three decades and is well-positioned to build on that momentum in the years ahead.”
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