Four former Valdosta St. assistants to lead FBS programs in '16
Four former Valdosta State assistant football coaches are set to lead Division I-FBS programs in 2016.
Two former assistants led FBS programs in 2015, but with the University of Georgia making the Kirby Smart hire official on Sunday, and a report looming that current Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp has landed his second head coaching gig — this time at South Carolina — that number is set to double next season.
Smart, who signed a six-year contract with Georgia, and Muschamp, the former Florida Gators head coach, join Mike Leach and Dana Holgorsen as FBS coaches who once served on various Valdosta State coaching staffs.
Leach is the current head coach at Washington State and Holgorsen is at West Virginia.
Leach and Holgorsen were on the same staff at Valdosta State in the mid 1990’s. Leach arrived in Valdosta in 1992, when Hal Mumme was hired as the head coach. Holgorsen joined a year later in 1993. Leach served as the offensive coordinator while Holgorsen was the quarterback, wide receivers and special teams coach.
Holgorsen later departed for fellow Division II members Mississippi College and Wingate before landing the wide receivers job at Texas Tech in 2000, when Leach was hired to take over the Red Raiders program. Holgorsen eventually was promoted to offensive coordinator before moving to Houston and Oklahoma State. He was hired as the head coach at West Virginia in 2011.
He has led the Mountaineers to a 35-28 record, including a 7-5 mark in 2015.
Leach’s career in Valdosta spanned from 1992-96, before he followed Mumme to the University of Kentucky. He served under Mumme with at Kentucky for the 1997-98 seasons before moving to Oklahoma in 1999.
He was hired at Texas Tech in 2000 and served there until 2009. He led the Red Raiders to three nine-win seasons and one 11-win season (2008), but was fired after the 2009 season amid controversy for alleged inappropriate treatment of Adam James, the son of former SMU running back Craig James. The allegations were never verified.
Leach returned to coaching in 2012 when he was hired at Washington State, a program that went winless in 2010. In just his fourth season with the team, Leach led Washington State to an 8-4 record in 2015 and will lead the Cougars to a bowl game this postseason.
Muschamp served at Valdosta State’s defensive coordinator in 2000. He left the following season for LSU. In 2011, he was hired as head coach at Florida but was fired after the 2014 season. In 2015, he served as the defensive coordinator at Auburn and has reportedly been hired as the replacement of Steve Spurrier at South Carolina.
Smart was with Valdosta State for the 2000 and 2001 seasons. In ’01, he was the defensive coordinator, leading the Blazers to a perfect 9-0 record in Gulf South Conference play. Smart left for Florida State following the 2001 season, before stints at LSU and with the Miami Dolphins.
He has served as the defensive coordinator at Alabama since 2008, helping the Crimson Tide win three national championships and earn an appearance in both the first two College Football Playoff.
He was hired as the head coach at Georgia on Sunday, a place where he was an All-American safety as a player in the 1990’s.
As noted previously, there is a list of former Blazer coaches with FBS programs.
Mike Leach — Head coach, Washington State (Also HC at Texas Tech)
Dana Holgorsen — Head coach, West Virginia
Kirby Smart — Head coach, Georgia
Will Muschamp — Head coach, South Carolina
Buster Faulkner — Offensive coordinator, Middle Tenn. State
Seth Wallace — Recruiting Coordinator/Defensive line coach, Iowa
Andy Richman — Offensive line, New Mexico State
Joe Cauthen — Defensive coordinator, Arkansas State
Chris Hatcher — Head coach, Division I-FCS Samford (Also HC at Georgia Southern & Murray State)
Notable: Hal Mumme — Former head coach, Kentucky
