Missouri State hired SMU offensive coordinator Casey Woods as its coach on Friday, one day after the Bears lost to Arkansas State in their first bowl appearance in school history and a week after Coastal Carolina hired away Ryan Beard.
The university’s board of governors approved a five-year contract for Woods, who will be introduced at a news conference in early January on campus in Springfield, Missouri. He is expected to help coach SMU in the Holiday Bowl against Arizona on Jan. 2.
“It is the honor of my lifetime to have the opportunity to be the head football coach of the Missouri State Bears,” Woods said in a statement. “We will hit the ground running as we seek to capitalize off the current momentum.”
Missouri State moved up from the Football Championship Subdivision to the top tier of college football this season. And despite little success in recent years at the FCS level, the Bears managed to go 7-5 in the regular season, and they were granted a petition to play in a bowl game rather than having to endure the regular waiting period for programs that have moved up a level.
That success led to Coastal Carolina’s move to hire Beard as a replacement for the fired Tim Beck.
Bears offensive coordinator Nick Petrino had served as their interim coach. He was in charge on Thursday night, when a frantic fourth-quarter rally came up short in a 34-28 loss to Arkansas State in the Xbox Bowl in Frisco, Texas.
Woods appeared in 41 games at wide receiver for Tennessee before getting into coaching, first at his alma mater and then during two stints at Auburn, which he helped win a national championship in 2010. He also spent time at Arkansas State, UAB and Missouri from 2020-21, which should give him a good idea of the landscape — its Columbia campus is about 2 1/2 hours from Springfield.
“Casey is an absolute winner,” Missouri State athletic director Patrick Ransdell said. “He is going to continue our upward trajectory with an unwavering commitment to developing student-athletes on and off the field. His ability to develop offensive talent and recruit top-level talent will make him an ideal fit for Missouri State.
“I look forward to the Springfield community getting to know Casey, (wife) Lauren and the entire Woods family in the coming months.”
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