Syracuse co-offensive coordinator Sean Lewis will be Kent State's next head coach, a source told FootballScoop on Monday.
The Lewis hiring concludes a lengthy search with a number of candidates interviewed. Sources told FootballScoop Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich was interviewed recently, but no deal materialized. AD Joel Nielsen originally centered the search on South Dakota head coach Bob Nielson, but we're told KSU president Beverly J. Warren nixed the move. The search then continued, including speaking with other candidates this weekend, for more than two weeks until the Lewis hiring.
Lewis recently completed his second season as Syracuse's co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Prior to that, Lewis spent two seasons on Dino Babers's Bowling Green staff, the first as wide receivers coach and the second as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. A Wisconsin graduate and Oak Lawn, Ill., native, Lewis broke into coaching as the offensive coordinator at Richards High School in Illinois from 2007-09. He broke into college football as the tight ends coach at Nebraska-Omaha in 2010, and broke into the FBS as a graduate assistant at Akron in 2011. Lewis then joined Babers's staff as inside receivers and tight ends coach at Eastern Illinois from 2012-13.
With the move, Kent State becomes the 20th of 20 FBS programs to fill a head coaching vacancy.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.
Update> Multiple sources tell FootballScoop to expect Lewis to bring Tennessee Chattanooga defensive coordinator Tom Kaufman as his defensive coordinator to Kent State. Prior to joining the UTC staff earlier this year, Kaufman had coached with Lewis at Syracuse, Bowling Green and Eastern Illinois.