Colby Carthel has signed a long-term extension to remain at Stephen F. Austin, the program announced Wednesday.
The deal keeps him in Nacogdoches, Texas, through 2027. Financial terms were not disclosed, but his salary will remain as scheduled until 2024.
"Coach Carthel has gone about developing and building this program from good to great the right way," AD Ryan Ivey said. "We're happy to keep him and his family, Sarah, Major, Bear and Stone, in Nacogdoches for a few more years. His dedication to the program, the Nacogdoches community and SFA are unmatched, and I'm excited to see the program's continued growth under his leadership."
The son of former West Texas A&M head coach Don Carthel, the younger Carthel played at Angelo State (D-II - TX) from 1995-99, and then began coaching at Abilene Christian in 2000. He joined his father's WT staff as defensive coordinator in 2006, and left to take over as the head coach at Texas A&M-Commerce in 2013.
There, he posted six winning records in six seasons, topping 10 wins in his final three. His teams won three Lone Star Conference championships and the 2017 Division II national championship, going 59-18 in his six years on campus.
Carthel took over at SFA in 2019 and has shown improvement in all three seasons. The Lumberjacks went 3-9 in 2019, 6-4 in the pandemic season of 2020, and 8-4 with an FCS playoff appearance and a No. 18 final AP ranking in '21. The 2021 season was SFA's first in the re-launched Western Athletic Conference. The Lumberjacks four losses came by six points to a Big 12 opponent, by 1 point to defending national champion Sam Houston, by 4 points at No. 24 Jacksonville State, and by 7 points in overtime in the FCS playoffs.
After playing Texas Tech to a 28-22 final in Lubbock last September, then-Red Raiders offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie hired SFA defensive coordinator Scott Power and defensive line coach JaMarkus McFarland to the same jobs on Cumbie's new Louisiana Tech staff. McFarland has since taken the D-line job at TCU.
"Just jacked up to sign that extension. Been jacked up since the day we got here," Carthel said. "A terrific university, I'm excited to continue to be a part of that and this community, Nacogdoches. What's not to love about Nac? This is home, and we get to call this place home for many years to come."
Stephen F. Austin opens the 2022 season by facing Jacksonville State in the Montgomery Kickoff on Aug. 27.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.