Few coaches get the opportunity to play somewhere, and then climb the ladder there from graduate assistant, to assistant, to head coach.
That has been Matt Rhymer's journey since graduating in 2007 after playing four years for the program.
He started as a graduate assistant with the program, then became an assistant, and in 2014 he took the reigns of his alma mater.
Today, the school announced that Rhymer has stepped down from his post, leaving the program with a solid foundation to build from.
Over the past eight seasons, Rhymer has put together five straight winning seasons and is 50-31 overall.
One of the most recent bright spots for the program took place during the 2019 playoffs, where Rhymer led the Patriots to an upset of a top-10 Keiser University (NAIA - FL) team to advance to the quarterfinals.
This past fall, the Patriots finished 6-4 overall.
Defensive coordinator Tony Lambert will serve as the interim head coach while a coaching search takes place.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.