Mighty Lipscomb Academy in Tennessee has a type. And it's an expensive type.
After losing Trent Dilfer to the head coaching position at UAB, the Nashville-based private school pursued former Tennessee Volunteer and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Witten, according to FootballScoop's John Brice, but Witten opted to remain with the Dallas-area private school he is already coaching.
So Lipscomb has reportedly shrugged and hired a current Pro Football Hall of Famer who spent has spent the past two seasons coaching in the NFL.
The school is set to hire Kevin Mawae as its head coach, according to The Athletic's Matt Fortuna.
A 2019 Hall of Fame inductee, Mawae played 16 seasons for the Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets and Tennessee Titans, completing his career in 2009. He moved into coaching as the Chicago Bears' assistant offensive line coach in 2016, spent 2018-19 as an analyst for Herm Edwards at Arizona State, and has spent the past two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. Mawae joined the club as an assistant offensive line coach and was promoted to tight ends coach last month as part of Jeff Saturday's shuffling of the offensive staff.
Lipscomb went 13-0 in 2022, defending their Division II-AA state championship with a 42-0 pummeling of Christ Presbyterian Academy. The Mustangs, ranked No. 13 in the MaxPreps Top 25, allowed more than 14 points once during the season and did not play a single 1-score game after their season opener.
As suggested by their recent success, the school does not lack for resources.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.
Sources: Lipscomb Academy is set to hire Pro Football Hall of Famer Kevin Mawae as its next head coach. Mawae, who has been an assistant with the Indianapolis Colts the past two years, will replace Trent Dilfer at the Nashville-based prep school.
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) January 23, 2023
Tuesday Update: The school has announced the hire.