Austin Peay head coach Mark Hudspeth has announced that he's stepping down as the head coach at Austin Peay before beginning his second season leading the program to spend more time with his wife, Tyla, and their kids
Hudspeth shared the following in the school's release:
"This was not an easy decision, but a very personal one. I need to take some time away from the game with Tyla and the kids. I could not be more thankful for my time at Austin Peay and will be a fan forever. I will miss the players and coaches incredibly and will never forget their commitment to each other and this team."
Hud did not close the door on an eventual return to coaching, noting in the release; "I will return to coaching in the future at the right time."
Athletic director Gerlad Harrison will retain the rest of the coaching staff, which will lead the program while Harrison determines the next steps forward.
In his one season leading the program, Hudspeth led the program to a record 11-wins, an Ohio Valley Conference title and a post season appearance where they advanced to the quarterfinals with wins over Furman and Sacramento State while earning the league's Coach of the Year honor.
Before taking over at Austin Peay, Hud was the led successful programs at Louisiana Lafayette and Northern Alabama. At UNA, Hud won at least 10 games in 5 of his seven seasons there, and led the program to two D-II quarterfinal and three semifinal appearances while racking up a 66-21 record. He left UNA to become the wide receivers ' passing game coordinator at Mississippi State, where he spent two seasons before taking over at Louisiana Lafayette from 2011-2017. There he went 29-38 rebuilding the program (including vacated wins).
Austin Peay coming open marks the 16th head coaching change at the FCS level this cycle. Keep track of all the 2019-20 NFL and college head coaching movement via this page.
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