Western Carolina announced this morning that head coach Mark Speir will not return to lead the program.
Athletic director Alex Gary made the announcement.
"After a thorough evaluation of the program, I feel that it is time we move in a different direction.We are grateful for Coach Speir's nine years of dedicated service and efforts on behalf of the Catamount football program," Gary shared.
The program was 1-5 in their spring season that started back in February. They had their last two games (vs Chattanooga and Wofford) canceled.
Speir had led the program since 2012, going 1-10 and 2-10 in his first two seasons before a jump to 7-wins in each of the next two years. Seven wins during the 2014, 2015, and 2017 seasons was the ceiling for Speir during his time with the Catamounts.
Before taking over at WCU, Speir was a longtime assistant at Appalachian State, working with the running backs, defensive line, defensive ends, and inside linebackers from 2003-2011. He also had previous stops at Elon, PResbyterian, and Western Carolina.
Overall, he was 33-68 in eight seasons leading the Catamounts program.
The move marks the fifth FCS head coaching change of the 2020-21 cycle.
A search for a new leader at WCU is beginning immediately.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.