Sonny Cumbie is going to get another year to turn things around at Louisiana Tech, the school has announced.
Cumbie led the team to a 5-7 finish this fall.
It marked his third straight losing season after a pair of 3-9 seasons in his first two years in Ruston.
After being picked to finish 7th in a 10-team Conference USA, Cumbie led the program to a fifth place finish after going 4-4 in league play.
Of their seven total losses, three came in overtime (Tulsa, Jacksonville State, and New Mexico State), and losses to FIU and Sam Houston State were one-score games, and they lost to NC State by just 10.
Their only loss of the year by more than 10 points was their November 23rd tilt with Arkansas.
Back in October, Cumbie handed off the offensive play calling duties after failing to eclipse the 25-point mark in any of their games up until that point.
Pete Thamel adds that the program is planning on bringing in an offensive coordinator and play caller, as the staff had previously been built around Cumbie calling plays.
In the school's release, they note that the focus for the program over the next several weeks and months will be:
· our offensive schematic and tactical approach;
· restructuring football personnel to maximize our ability to develop and grow student-athletes;
· off-season workouts grounded in competition, attention to detail, and discipline;
· reimagining roster management, focused on the ability to recruit and retain top talent; and
· strategic assessment of expenses to invest more in player acquisition and compensation.
See the full release from athletic director Ryan Ivey below.
Cumbie will enter next season 11-25 overall and in search of his first bowl trip as a head coach following successful coordinator stints at Texas Tech and TCU earlier in his career.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.