Source: Western Illinois is making a change at head coach
The Western Illinois Leathernecks, headed into a late-season open date, are making a change atop the program.
Sources tell FootballScoop that amidst a 2-8 season and with only a trip left to Northern Iowa that Jared Elliott will not return to lead the Leathernecks next season.
Elliott was promoted to head coach back in January of 2018 after previously serving as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, and he also mentored the team's quarterbacks.
With two previous stops as an assistant at Western Illinois, Elliott also spent time as an assistant at Carthage (D-III - WI), and was a graduate assistant at Miami of Ohio, where he played quarterback and receiver.
Western Illinois has struggled to find its footing in arguably one of the toughest Football Championship Subdivision conferences in the Missouri Valley.
Losses for the Leathernecks this season have come against FCS powers Montana, Eastern Washington, South Dakota State, North Dakota and South Dakota; they lost their season opener at Football Bowls Subdivision program Ball State by just 10 points, 31-21.
Elliott led the program to a 5-6 mark in his first season, then dropped to 1-11 in 2019. They played a spring schedule where they finished 1-5 before entering his fourth season this fall.
The next head coach of the program will inherit a team that will play a guarantee game week 2 against PJ Fleck and Minnesota while getting NDSU and Northern Iowa at home in 2022.
Update> WIU has now confirmed this news. Elliott will coach the final game on their schedule on November 20th; but the parties have "mutually agreed" that will be his last game as head coach at WIU.
