Buffalo is targeting Pete Lembo as its next head coach, sources told FootballScoop on Sunday. ESPN first reported.
The Bulls experienced an unexpected head-coaching opening after Maurice Linguist took a job on Kalen DeBoer's defensive staff at Alabama. Linguist went 14-23 in three years at the school, and 3-9 in 2023.
Lembo was a successful head coach at three institutions from 2001-15. He went 44-14 with two conference championships and two FCS playoff appearances from 2001-05 at Lehigh; 35-22 with three top-25 finishes and one playoff trip from 2006-10 at Elon; and 33-29 with two bowl trips from 2011-15 at Ball State.
Lembo then transitioned to becoming a high-level assistant at the FBS level. He's served as an assistant head coach and special teams coordinator at Maryland, Rice, Memphis and South Carolina, where he's been on Shane Beamer's staff for the past three seasons.
Lembo was a finalist for the FootballScoop Special Teams Coordinator of the Year award in 2022.
Lembo is a Staten Island native who began his coaching career as a GA at UAlbany in 1992.
Buffalo is looking to build a consistent winner. Aside from a run from 2018-20 under Lance Leipold, the Bulls have not enjoyed consecutive winning seasons since 1983-84, when they competed as a Division III independent.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.
Update: The hire has been announced.