After spending the past season on staff of the NFL's Green Bay Packers, his first foray into professional football since his XFL playing days, Tim Lester could be nearing a return to the college ranks.
Several sources have told FootballScoop that Lester has emerged as a top target in Gerad Parker's search for his first offensive coordinator at Troy, where Parker took over late last month.
The Packers won their regular-season finale Sunday against the Chicago Bears and punched a ticket to the NFL Playoffs. They'll travel to the Dallas Cowboys this weekend.
No deal with Lester could be formalized until the end of the Green Bay season.
Lester could be a potential boon to Parker's staff for multiple reasons.
A former decorated quarterback during his playing days at Western Michigan, Lester owns head coaching experience from his 37-win run atop the program at his alma mater which could be tremendously beneficial to the first-time head coach Parker.
Additionally, Lester has previous Power 5 coordinator experience -- he was the play-caller at Syracuse.
Lester and Parker spent the 2016 season together on staff at Purdue.
After coaching a season at St. Joseph's (Indiana), Lester parlayed that seven-win campaign into the head job at NCAA Division III program Elmhurst.
There, Lester led Elmhurst in his final season to a 10-win campaign on the field and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Playoffs.
Lester also has experience as a recruiting coordinator.
Parker has continued to assemble an impressive inaugural staff, with sources telling FootballScoop that Troy's administration upped the assistant salary pool more than $300,000 to help Parker assemble a top staff.
Parker's defensive staff is spearheaded by Dontae Parker and Nathan Burton in top-level, coordinator roles; Chris Boone and Justin Manning also are key defensive hires.
Parker also has made a popular move along his offensive front; he's bringing home Caleb Carbine to Troy after Parker and Carbine had worked together in recent years at both West Virginia and Notre Dame.