Sources: Georgia Southern names Whitley interim coach
Georgia Southern has moved on from Chad Lunsford, multiple sources confirmed to FootballScoop Sunday evening, and the Eagles have tabbed Kevin Whitley as their interim coach, per multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation.
Lunsford, 28-21 atop the Georgia Southern program, saw his program drop its third-straight game Saturday in a 28-20 home loss to SunBelt Conference rival Louisiana.
By Sunday evening Lunsford, who early last week addressed the noise that surrounded his job status, had been dismissed by Jared Benko, the Eagles' athletics director but not the man who had hired Lunsford into the full-time role after the school dismissed Tyson Summers amidst an 0-6 start to the 2017 season.
A former Georgia Southern All-America player who also logged some time as a professional football player, Whitley was hired back to his alma mater by Lunsford prior to the 2019 season. Whitley had served as the 10-year head coach at Stockbridge High School in metro Atlanta.
Whitley had coached the Eagles' cornerbacks before he was named the program's interim coach.
Sources with direct knowledge on Sunday told FootballScoop that Lunsford's future atop the program was first a topic of discussion across the summer, as college athletics experienced seismic changes and the Georgia Southern program assessed its future options.
The Eagles have seven SunBelt Conference games left – including hosting Arkansas State and first-year coach Butch Jones' program this week – in addition to a non-conference tilt at home against nationally ranked BYU in late November.
