A couple of days worth of speculation involving a member of Urban Meyer‘s coaching staff became official Friday night.
James Madison University announced late yesterday that Everett Withers has been hired as the FCS program’s new head coach. The longtime assistant will replace Mickey Matthews, who it was announced in late November would not be returning for a 16th season.
“We are so thrilled to welcome Coach Withers and his family to James Madison,” JMU athletic director Jeff Bourne said in a statement. “Everett is a proven winner and has shown his ability to lead, having spent time as a head coach. The entire committee was incredibly impressed when we met with him, and I have no doubt that he will be a great leader for our football program and mentor to our student-athletes for many years to come.”
Withers had spent the past two seasons as co-defensive coordinator/assistant head coach/safeties coach at Ohio State. The JMU job will be his first as a permanent head coach, although he did serve as interim head coach at North Carolina after Butch Davis was fired shortly before the start of the 2011 season.
A 25-year coaching veteran, Withers has spent 19 of them at the collegiate level.
Everett, who will remain with OSU through the Buckeyes’ Orange Bowl matchup with Clemson, will make $325,000 annually on his five-year JMU contract. At Ohio State, Withers was paid nearly $600,000 ($580,000) in 2013.
(Photo credit: James Madison athletics)