Less than a week after Middle Tennessee’s offensive coordinator Willie Simmons was arrested for aggravated assault, stepping down just two days later for “personal reasons”, the Blue Raiders have filled the empty position.
MTSU quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Buster Faulkner will take over play-calling duties, but has not been officially promoted to OC, the Daily News Journal reports today.
“I want to make sure our quarterbacks are comfortable, and they are comfortable with Buster,” said coach Rick Stockstill. “He’s there in the meeting rooms with them every day, and they have a real comfort level with him. At the halfway mark of the season, I think this is the smart thing to do.”
Stockstill added that he would wait until the end of the year before making a decision on how he would approach the OC hire.
Faulkner, just 30 years old, is a first-year assistant at MTSU. His previous stops included OC positions at Valdosta State and Murray State. The Blue Raiders are currently second in the Sun Belt in passing offense and lead in total offense. However, they’re also 1-4 through the first half of the season.