Earlier this afternoon, Houston offensive coordinator Kendal Briles was taken out of the running for one of the four open Group of Five head-coaching jobs, with a Power Five coordinator taking over as the front-runner.
While there’s been no official word from either school involved, that front-runner is now apparently Texas State’s choice as multiple media outlets are reporting that West Virginia offensive coordinator Jake Spavital will be the next Bobcats head football coach. Spavital would replace Everett Withers, who it was confirmed earlier this month would not be brought back as head coach in 2019.
In addition to Spavital and Briles, Ole Miss offensive coordinator Phil Longo was also in the running to fill the opening.
Multiple sources saying #WVU OC Jake Spavital has signed with #TXST to be head coach. More details to come.
— Keff Ciardello (@Keff_C) November 28, 2018
SOURCES: #WVU OC Jake Spavital has accepted the job to be the next head coach at #TXState. He was the play-caller for the nation’s No. 6 offense, is one of the country’s top recruiters & has strong ties in the area.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 28, 2018
An official announcement from Texas State is expected at some point later on Wednesday or on into Thursday.
Spavital is in his second season as the coordinator of the Mountaineers. A native of Oklahoma, Spavital also has deep ties to the state of Texas, having served as the coordinator at Texas A&M from 2012-15. He’s also spent time on coaching staffs at Houston, Oklahoma State and Tulsa.