VALDOSTA — If you haven’t heard by now, the Board of Regents has approved the establishment of a football team at Kennesaw State University.
The board approved that move at its meeting this month. Now the university is quickly working to hire its first-ever football coach, a first important step in establishing its Division I-FCS program.
With the university on the search for a head coach suitable for building a program from the ground up, Valdosta State’s David Dean has wound up in the mix of possible candidates, although nothing has officially come from anyone at Kennesaw State.
Officials at Valdosta State say they haven’t heard anything on whether Dean was interviewing for other jobs, including Kennesaw State.
After talking with a person inside the KSU sports information office Monday morning, Dean doesn’t seem to be a main target for the Owls.
“That’s a new one to me, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen,” the person said, when asked if Dean was a known candidate.
According to that person, he believes Kennesaw State athletic director Vaughn Williams “already has his guy” and is waiting until early March to announce his decision.
If Dean is Kennesaw State’s “guy”, a press conference introducing him as the head coach would likely come after March 9, when the Blazers close out spring drills with the playing of their spring game.
Kennesaw State has set a Fall 2015 date for when it expects to play its first football game.
A move to the Division I ranks would be one that Dean has positioned himself for in recent seasons. When Dean’s good friend and former Valdosta State coaching companion Will Muschamp was hired as the head coach of Florida, Dean was rumored to be a candidate for the offensive coordinator position.
Charlie Weis was named as the OC over Dean, who returned to Valdosta State and led the Blazers to a national championship two seasons later.
Dean has led the Blazers to 54 wins in his six seasons, including a pair of national championship victories — 2007 and 2012. He has the second most wins of any coach at Valdosta State, behind his predecessor Chris Hatcher.
Valdosta State has already lost one assistant coach this offseason. Offensive coordinator Robby Brown was named to the same position at Northwestern State. Defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator Earl Chambers has been rumored to be the choice as the new defensive line coach at Georgia Southern University.
Kennesaw State is located in the Metro Atlanta area. Dean and his wife are both from the area and still have family that resides in the Atlanta suburbs.
Dean did not return phone calls left Monday morning.
— Please follow me on Twitter at @Ed_Hooper.
