Kennesaw State hires NFL assistant Jerry Mack as head football coach

KENNESAW, Ga. (AP) — Jerry Mack, the running backs coach for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, was hired as Kennesaw State's head football coach on Sunday.

The 44-year-old Mack replaces Brian Bohannon, who had been the only coach in program history until he was fired with three games left in the regular season. Chandler Burks served as interim coach through the remainder of the 2-10 campaign, which included a 2-6 mark in the first season as a member of Conference USA.

“I am grateful and honored to be entrusted as the leader and standard bearer of our team,” Mack said in a statement issued by Kennesaw State. "I’m looking forward to helping our young men build on the success of our program, obtain degrees, win championships, and develop into great citizens that our KSU family will be proud of.”

Mack is returning to the college ranks, having previously served as a running backs coach for Tennessee for three seasons.

His only previous head coaching experience came at FCS school North Carolina Central from 2014-2017. He posted a record of 31-15 and won three Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships.

“He has 20 years of coaching experience at all levels, has shown a longstanding ability to connect with players, and owns a relentless recruiting mindset," Kennesaw State athletic director Milton Overton said. "Coach Mack has proven experience running up-tempo and productive offensive schemes.”

Bohannon helped found the Kennesaw State program, which launched in 2015 and reached the FCS playoffs four times in its first seven seasons. But the move to FBS proved to be a more daunting challenge, with the Owls slumping to a 10-22 mark over the last three years.

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The Associated Press