South Alabama hires Wommack as head football coach

Updated Dec. 12, 2020 5:00 p.m. ET

Associated Press

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — South Alabama has hired Indiana defensive coordinator Kane Wommack to take over its team.

South Alabama announced the hiring of the 33-year-old on Saturday, making him the youngest current head coach in FBS. Wommack replaces Steve Campbell, who was fired six days earlier after a 4-7 season.

Wommack, who is in his third season as linebackers coach and second as the defensive coordinator at Indiana, is a candidate for the Broyles Award given to the nation’s top assistant coach. He helped the Hoosiers lead the nation with 17 interceptions and rise to a No. 8 national ranking.

“To be the head coach at the University of South Alabama is the opportunity of a lifetime," Wommack said.

Athletic director Joel Erdmann said at the end of a national search "it became obvious to me who is the best fit for us at this point in time and as we look to the future.”

Wommack was South Alabama's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

His father, Dave, spent 35 years as a college coach and retired following the 2016 season as Mississippi's defensive coordinator.

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