Missouri State Hires ACC Offensive Coordinator As Coach Hours Before Xbox Bowl

The Bears enjoyed a successful first FBS season.

Casey Woods is reportedly set to become Missouri State's coach. | Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Missouri State's first season in FBS was a rousing success—such a success, in fact, that the Bears lost coach Ryan Beard to Coastal Carolina.

However, Beard's old role reportedly will not stay vacant for long. Missouri State is naming SMU offensive coordinator Casey Woods its next coach on a five-year contract, according to a Thursday afternoon report from Pete Thamel of ESPN.

Woods, 42, has worked for the Mustangs since 2022. Under the watchful eye of coach Rhett Lashlee, Woods has helped turned SMU into an ACC power that qualified for the College Football Playoff in its first year in the conference.

Before working for the Mustangs, Woods served as Missouri's tight ends coach from 2020 to '21. He has also spent time at Arkansas State, Auburn, Tennessee (his alma mater), and UAB.

The Bears, 7-5 this season, are scheduled to play the Red Wolves Thursday night in the Xbox Bowl in Frisco, Texas.

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