Southern Miss promotes John Wozniak to offensive coordinator
Southern Miss wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator John Wozniak has been promoted to offensive coordinator, according to a source.
Wozniak replaces former offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, who is Arizona State’s new offensive coordinator. This season was Wozniak’s third in his positions at Southern Miss.
Prior to Hattiesburg, Wozniak had worked with Golden Eagles coach Todd Monken at LSU and Oklahoma State. Wozniak was an analyst at Alabama in 2012 after a season coaching running backs at UAB.
He was West Georgia’s offensive coordinator in 2010, Memphis’s special teams coordinator in 2009 and Montana State’s tight ends coach and special teams coordinator in 2008. He spent 2007 as a quality control assistant at LSU, was Georgia Southern’s tight ends coach and special teams coordinator in 2006 and did an initial season at LSU as an offensive graduate assistant in 2005.
Wozniak was also a graduate assistant at Oklahoma State in 2004 following five seasons as an assistant at his alma mater, Knox College, the last four of which were as offensive coordinator.
Southern Miss is one of college football’s most improved teams this season after tripling its win total from a year ago. The Golden Eagles won Conference USA’s West Division with a 9–4 record, including a 7–1 mark in league play.
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Offensively, they rank 12th in the FBS in scoring offense (40.6 points per game) and ninth in total offense (519.8 yards per game). This was Lindsey’s second season at Southern Miss and first as the play-caller.
The Golden Eagles will make their first bowl appearance since 2011 when they play Washington (6–6) in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Dec. 26.