82-win college football head coach abruptly steps down

A college football head coach has stepped down from his post to pursue an opportunity at a Power Four program.

A view of a tv camera and the ESPN college football logo before the game between Texas Tech and BYU at AT&T Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

An unusually busy and chaotic college football coaching carousel concluded its cycle in late December of 2025. Close to 20 different Power Four college football programs will have a new face leading their programs in 2026.

Among all the movements in the carousel, few moves received more publicity than Lane Kiffin's departure from Ole Miss to LSU in late November. Kiffin had guided the Rebels to an 11-1 record, a mark good enough to qualify them for the 2025 College Football Playoff, before departing for one of the Rebels' most hated rivals.

Ole Miss officially named defensive coordinator Pete Golding as Kiffin's successor following the departure. Golding had been working his way up the coaching ladder as a defensive assistant for nearly two decades, making FBS stops at Southern Miss, UTSA and Alabama prior to his arrival at Ole Miss.

Golding started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Delta State in 2006. After three seasons at Tusculum as a defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, Golding returned to Delta State for those roles for two more seasons.

In his search for personnel to add to his first staff at Ole Miss, Golding finds himself looking to the Statesmen. Football Scoop reported that Delta State head coach Todd Cooley was resigning from his role to become the assistant to the head coach at Ole Miss on Wednesday.

NEWS: Delta State head coach Todd Cooley to step down at Delta State and join Pete Golding’s staff at Ole Miss, per ⁦@FootballScoop⁩

He’s reported to be the assistant to the head coach and serve a key role in high school relations. https://t.co/kMscszJd9N

— Brad Logan (@BradLoganCOTE) January 21, 2026

Cooley had served as head coach for the Statesmen since 2013 after Jamey Chadwell departed for the head coaching vacancy at Charleston Southern. He amassed an 82-49 overall record in his 13 years at Delta State, reaching double-digit wins in two seasons and guiding the Statesmen to four NCAA Division II Playoff appearances.

The Statesmen won two games at their home venue of Parker Field at McCool Stadium against Erskine College (52-0) and Ferrum College (51-10). The lone home loss was to West Florida (51-38) on Nov. 1, 2025.

Delta State won road games at Fort Valley State (21-16), Barton College (45-0) and West Alabama (41-38). The Statesmen's lone road loss of 2025 was their season opener at UNC Pembroke (25-21) on Sept. 13.

The Statesmen were scheduled to play Kentucky State at home on Nov. 15, 2025, but the game was canceled.

This was due to an alleged breach of contract by Kentucky State that involved it scheduling Shorter instead, a move that was suspected to have given Kentucky State a better chance of reaching the Division II Playoffs and subsequently hurt Delta State's chances.