Kansas Jayhawks football loses top offensive coach to C-USA school. Here’s the impact
Kansas football will be searching for a new offensive coordinator.
Brent Dearmon, who served in the role the last year and a half, will be leaving KU to become the offensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee State, a source confirmed to The Star on Wednesday night.
According to his contract, Dearmon will owe KU $500,000 in “release payments” within 45 days of the end of his employment.
Middle Tennessee State, which plays in Conference USA, was searching for a new offensive coordinator after Tony Franklin retired earlier this month.
Dearmon has previous ties to Tennessee; he played four years for NAIA school Bethel University in McKenzie as a quarterback in college, then returned to become the team’s head coach in 2018.
It’s difficult to see this as anything but a difficult blow for an already moribund KU football program. Dearmon’s infectious energy was widely praised by KU’s players, and he had also proven to be a strong recruiter, helping the Jayhawks extend their base to southwestern states like Arkansas.
Dearmon was promoted to offensive coordinator in October 2019 after coach Les Miles fired Les Koenning during the team’s bye week. In his debut, Dearmon helped KU’s offense to 569 total yards of offense in a 50-48 loss at Texas.
KU averaged 24 points under Dearmon in six games during 2019 before the offense took a step back in 2020. Without consistency at quarterback or on the offensive line, the Jayhawks posted 15.8 points per game, which ranked 123rd out of 127 FBS schools.
Dearmon, known for his run-pass option schemes, has written multiple books on the topic.
If KU looks internally for a replacement, receivers coach Emmett Jones and recruiting coordinator-tight ends coach Josh Eargle could be potential candidates.
The Jayhawks finished with an 0-9 record in 2020.
This story was originally published January 27, 2021 at 9:45 PM with the headline "Kansas Jayhawks football loses top offensive coach to C-USA school. Here’s the impact."
