Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University (APSU) Vice President and Athletics Director Gerald Harrison has announced that Scotty Walden resigned as head football coach to accept the same position at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Austin Peay State University will immediately begin a national search for the 22nd head football coach in program history.
“I want to thank Scotty, Callie, and Luca Walden for their commitment to Austin Peay State University and the ‘Total Gov Concept’ for the past three years,” said Harrison. “Coach Walden led the Governors to back-to-back conference titles for the first time in program history and took this football program to new heights. I wish him and his family nothing but the best moving forward.
“In the past six seasons, Austin Peay State University has established itself as one of the top programs in the FCS. We will waste no time and work tirelessly to find a coach who will lead our football program to even greater heights.”
Walden, who is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year Award, was the first head coach to win multiple conference championships during their time at Austin Peay State University. Walden’s 26 wins in four seasons are the fourth most in program history. With a winning record at APSU, Walden also joins Dave Aaron as the only coach in program history with a winning record after four seasons.
During the 2023 season, Walden led the Governors to a nine-game winning streak, a 6-0 mark in the United Athletic Conference, the 2023 UAC title, and the FCS Playoffs. Austin Peay State University’s offense set records in scoring (34.1 points per game), total offense (426.8 yards per game), and passing offense (274.1 yards per game) under Walden during the 2023 season.
In the past five seasons, Austin Peay State University has won the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference championship, the 2022 Atlantic Sun Conference championship, and the 2023 UAC championship. The Governors’ 50 wins since 2017 are the seventh most among current FCS programs, trailing only North Dakota State (88), South Dakota State (74), Weber State (59), Montana State (56), Montana (54), and Furman (51).
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