Rising Star McCullough Named Head Football Coach

ODESSA, TEXAS, UNITED STATES, January 20: One of the young rising stars in the world of Division II football is now set to become the second head coach in UT Permian Basin Football history. On Thursday, December 22 Vice President for Athletics Todd Dooley announced that Kris McCullough will take over the Falcons after a season as head coach at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. McCullough led the Tigers to a 9-3 record in the difficult Great American Conference that culminated in a victory over Texas A&M – Kingsville in the Fun Town RV Heritage Bowl. Three players would go on to earn All-Super Region Three honors while 16 were named to the All-GAC Team. Linebacker Devon Roush was named GAC Defensive Player of the Year on a defense that forced 28 turnovers and led the nation in turnover differential. "What Kris has done in a short amount of time in charge of a football program is quite remarkable," said Dooley. "Throughout the entire search process Kris' charisma and vision stood out in a very competitive group of candidates. He checks all the boxes in what we are looking for in our pursuit of comprehensive excellence." For his efforts in 2022, McCullough was named to the American Football Coaches Association 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute, recognizing him as one of the best young coaches in the game of football. He was the only Division II coach selected to the list that included coaches from Michigan, Texas, Auburn, Tennessee, and the NFL's Seattle Seahawks among others. He started at East Central in 2018 as the team's Special Team Coordinator and Quarterbacks coach before getting promoted to Offensive Coordinator in 2020 and Assistant Head Coach in 2021. His first two seasons in Ada saw the team go 3-8 before his promotion. Since then the Tigers went 19-7, including an upset of former Lone Star Conference rival and now Division I school Tarleton State. "First, I'd like to thank everyone at East Central," said McCullough. "I enjoyed every second spent in Ada and at East Central and want to thank them for believing in me and giving me a chance to be a head coach. We made history at that school in many ways, and no one can take that away from the student-athletes and coaches. I'm so excited for this opportunity! My wife Hannah and I can't wait to arrive in the Permian Basin to get started and meet all the great folks in West Texas as we level up UTPB Football. Falcons Up!" Prior to his success in Ada, McCullough was the Running Backs Coach and Assistant Special Teams Coordinator at Fairmont State from 2017-18. There he helped develop Terrell Charles, who finished top-10 in Fairmont State history in rushing yards and touchdowns. In the spring and summer of 2017 he was the Offensive Quality Control Analyst and Assistant Quarterbacks Coach at Old Dominion. McCullough got his start in coaching at his alma mater, Henderson State, as a student assistant working all over the offensive side for three seasons. In 2015 he helped Henderson State win their first NCAA Division II Playoff game after winning the GAC. Download the UTPB Athletics App to follow the team all season long.