Charlotte Football Names New Head Coach

Credit: Autumn Allison/The Leaf-Chronicle

Yesterday afternoon, the Charlotte 49ers announced that Will Healy will be the new Head Coach of the football program. Healy was previously the Head Coach at Austin Peay, where he turned around the program in just 3 seasons. Healy is also credited for bringing in the best FCS recruiting class in 2017. He led the Governors to a 13-10 record the past 2 seasons. In 2017, the team had a 7-1 record in Ohio Valley Conference play and they finished 2nd in the Conference, after going 0-11 in the season prior.  He was the 2017 Eddie Robinson Award winner, which goes to the top coach in the FCS. He has also earned the respect from the likes of Dabo Swinney, David Cutlcliffe, and Kirby Smart, all of which spoke wonderfully on his behalf.

At just 33 years old, Healy will become the 2nd youngest Head Coach in the FBS. He played Quarterback at Richmond, where he led the Spiders to win the FCS National Championship in 2008. This young coach will lead the 49ers into the 2019 season with a fresh outlook. The Charlotte program is still a fairly new one. The Niners first season was in 2013, but they did not become an FBS school until 2015. With his success in recruiting, this hire should be a welcoming sight to the Niner fan base. Charlotte will formally introduce the new Head Coach today at 2:30 p.m. EST, in a news conference held at Jerry Richardson Stadium. 

Charlotte is coming off of their best season in the history of their program. The 49ers finished 5-7 on the year and went 4-4 in Conference-USA games. Charlotte announced that former Head Coach Brad Lambert would be fired at the end of the season, after being the Head Coach since the start of the football program in 2013. In the last couple of seasons, the 49er football fans haven’t had much to look forward to, but the hiring of Will Healy will be a new beginning for the program. Hopefully we will see the 49ers in a bowl game next season. Go Niners!!!