Gap Down Backer.

[Soapy]

WE DONT GIVE A HOOT

WE DON'T GIVE A DAMN!

i see the vision.

lace me with a banner bro. its a soap chise staple at this point.

#runthedangball

We run the football in this household.

It's about that time

[Soapy]

Kennesaw State hires UConn's Bubba Mack as football coach
ESPN News Services
Dec 1, 2024, 06:48 PM ET

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KENNESAW, Ga. -- Bubba Mack, the offensive line coach for the UConn Huskies, was hired as Kennesaw State's head football coach Sunday.

The 51-year old Mack replaces Brian Bohannon, who had been the only coach in program history until he was fired with three games left in the regular season. Chandler Burks served as interim coach through the remainder of the 2-10 campaign, which included a 2-6 mark in the program's first season as a member of Conference USA.

Bohannon helped found the Kennesaw State program, which launched in 2015 and reached the FCS playoffs four times in its first seven seasons. But the move to FBS proved to be a more daunting challenge, with the Owls slumping to a 10-22 mark over the past three years.

"I am extremely proud and honored for this opportunity to return to my home city of Kennesaw," Mack said in a statement issued by Kennesaw State. "This is a community that is deeply personal to me and my family. I am looking forward to bringing championships and establishing a winning culture that also sets the young men and women within our program for success beyond football."

Mack is returning to Kennesaw State where he was a coaching advisor during the program's inaugural season and took an on-field role as assistant head coach and offensive line for four seasons with the Owls.

"He spent nearly a decade in the NFL and has fifteen years of coaching experience at all levels," Kennesaw State athletic director Milton Overton said. "He's able to connect with his players, his fellow coaches and has been a pillar in the community. He's a program builder and a culture setter and the right man for this job."

Mack was teammates with Overton at the University of Oklahoma where both were four-year starters for the Sooners along their offensive line. Mack was drafted in the third round by the Arizona Cardinals in the 1996 NFL Draft.

Mack coached in UConn's game Saturday against UMass and is expected to move on soon afterward.

"It's a great opportunity for him to become a head coach," UConn head Jim Mora. "I've always known and felt that Bubba would be a head coach at some point. He's done some really good thing for us and really helped turn our program around and has been an invaluable part of us improving in all aspects of our team, not just the offensive line."

Mora was Mack's head coach during Mack's stint with the Atlanta Falcons, signing with his hometown team in 2001 prior to retiring in 2006 following Mora's dismissal. Mora hired Mack as a coaching intern during the 2009 training camp with the Seattle Seahawks. Mack spent two years coaching high school football in Harrison High School in Kennesaw before Mora appointed Mack as his offensive line coach at UCLA where he spent three seasons with the Bruins before returning to Kennesaw State upon the launch of the football program.

Mack stepped away from coaching in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and returned in 2022 under Mora as assistant head coach and offensive line coach.

[Soapy]

Kennesaw State botched Brian Bohannon's dismissal, did they get his
replacement right with Bubba Mack?
By Lamar O'Neal
February 5, 2025

Kennesaw State's decision and the method in which they went about firing football coach Brian Bohannon in November could only be described as confused, ill-advised and ultimately, botched. Athletic director Milton Overton issued a news release announcing that Bohannon, the program's only ever head coach, had decided to resign nine games into its first season at the FBS level. Bohannon then posted his own announcement, saying he had been fired which Overton then confirmed, citing the downturn in results over the previous three seasons.

Four months removed from that debacle, the Owls have a new head coach in Bubba Mack but many of the same problems. The highest-paid assistant coach on Bohannon’s staff last year made about $75,000. More than 75% of the assistant coaches in Conference USA made at least $90,000 last season. Its stadium has the smallest capacity (10,200) of any in FBS. Its average attendance (9,012) this season was third lowest in FBS. Its five-year average (6,319), which included four seasons in FCS, is the lowest among FBS programs.

The coaches’ offices are in a nearby office park. The stadium is a mile from those offices and from campus.

Mack, however, might be uniquely equipped to handle those challenges that Bohannon couldn't or wasn't empowered to overcome. Mack has a long standing relationship with Overton, being teammates and trench mates along Oklahoma's offensive line in the mid 1990s. Mack's ties to the university and city runs deep as Mack grew up in Kennesaw and coached high school football for two years in the city at nearby Harrison High School after spending a decade in the NFL. He was part of the inaugural staff in 2015 when the Owls fielded their first football team and spent five years working with Bohannon. If there's anyone that can get as much money out of boosters and local businesses into the program, it's Kennesaw's very own.

Mack said he understood fans and former players sentiment regarding the matter of Bohannon's firing but that it's time to move on as a program.

"I think everyone here wants the program to do well," Mack said at his introductory press conference when asked about the petition that reached over 100 alumni calling for Overton to be dismissed following the botched firing of Bohannon, "I don't think [Overton] takes it personal, he shouldn't. People want to see this program do well and he does as well so we just have to align and get together and get in tight and get this thing rolling. We're a sleeping giant, man, I can feel it. I wouldn't be here if we weren't."

Mack's ties to the community should not only aid in fundraising but in helping turn the sentiment around the program, both among fans and also local high school coaches. Kennesaw State is less than an hour from metro Atlanta, one of college football's recruiting hotbeds. While they certainly won't win any battles with the likes of Georgia or even Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern, Mack's connection both as a former high school coach and as an active member of the community since he returned to Atlanta in 2001 to play for the Falcons, does bode well for his chances to rebuild relations with local programs.

"We're going to focus on Kennesaw, Atlanta and the surrounding areas," Mack said of his recruiting strategy, "If there's a kid out there that we think can help our football program, we're going to get him but the more Georgia boys we got, the better."

A former offensive lineman, Mack said to expect the Owls to have a big emphasis on the line of scrimmage rather than focusing on any specific offensive scheme. Mack hired former University of Tennessee offensive analyst Mitch Militello to be their offensive coordinator who Mack has never worked before with. Kennesaw State's defensive coordinator is also a new face in Marc Mattioli who most recently coached in the European League of Football. Mack noted his appreciation for Tennessee's up-tempo offense as a reason for hiring Militello while he briefly crossed paths with Mattioli when Mattioli was a safeties coach at Stanford when Mack was the offensive line coach for the Bruins.

[Captain Canada]

Starting off with a real mess. Let's get building. Interested to see how you're going to approach this after two back-to-back hits.

[redsox907]

Mack should throw a coup and become the Coach/AD

#inMackwetrust

[Google[Bot]]

former o-line... havent seen many coaches come from that bg

[YaBoyRobRoy]

banner is fuego, looking forward to following along!

[Soapy]

Starting off with a real mess. Let's get building. Interested to see how you're going to approach this after two back-to-back hits.

Mack should throw a coup and become the Coach/AD

#inMackwetrust

I lowkey just searched on Reddit for the team with the worst pipeline in CFB25 and Kennesaw State was last which is why I picked it but it worked out perfectly with the real life drama they had last season.

former o-line... havent seen many coaches come from that bg

banner is fuego, looking forward to following along!

Thanks bro, welcome to the site.

[Soapy]

Gold On The Mountain: 2025 Kennesaw State Spring Football Recap
April 5, 2025 | CFB Nation +, CUSA, Top Stories



KENNESAW, GA – Nestled against the rising contours of North Georgia, tucked between the buzz of Atlanta traffic and the quiet roar of opportunity, Kennesaw State stands like a gold mine hidden in plain sight. You can hear the whistle of trains that carved through the city’s Civil War past—but lately, it’s been the rise and fall of a football program that has turned the heads of those paying close attention. And in 2024, attention was necessary.

The Owls were thrown into the deep end in their first year at the FBS level, Conference USA baptism and all. A season that began with pain somehow ended with hope. They were battered. Shut out. Called unready. But in the middle of the storm, they toppled Liberty—snapping the Flames’ 17-game regular season win streak in a stunner that made the entire FBS landscape pause. Fans rushed the field twice in a game the Owls had no business winning. But that’s college football, and that’s why we love it more than any other sport.

That win? It was grit. It was chaos. It was the soul of the game.

But as quickly as Kennesaw State rose, it crashed just as violently. Weeks later, longtime head coach Brian Bohannon—who had built the program from the ground up—was out. Officially, the school said he stepped down. Bohannon said otherwise.

“Contrary to what’s been reported, I want to be clear that I did not step down from my position as head football coach at Kennesaw State University.”

The man who gave Kennesaw its very identity—72 wins, three Big South titles, and four playoff berths—was gone. The 1-8 start became too heavy to bear, even for a coach with statuesque status. And with two more heartbreakers, including a double OT loss to UTEP, the Owls reached rock bottom.

Enter Bubba Mack: The Architect of a New Era

One day later, a new era began. Bubba Mack—a respect offensive line coach with deep rooted ties to the program—was named the second head coach in Kennesaw State history.

And make no mistake: this wasn’t just a hire. This was a statement.

Mack's resume is impressive, both as a former player and a coach. A former third round by pick, Mack spent nearly a decade in the NFL before beginning his coaching career in the NFL under Jim L. Mora, his former coach with the Falcons. Mack followed Mora to UCLA where he led coaches the Bruins' offensive line to three straight seasons with at least nine wins. Mack left Westwood to help build Kennesaw State's football program from scratch, serving as an advisor for the program's debut season in 2015 before taking an on-field role as assistant head coach and offensive line coach for four seasons.

Following a hiatus from coaching, Mack reunited with Mora at UConn, turning a one-win program into a nine-win team in three years. Now? He’s bringing all of that to Cobb County. And he’s not coming alone.

The Staff: Built for Firepower and Foundation
Mitch Militello, OC/QB Coach – A Josh Heupel protégé, Militello worked with Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton at Tennessee. He’s coordinated elite offenses at UCF and Missouri and is known for quarterback development and tempo-based attack. Expect fireworks.

Marc Mattioli, DC – Former Paris Musketeers (yes, the European League) head coach and Vanderbilt assistant, Mattioli brings a global perspective and a Stanford-hardened defensive mind. His defenses suffocate with precision.

Jonathan Bradley, DL Coach – An NFL veteran and fierce recruiter, Bradley has ties to Arkansas State, Jackson State, and Alcorn. He’s coached champions and developed trench bullies.

James Williams, CB Coach – Former NFL player. Humanitarian. SWAC legend. Williams molded Alabama State’s James Burgess into a lockdown artist. Now, he’ll do the same in Kennesaw.

William Paruta, LB Coach – A defensive mind molded under Brent Venables and Liberty’s interception-happy system. He’s coached national champions and is known for granular detail.

Jay Clements, OL Coach – A Baylor grad who helped UNT field top-tier offensive units. His lines don’t just block—they punish. Combining his experience with Mack's should turn Kennesaw State's offensive line unit into one of C-USA's best.

Peter Chung, Director of Player Personnel – The youngest D-I personnel director in history. He’s already built two No. 1 FCS recruiting classes and will now build the South’s most overlooked juggernaut.

Kyle Blocker, Special Teams/Tight Ends – He helped Miami (OH) become a top-5 unit in return coverage and previously mentored kickers that turned into Groza finalists.

CFB Nation Key Metric
73% -- That’s how much of their production Kennesaw State returns in 2025, which leads Conference USA and ranks fifth nationally. They’re not starting from scratch—they’re building from a solid, hungry core.

The Haul: A Signing Day Class That Changed Everything
Mack’s first class is already historic. Thirty-three signees. Eighteen transfers. Fifteen high school stars. Twenty of them already enrolled. And the talent? Legit.

Skyler Williams (QB, Warner Robins) – Dual-threat menace. 3,500+ yards and 25 total TDs his senior year. A Georgia baller through and through.

Dexter Williams II (QB, Georgia Southern/Indiana) – A seasoned vet with flashes of brilliance in the MAC and Big Ten. He’s played in The Horseshoe. He’s ready.

Coleman Bennett (RB, Rice/Bucknell) – All-Patriot League return specialist and 1,300+ yard weapon. Brings instant electricity to the backfield and special teams.

Amari Odom (QB, Wofford) – 6’5 cannon with 1,500+ yards and a feel for stretching the field.

Elijah Harper (DL, Emory & Henry) – 15.5 TFLs in one season. A terror off the edge with championship-caliber grit.

Byron Jackson (DL, Gadsden County HS) – 21.5 sacks as a senior. Read that again. Twenty-one and a half.

Jayce Cora (WR, Naples, FL) – 29 catches for 888 yards. That’s 30+ yards per grab. Vertical threat. Pure explosion.

Every position group was touched. Mack went and got offensive linemen with SEC frame (Cameron Williams, Nikola Milovac). He grabbed plug-and-play defenders (Caleb Offord, Alexander Ford). He added raw, local athletes with ceilings that scrape the sky (Jamari Harrold, Kayden Miller).

And it wasn’t just quantity. This was curated. Strategic. A pipeline was laid from Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and out west.

2025 Schedule Breakdown: The Climb Through the Fire
The road ahead isn’t soft. Kennesaw State’s 2025 slate is a gauntlet, forged in fire and designed to test every inch of Bubba Mack’s roster in Year One. From Power Four road battles to emotional homecomings and late-season Conference USA warfare, the Owls will face trials early and often. Here's how it unfolds:

Aug. 29 – at Wake Forest (ACC)
The Owls open their first full FBS schedule under the lights in Winston-Salem. Wake Forest represents the second Power Four opponent in KSU history following Georgia Tech in 2021. This game is more than a check—it's a measuring stick for where the Mack era begins.

Sept. 6 – at Indiana (Big Ten)
Back-to-back Power Four smoke. A road trip to Bloomington gives Kennesaw State their first-ever Big Ten battle. Indiana, while rebuilding, is still a blueblood in size, recruiting, and depth. A win here would make national waves.

Sept. 13 – vs Merrimack
Home opener at Fifth Third Stadium. This is a chance to show off the new-look roster, scheme, and coaching staff in front of an energized fan base. Merrimack enters with respect as an NEC program, but this should be a springboard game for KSU.

Sept. 20 – vs Arkansas State
Circle this one. The final game before the conference opener and a chance to perhaps build on a winning streak.

Sept. 27 – vs Middle Tennessee (CUSA Opener)*
Conference play begins with a sneaky-tough Middle Tennessee squad that has FBS experience and recent bowl trips. Fifth Third will need to be rocking. This is the first litmus test of CUSA strength.

Oct. 9 – vs Louisiana Tech (Thursday Night)*
Prime time in the ATL. The Owls get their first weekday stage at home, hosting a LA Tech team that shut them out 33-0 to end 2024. This is a revenge game and an early statement opportunity in front of national eyes.

Oct. 21 – at FIU (Tuesday Night)*
Weeknight ball in Miami. Short prep, long travel, and a loud CUSA atmosphere await. This could become a trap game if KSU isn’t disciplined post-bye.

Oct. 28 – vs UTEP*
Back at home against a team also rebranding its identity under a new head coach. This game might be decided in the trenches—both teams are building from the inside out.

Nov. 8 – at New Mexico State*
A program on the rise, New Mexico State brings speed, altitude, and crowd noise to the party. It’s also the first-ever meeting between the two teams and the start of a brutal November.

Nov. 15 – at Jacksonville State*
The Owls face a physical, nasty Jax State squad that loves to run the rock and punch people in the mouth. This will be a temperature check on how tough KSU has become.

Nov. 22 – vs Missouri State*
The home finale brings Missouri State to town—new to CUSA and unfamiliar to Kennesaw, but dangerous. This one will hinge on execution and emotion with Senior Day energy in the building.

Nov. 29 – at Liberty*
A Thanksgiving weekend closer that needs no introduction. Last year, KSU shocked Liberty on the road, ending their 17-game regular season win streak. This year? Liberty will want blood.

CFB Nation Key Metric:
KSU will play seven opponents they’ve never faced before in 2025 (Wake Forest, Indiana, Merrimack, Arkansas State, New Mexico State, Missouri State, FIU). That’s over half the schedule made up of brand-new scouting and environments.

The Spring Game: April 5, Fifth Third Stadium
The sun blazed high above Fifth Third Stadium, but the real fire came from the field.

As CFB Nation kicked off our spring game tour in Metro Atlanta, it became clear that something was shifting at Kennesaw State. This wasn’t the same program that closed out 2024. From the warm welcomes to the heightened standard across the board, the vibes were loud, the hospitality top-tier, and the product on the field? Completely reborn.

In front of a strong and spirited crowd, the Bubba Mack era officially found its voice. The Owls didn’t just participate in a practice—they performed, blending position drills, 1-on-1s, and 7-on-7s into a crisp, well-structured scrimmage that had both flare and function.

From the jump, the offense looked entirely transformed.

On the second play of the scrimmage, quarterback Dexter Williams II dropped a bomb that found Gabriel Benyard in stride for a 75-yard touchdown—a tone-setter that sparked the crowd and echoed a message: This offense is different.

Freedom. Tempo. Creativity. That’s what defined this new iteration of the Owls' attack. The quarterbacks were operating with far more liberty in the RPO game, and it showed in the fluidity of the reads and the sharpness of each throw.

Williams didn’t stop there. He zipped a 21-yard strike to Christian Moss over the middle on the fourth drive, and RB Coleman Bennett capped another with a powerful 2-yard touchdown run up the gut, showcasing the balance between big-play potential and red-zone grit.

And yet, this wasn’t a fluke. Conversations with players and coaches revealed one truth above all: these fifteen spring practices mattered.

Chemistry had taken root.

The quarterback room, once rotating with uncertainty, began to find structure. The coaching staff felt clarity on who the ones are. The energy between position groups grew with each possession. The team looked like they’d been in this system for far longer than a few months.

CFB Nation Key Metric:
KSU scored three touchdowns on their first four drives of the scrimmage portion—more than any single half of football last season against an FBS opponent. The tempo and spacing created immediate dividends.

Perhaps most impressive? The way Coach Mack empowers his staff. On multiple occasions, assistants were seen teaching mid-play, using moments as teaching tools, creating buy-in and connection. That foundation will be essential as this team enters its first full FBS campaign.

As the final horn blew, the players were met by family members in a picturesque scene—gathered on the green overlooking Fifth Third Stadium, digesting the game and the future ahead over a postgame picnic.

Coach Mack and the program consider this spring phase “Quarter One.”
Next up? Quarter Two: the summer grind—strength and conditioning, weight room bonding, and identity formation under the guidance of their athletic trainers and performance team.

If this spring was any indication, the Owls aren’t just changing—they’re becoming.

Something's Brewing in Kennesaw
Kennesaw State isn’t just another transitional FCS-to-FBS program. They’ve got the location. The facilities. The coaching. The recruiting base. And now, they’ve got a coach who knows exactly how to light the match.

So let this be known: nestled in the mountains of Metro Atlanta is a program that just found its gold vein. One that’s been overlooked for too long. Bubba Mack isn’t here to make noise. He’s here to build something that lasts.

The hill is steep, but the climb is on.

And at Kennesaw State… the mountain always echoes back when you shout loud enough.

Hooty Hoo!

Original article: https://thecfbnation.com/conference-usa ... egory=CUSA

[djp73]

Good luck not getting your OC and DC confused