That was quick.
After losing top young executive Luke Haker last week to the director of football operations position at Southeastern Conference program Auburn, Austin Peay has quickly filled the open position.
Sources tell FootballScoop that head coach Jeff Faris is hiring Christian Mitchell away from Coastal Carolina to become the Govs' next chief of staff/director of football operations.
The quick move helps Faris and the Govs continue focus on their roster for the 2026 season after being one of the first teams left out of the 2025 Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs.
The Govs had a break-through campaign in '25 under their second-year head coach Faris, who engineered the FCS program's first win against a Football Bowls Subdivision opponent since 1977 with a season-opening beatdown of Derek Mason's Middle Tennessee State University program.
Austin Peay concluded its season 7-5, dropping an 45-44 overtime-thriller at Tarleton State to end the season. Tarleton was awarded the No. 4 overall seed in the FCS Playoffs.
Earlier this month, Faris and the Govs also secured the return of All-United Athletic Conference quarterback Chris Parson, who established multiple school records in his first year in control of the Austin Peay offense. Parson announced his return to the Govs program on social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.
He's the centerpiece of an Austin Peay program that also boasted the UAC's Defensive Freshman of the Year in Montreze Smith Jr. and Carson Smith earned the conference's top-placekicker honor.
Austin Peay is scheduled to kick off its third season under Faris, a former Duke starter who's coached under David Cutcliffe and Chip Kelly, at Clark Lea's Vanderbilt program. The Commodores are coming off a 10-win season and boasted Heisman Trophy runner-up Diego Pavia this past season.