Gardner-Webb has suspended head coach Kris McCullough and special teams coordinator Pete Bennett is expected to serve as interim head coach in McCullough's absence, sources told FootballScoop on Sunday evening.
The news comes after FootballScoop reported earlier Sunday that Gardner-Webb was evaluating its options after off-field allegations emerged against the first-year head coach. The Runnin' Bulldogs opened their season Thursday with a 35-17 loss to No. 18 Austin Peay, and open their home schedule Saturday against Wofford.
Gardner-Webb hired McCullough in December after he rose to prominence as the youngest head coach in college football at East Central and Texas-Permian Basin. McCullough, 30, has led his teams to the postseason in all four seasons as a head coach. He went 9-3 with a Heritage Bowl win in 2022 at East Central, and then took UTPB to the Division II playoffs in 2023 and '25 with a Heritage Bowl appearance in 2024. The Falcons won the Lone Star Conference in 2023 and reached the Division II quarterfinals last season, finishing the year ranked in the top five in both polls. McCullough carried a 37-13 career record to Gardner-Webb.
Bennett has been on GWU's staff since 2024, with prior FBS experience at Memphis and South Alabama. He also coaches the Bulldogs' tight ends.
More to come.
From McCullough's GWU bio:
McCullough arrives at Gardner-Webb, having most previously served as the head coach at the University of Texas-Permian Basin, a position he held from December of 2022 when he was hired as the youngest head coach in college football. Prior to his time in Odessa, McCullough also spent one successful season as the head coach of East Central University where he led the Tigers to a nine-win season, one season as the running backs coach and special team coordinator at Fairmont State, a short spell as the offensive quality control and assistant quarterback coach at Old Dominion University, and two seasons as an undergraduate assistant coach at Henderson State University. In all, McCullough has a decade of experience at various levels and positions as a college football coach.
While leading the University of Texas-Permian Basin program, McCullough guided the Falcons to a pair of NCAA Division II playoff appearances in 2023 and 2025, and the Heritage Bowl in 2024. He helped lead the program to a 10-2 record and the first Lone Star Conference title in school history in his debut season at the helm in 2023, and a national ranking as high as No. 18. His final season at Texas-Permian Basin was perhaps his finest, guiding the Falcons to a program-record 11 wins, a first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals, and a national ranking of No. 3 in the final AFCA poll, the first time the Falcons ever ended a season inside the top-five of a major poll. In addition, the Falcons placed 27 players on All-Lone Star Conference teams and ranked near the top of NCAA Division II in various categories in 2025, including first in total passing yards, third in passing offense, fourth in total yards and fifth in total touchdowns, and third in pass defense. Linebacker Tristan Exline was named a 2025 Harlon Hill Trophy finalist under the guidance of McCullough as well, the award given the nation's best Division II player in a given season.
During his time at Texas-Permian Basin, McCullough landed several individual awards and accolades as well, including 2023 Lone Star Conference Coach of The Year, 2023 Dave Campbell All-Texas Non-FBS Coach of The Year and 2023 College Football Network D2 Coach of The Year. Furthermore, McCullough was named a Dave Campbell Texas Football "40 Under 40" selection, an AFCA "35 Under 35" Leadership Institute selection, a 247Sports.com "30 Under 30" selection, and saw his team nominated as an Allstate AFCA Good Works team. McCullough did all this on top of becoming just the fourth coach in college football history to win 30 games before the age of 30, joining the likes of all-time football greats such as Pop Warner.