Rhodes College head football coach Rich Duncan has stepped down, with defensive coordinator and program alumnus Matt Ellis named interim head coach sources shared with FootballScoop.
The Lynx are currently 0-7 on the season.
Duncan, who took over the Lynx program in 2021 after nearly a decade as offensive coordinator at Berry College, finishes his tenure with an 18-32 overall record (11-25 in Southern Athletic Association play). His background includes a 38-33 mark and a 2008 Northern Athletics Conference title plus NCAA Division III playoff appearance as head coach at Aurora University, along with helping build Berry into a consistent SAA contender and multiple-time champion as OC.
At Rhodes, results were mixed. The program posted a 6-4 mark in 2023 (its best under Duncan) after earlier seasons of 3-7 (2021) and 5-5 (2022), then slipped to 3-7 in 2024 before a difficult 1-9 finish in 2025 (0-7 SAA, last place in the conference). The lone 2025 win came against Austin College (31-17); other results included lopsided losses to Washington University (0-49), Trinity (0-63), Berry (14-54), and others. The Lynx scored just 14.5 points per game while allowing 40.8.
Ellis, a Rhodes alumnus who played cornerback from 2013-16 (including on the 2013 SAA championship team) and returned in February 2025 as defensive coordinator, steps into the interim role. He previously coached at Rice, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Benedictine, and Millikin, primarily with defensive backs and special teams, and helped develop all-conference talent in his first season back in Memphis.
Rhodes has not yet announced the change or given any further direction for the program.
Given the SAA’s competitive landscape, recently dominated by programs like Berry and Trinity, and the Lynx’s recent struggles after earlier stretches of competitiveness under prior coaches, the college will likely prioritize a head coach who can stabilize and elevate the program. Key attributes could include a track record of success or rapid improvement at the Division III level, strong recruiting in the Memphis region and beyond, player development (especially on both sides of the ball), and a vision that fits the academic-athletic culture of a selective liberal arts college.
Duncan’s departure ends a five-year run that included steady early progress and a peak in 2023 but concluded with consecutive sub-.500 seasons and a last-place conference finish. The program now turns to the interim period under Ellis while evaluating long-term leadership.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest coaching news.