On the heels of their big 45-10 win over rival UNLV Saturday, FootballScoop has learned that Nevada and Brian Polian are parting ways.
The school has since announced the decision. Polian recently issued the following statement:
“I appreciate the opportunity that I was given by President Johnson and the University of Nevada four years ago. I felt, and continue to feel, that we were building a solid foundation for this program. However, this season was fraught with adversity and in the end, we did not win enough games. Like every coach, I understand that this is a business. I wish we would have produced better results in 2016.
“Recognizing the frustrations of this year, there are also a number of things that I am very proud of. We have appeared in two bowl games, achieving only the fourth bowl win in the modern history of the program. Despite some of the competitive challenges that exist here, we rank sixth out of 12 in the MW in win-loss record during our tenure. Nevada has seven victories against power five opponents and we achieved two of them.
“Most importantly, I believe that we have served our student-athletes well and have had a positive impact in their lives. We have taken this team to unparalleled academic heights by recording the two highest APR scores in the history of the program and our student-athletes have represented the University in a first-class manner.
“Thank you to all of the people in the University and Reno communities that welcomed our family and treated us kindly. Thank you to all of the support staff in the athletics department that we had the pleasure to work with. Finally, a heartfelt thank you to the coaches and players who devoted themselves with passion and energy to the Wolf Pack Family – I appreciate each and every one of you.”
Polian took the program over for the legendary Chris Ault, and led the program to a 4-8 record in his first season in 2013. In 2014 and 2015 Polian finished 7-6 with bowl trips to the New Orleans Bowl (a loss) and Arizona Bowl (a win). Heading into this season, tragedy struck when a Nevada player was presumed dead after a paddle board accident in Lake Tahoe. Polian led the team admirably in the face of that adversity, and the Pack finished 5-7 overall, and 3-5 in Mountain West play. In his four seasons on leading The Pack, Polian guided the program to two bowl games and placed a program-record 21 players on Academic All-Mountain West teams in 2015, among a host of other achievements. It is our understanding that the groundwork that Brian Polian has laid will set this program up great for the future with the right hire. Before landing the head spot on Nevada, Polian spent a season at Texas A&M as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach, and has also worked at Stanford, Notre Dame, UCF, Buffalo, Baylor, and Michigan State during his coaching journey. Where does Nevada turn to from here?
Nevada marks the tenth opening of the 2016-17 cycle, with four already filled (LSU, Texas, Fresno State, and FIU). See a run down of all NFL and college changes here.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest developments.