Eric Mathies, most recently the assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator at Long Island University and who owns substantial coaching experience at college football's top level, is joining the Eastern Kentucky staff of Walt Wells, FootballScoop has learned.
Mathies, with FBS stints at Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic with Lane Kiffin and North Texas, among other outposts in a 20-year career, has agreed to become Eastern Kentucky's defensive running game coordinator and line coach, sources told FootballScoop Thursday.
The move brings the EKU staff back to full for Wells, who saw former assistant Jeremy Hawkins land an FBS assistant coaching job at Georgia State.
Mathies, with FBS experience as a recruiting coordinator during his time at South Florida, is a former Kansas Jayhawks player who closed out his career in Kentucky at Murray State.
Wells, who also has significant FBS coaching experience including in the SEC at the University of Tennessee, has helped EKU climb back to a highly competitive level in FCS.
The Colonels have 18 wins in their past three seasons, including an FCS Playoffs berth and three second-place finishes in conference play.
EKU is set to open its 2024 season with back-to-back money games against upper-level FBS foes; the Colonels visit Jeff Lebby's new Mississippi State program Aug. 31 and follow a week later with a trip to Tyson Helton's Western Kentucky program.