Scotty Walden

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Scotty Walden
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamUTEP
ConferenceCUSA
Record0–0
Biographical details
Born (1989-11-15) November 15, 1989 (age 34)
Cleburne, Texas, U.S.
Alma materSul Ross State University
B.A., History
Playing career
2008Dordt
2009–2010Hardin–Simmons
2011Sul Ross
Position(s)Quarterback, safety
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2012Sul Ross (OC)
2013–2015East Texas Baptist (OC)
2016East Texas Baptist
2017–2018Southern Miss (WR)
2019–2020Southern Miss (co-OC/WR)
2020Southern Miss (interim HC)
2020–2023Austin Peay
2024–presentUTEP
Head coaching record
Overall34–20
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 ASUN (2022)
1 UAC (2023)

Scotty Walden (born November 15, 1989)[1] is an American football coach who is currently the head coach at University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Walden had previously served as the head coach at East Texas Baptist University, Austin Peay State University and interim head coach at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Playing career[edit]

Walden graduated from Cleburne High School in Cleburne, Texas. Following high school he attended three different colleges: Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa (2008–2009), Hardin–Simmons University in Abilene, Texas (2009–2011), and finally Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas (2011–2012). He played football at all three institutions, and started as quarterback in 2008 and 2011.[2]

Coaching career[edit]

Walden's coaching career began in the spring of 2012, while he was still an undergraduate at Sul Ross. He worked as an offensive assistant under offensive coordinator John Tyree; when Tyree stepped down at the end of the academic year head coach Wayne Schroeder named Walden to replace him. Sul Ross's offense flourished in 2012, and at the end of the season Joshua Eargle, the new head coach at conference rival East Texas Baptist University, hired Walden away to become offensive coordinator on his staff.[3]

Eargle resigned from the East Texas Baptist job in January 2016, and the university promoted Walden, then 26, to replace him. At the time of his hiring, the NCAA believed Walden to be the youngest college head football coach in the United States. After one year at East Texas Baptist, during which the team compiled a 7–3 record, Walden departed in 2017 to become the wide receivers coach at the University of Southern Mississippi under head coach Jay Hopson, replacing John Wozniak.[4] Walden gained the title of co-offensive coordinator in 2019.

Southern Miss named Walden interim head coach on September 7, 2020, after Hopson stepped down.[5]

On October 27, 2020, Walden was named the new head coach for Austin Peay.

Walden took over coaching duties after non-conference play in 2020–21 and led Austin Peay to a 4–2 record in the conference while the team finished 4–5 overall.

Walden was hired as UTEP Miners head coach on December 4, 2023.[6]

Head coaching record[edit]

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# STATS°
East Texas Baptist Tigers (American Southwest Conference) (2016)
2016 East Texas Baptist 7–3 3–3 4th
East Texas Baptist: 7–3 3–3
Southern Miss Golden Eagles (Conference USA) (2020)
2020 Southern Miss 1–3 1–1
Southern Miss: 1–3 1–1
Austin Peay Governors (Ohio Valley Conference) (2020–2021)
2020 Austin Peay 4–2 4–2 3rd 21
2021 Austin Peay 6–5 4–2 T–2nd
Austin Peay Governors (ASUN Conference) (2022)
2022 Austin Peay 7–4 3–2 T–1st
Austin Peay Governors (United Athletic Conference) (2023)
2023 Austin Peay 9–3 6–0 1st L NCAA Division I First Round 10 13
Austin Peay: 26–14 17–6
UTEP Miners (Conference USA) (2024–present)
2024 UTEP 0–0 0–0
UTEP: 0–0 0–0
Total: 34–20
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hall, Erik (September 7, 2020). "Scotty Walden: 4 things to know about the new Southern Miss football interim head coach". Hattiesburg American. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  2. ^ Kercheval, Ben (November 4, 2014). "The Next Kliff Kingsbury? Meet Scotty Walden, One of the Youngest OCs in America". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  3. ^ Piellucci, Mike (October 5, 2016). "The Great Expectations of Scotty Walden, the Youngest College Football Head Coach in America". VICE. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Southern Miss hires DIII head coach to handle receivers". SunHerald. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Jay Hopson out at Southern Miss, Scotty Walden named interim coach". ESPN. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  6. ^ "UTEP hires Scotty Walden away from Austin Peay to be coach" ESPN. Retrieved 2023-12-05.

External links[edit]