Dean Hood to be Murray State’s next head coach, per report

The Kentucky Wildcats are set to lose one of their top assistant coaches.

According to Football Scoop, Dean Hood is expected to be named the next head coach of the Murray State Racers.

Hood, who is currently the special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach at Kentucky, was previously the head coach at EKU for eight seasons, so he’s very familiar with the OVC where Murray State plays.

Kentucky’s special teams improved dramatically when Hood joined the program in 2017, and they were a major strength for the Wildcats this season, highlighted by Max Duffy becoming arguably the best punter in college football.

Hood has also worked with fellow defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale to help develop Kentucky’s secondary into a formidable unit over the past two seasons.

Replacing Hood won’t be easy, but with how far Mark Stoops has taken this program, he should have some quality candidates to potentially hire in the coming weeks.

Assuming Hood is Murray State’s next head coach, I’d expect a replacement to be found later this month or in early January, giving whoever it is more time to help recruit leading up to the late signing period in February.