Lynn leaving Greyhound football program

PORTALES — The Eastern New Mexico University athletic department announced Tuesday that football coach Josh Lynn is leaving the program.

Lynn, a former Greyhound player, appears headed to take over the head coaching position at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. He confirmed he was offered the position Tuesday morning, but hadn’t signed paperwork. He and the school otherwise declined comment.

"I've loved my time here," Lynn said in a Tuesday afternoon release from ENMU. "I've been treated extremely well by Dr. Gamble, Dr. Greg Waggoner and (former Athletic Director) Dr. Jeff Geiser. I'm extremely proud of all the efforts of the players I had the opportunity to coach and Greyhound football looks bright moving forward."

Should he take the job with the Lopers, Lynn would replace Josh Lamberson, who left the school in December for a position with Division-I Abilene Christian.

Lynn’s overall record at ENMU is 27-25, with .500 or better records in the last four campaigns. He initially went 3-7 his first season, but those three wins were vacated due to an NCAA punishment. The school self-reported violations, and vacated four seasons of victories for numerous programs due to administrative errors that led to teams using ineligible players.

Lynn led the Greyhounds to a Lone Star Conference Championship in 2013 and two consecutive postseason appearances to the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl. Also, he led ENMU to wins over rival West Texas A&M in the annual Wagon Wheel game three times.

The next Greyhound coach will step into a favorable situation, with LSC Offensive Back of the Year and All-American running back Kamal Cass and LSC Freshman of the Year Wyatt Strand at quarterback. The team garnered 11 All-LSC selections, and also finished second in the country in rushing and 10th in pass efficiency.

The situation at Kearney has been quite different for the Lopers, who are 10-45 in the last five years — including 1-10 last year — without a four-win season in that time.

The Lopers play in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, a conference that is considered one of the best in Division II. While historically the LSC has done well in the national spotlight, the MIAA has become the nation’s power conference as of late. Northwestern Missouri State University won its sixth national title in 2016 and the conference had seven All-Americans.

"We appreciate all that Josh has done for Greyhound football and ENMU. He will be missed and we wish he and his family the best moving forward,” Waggoner said in a release. “The search for the next head football coach for ENMU will begin immediately. Our plan is to have a new head coach in place very soon."