Kennesaw State fires Brian Bohannon, first head coach in school history; Owls 1-8 in inaugural FBS season

Brian Bohannon is out as head coach at Kennsaw State, the school announced Sunday. Bohannon was the first and only head coach in the program’s history and brought the program up from the FCS level. In its inaugural season in FBS, the Owls are 1-8. Bohannon’s final game was an overtime loss to UTEP on Nov. 9. 

The semantics of Bohannon’s ouster were murky. An initial statement from KSU said that Bohannon “decided to step down,” but that was denied by Bohannon in a separate statement later Sunday. 

“Contrary to what’s been reported, I want to be clear that I did not step down from my position as head football coach at Kennesaw State University,” Bohannon tweeted. 

A second statement from KSU athletic director Milton Overton, issued Monday, clarified that he “determined it was time to make a leadership change to take the football program in a new direction. I advised Coach Bohannon of my decision, and, as is customary, offered him the opportunity to announce that he had stepped down. At the conclusion of our meeting, it was my understanding that Coach Bohannon had accepted my offer.”

This move is not a surprise as Bohannon’s seat has been one of the hottest in college football despite the fact that the program got a massive win over Liberty just a few weeks ago. 

A source told CBS Sports that Bohannon had been in the midst of ongoing contract negotiations to rework his deal with compensation befitting an FBS head coach. Bohannon’s salary was under $400,000 and is less than many position coaches make at Power Four schools. His most recent contract extension came in 2022 months before the transition to FBS was announced, and the deal ran through 2026. 

Kennesaw State is the latest Group of Five opening in the 2024-25 coaching carousel. As of yet, there are no Power Four jobs open. Florida plans on retaining embattled coach Billy Napier, it announced. 

Head coach vacancies, 2024-25

Chandler Burks, Bohannon’s first signee at Kennesaw State and the most decorated player in school history as a multi-year starting quarterback, is expected to serve as interim, according to multiple sources. 

Kennesaw State is located northwest of Atlanta. It is the newest member of the 134 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).