FAYE: Next coaching hire will make or break Lamar football program

The Lamar University football program is in a dangerous spot.

One more wrong move, and the football future at Lamar could be in serious jeopardy.

When Lamar brought back its football program in 2010, there was a palpable excitement around the team. I wasn’t in Beaumont at the time, but pictures and news articles paint the picture just fine. 

Provost Umphrey Stadium was packed. Fans were pumped to have college football back in Beaumont.

Ten years later, the enthusiasm has clearly faded, and it’s no fault of the fans. A series of bad decisions and losing seasons has set Lamar’s progress back in a major way. New Lamar athletic director Jeff O’Malley is now forced to play catch-up. 

After firing coach Blane Morgan last Monday following a 1-10 season, it seems that O’Malley has Lamar’s football fate in his hands. This next head coaching hire will make or break Lamar’s program.

A good hire could revitalize a struggling team, while another bad move could unfortunately mark the end of Lamar’s football endeavors.

I don’t take talking about cancelling a program lightly. I just don’t know how Lamar’s fans could handle another failed coaching era. The support is seriously lacking as it is. There’s just no trust in the program right now.

And why would there be? 

Lamar had a chance to make itself relevant in 2018 after a trip to the FCS playoffs. Instead, their starting quarterback suffered a season-ending injury in 2019, and head coach Mike Schultz was fired that offseason.

It was the first of multiple bad moves by former athletic director Marco Born. He then hired Blane Morgan, whose offensive scheme and recruiting tactics never really fit what it takes to be successful at Lamar.

Then there was the whole conference flip-flop situation. Man, am I tired of talking about the WAC vs. the Southland. When fans can’t even keep track of what athletic conference their school is in, that’s a recipe for disfunction.

Disfunction is the best word I can use to describe Lamar football right now, and really the athletic department as a whole. It’s no fault of the current administration. They’ve been in clean-up mode ever since they stepped on campus.

Having said all of that, one good coach can change everything. That’s the power O’Malley has right now.

I won’t get into who Lamar might hire. Your guess is as good as mine.

But I can say one thing: If O’Malley doesn’t get this one right, fans might be out of patience with this program.

MFaye@BeaumontEnterprise.com

Twitter.com/mattGfaye