Scotty Walden leaving Austin Peay football to become UTEP head coach | Reports

Austin Peay football coach Scotty Walden is expected to be named the next coach at UTEP, according to a report Monday from FootballScoop.

ESPN also reported Walden's departure.

Walden is 26-14 in four seasons at APSU, making him the program's fourth-winningest coach. Under Walden, the Governors have had a winning record every season and won a pair of conference championships, sharing the Atlantic Sun title in 2022 and winning the United Athletic Conference outright in 2023.

This season, Austin Peay went 9-3 and reached the FCS playoffs for just the second time in program history. The Govs lost to Chattanooga, 24-21, in the first round. Walden was named one of 20 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award, which is given to the best head coach in FCS.

Walden, 34, was the youngest coach in NCAA Division I when he was hired by Austin Peay in October 2020 after four seasons at Southern Mississippi, including a stint as the Golden Eagles' interim coach in 2020. In February, APSU extended Walden's contract through the 2025 season.

UTEP is coming off a 3-9 season in which it finished sixth in Conference USA with a 2-6 record. The Miners fired Dana Dimel last week after six seasons.

MORE:Austin Peay football still fighting for respect after earning second-ever FCS playoff bid

While UTEP has long been regarded as a difficult job — the program hasn't won more than seven games in a season since 2005, and El Paso's isolated location makes recruiting difficult — Walden's connections to Texas, and West Texas specifically, could give him an advantage.

Walden, who was born in Cleburne, Texas, played football at two colleges in his home state: Hardin-Simmons (2009-10) and Sul Ross State (2011). He began his coaching career in 2012 at Sul Ross State, which is located in Alpine, three hours from El Paso. He then moved to East Texas Baptist, where he was the offensive coordinator from 2013-15 and the head coach in 2016.

Walden would be the second-youngest coach in FBS. Only Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham, 33, is younger. Dillingham recently completed his first season leading the Sun Devils.

KTSM 9 News in El Paso reported Sunday that UTEP interviewed Walden over the weekend, along with UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, Texas Tech associate head coach Kenny Perry, Texas Tech offensive coordinator Zach Kittley and former UTEP offensive coordinator Eric Price.

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Scotty Walden: Austin Peay football coach leaves for UTEP | Reports