Scotty Walden

Scotty Walden
Current position
Title	Head coach
Team	UTEP
Conference	CUSA
Record	1–8
Biographical details
Born	November 15, 1989 (age 35); Cleburne, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	Sul Ross State University; B.A., History
Playing career
2008	Dordt
2009–2010	Hardin–Simmons
2011	Sul Ross
Position(s)	Quarterback, safety
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2012	Sul Ross (OC)
2013–2015	East Texas Baptist (OC)
2016	East Texas Baptist
2017–2018	Southern Miss (WR)
2019–2020	Southern Miss (co-OC/WR)
2020	Southern Miss (interim HC)
2020–2023	Austin Peay
2024–present	UTEP
Head coaching record
Overall	35–28
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
	1 ASUN (2022); 1 UAC (2023)

Scotty Walden (born November 15, 1989)^[1] is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach for the University of Texas at El Paso, a position he has held since 2024. Walden had previously served as the head coach at East Texas Baptist University, Austin Peay State University, and interim head coach at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Playing career

Walden graduated from Cleburne High School in Cleburne, Texas. Following high school he attended three different colleges: Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa (2008–2009), Hardin–Simmons University in Abilene, Texas (2009–2011), and finally Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas (2011–2012). He played football at all three institutions, and started as quarterback in 2008 and 2011.^[2]

Coaching career

Walden's coaching career began in the spring of 2012, while he was still an undergraduate at Sul Ross. He worked as an offensive assistant under offensive coordinator John Tyree; when Tyree stepped down at the end of the academic year head coach Wayne Schroeder named Walden to replace him. Sul Ross's offense flourished in 2012, and at the end of the season Joshua Eargle, the new head coach at conference rival East Texas Baptist University, hired Walden away to become offensive coordinator on his staff.^[3]

Eargle resigned from the East Texas Baptist job in January 2016, and the university promoted Walden, then 26, to replace him. At the time of his hiring, the NCAA believed Walden to be the youngest college head football coach in the United States. After one year at East Texas Baptist, during which the team compiled a 7–3 record, Walden departed in 2017 to become the wide receivers coach at the University of Southern Mississippi under head coach Jay Hopson, replacing John Wozniak.^[4] Walden gained the title of co-offensive coordinator in 2019.

Southern Miss named Walden interim head coach on September 7, 2020, after Hopson stepped down.^[5]

On October 27, 2020, Walden was named the new head coach for Austin Peay.

Walden took over coaching duties after non-conference play in 2020–21 and led Austin Peay to a 4–2 record in the conference while the team finished 4–5 overall.

Walden was hired as UTEP Miners head coach on December 4, 2023.^[6]

Head coaching record


Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs	Coaches^#	STATS^°
East Texas Baptist Tigers (American Southwest Conference) (2016)
2016	East Texas Baptist	7–3	3–3	4th
East Texas Baptist:		7–3	3–3
Southern Miss Golden Eagles (Conference USA) (2020)
2020	Southern Miss	1–3	1–1
Southern Miss:		1–3	1–1
Austin Peay Governors (Ohio Valley Conference) (2020–2021)
2020–21	Austin Peay	4–2	4–2	3rd			21
2021	Austin Peay	6–5	4–2	T–2nd
Austin Peay Governors (ASUN Conference) (2022)
2022	Austin Peay	7–4	3–2	T–1st
Austin Peay Governors (United Athletic Conference) (2023)
2023	Austin Peay	9–3	6–0	1st	L NCAA Division I First Round	10	13
Austin Peay:		26–14	17–6
UTEP Miners (Conference USA) (2024–present)
2024	UTEP	1–8	1–4
UTEP:		1–8	1–4
Total:		35–28
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth

References

^ Hall, Erik (September 7, 2020). "Scotty Walden: 4 things to know about the new Southern Miss football interim head coach". Hattiesburg American. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
^ Kercheval, Ben (November 4, 2014). "The Next Kliff Kingsbury? Meet Scotty Walden, One of the Youngest OCs in America". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
^ Piellucci, Mike (October 5, 2016). "The Great Expectations of Scotty Walden, the Youngest College Football Head Coach in America". VICE. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
^ "Southern Miss hires DIII head coach to handle receivers". SunHerald. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
^ "Jay Hopson out at Southern Miss, Scotty Walden named interim coach". ESPN. September 7, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
^ Bonagura, Kyle; Rittenberg, Adam (December 5, 2023). "Walden, 34, leaves Austin Peay to take UTEP job". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved October 16, 2024.

External links

[1] Hall, Erik (September 7, 2020). "Scotty Walden: 4 things to know about the new Southern Miss football interim head coach". Hattiesburg American. Retrieved September 8, 2020.

[2] Kercheval, Ben (November 4, 2014). "The Next Kliff Kingsbury? Meet Scotty Walden, One of the Youngest OCs in America". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 5, 2024.

[3] Piellucci, Mike (October 5, 2016). "The Great Expectations of Scotty Walden, the Youngest College Football Head Coach in America". VICE. Retrieved September 8, 2020.

[4] "Southern Miss hires DIII head coach to handle receivers". SunHerald. Retrieved September 8, 2020.

[5] "Jay Hopson out at Southern Miss, Scotty Walden named interim coach". ESPN. September 7, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.

[j209-6] Bonagura, Kyle; Rittenberg, Adam (December 5, 2023). "Walden, 34, leaves Austin Peay to take UTEP job". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved October 16, 2024.

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