Southern Miss hires DIII head coach to handle receivers

Southern Miss announced Wednesday the hiring of Division III East Texas Baptist University head coach Scott Walden to coach inside receivers for the team.

Walden, 27, had the distinction of being the youngest head coach at an NCAA school this season after serving one year in the capacity.

The Tigers finished 7-3 under Walden. ETBU led the country in scoring offense at 49.9 points per game, while finishing second in total offense (564.3 yards per game) and sixth in passing offense (365.3 yards per game).

“We are pleased to have Scotty join our staff and become a Golden Eagle,” USM head coach Jay Hopson said in a press. “He comes highly recommended for this position and his accomplishments over his career have been very impressive. He will be a great addition to our staff.”

Walden took as head coach at ETBU after serving three years as the school’s offensive coordinator.

Walden came to ETBU after serving as the offensive coordinator at Sul Ross State in 2012. It was Walden’s first year as a coach and offensive coordinator and his offense led all of NCAA averaging with 581.9 yards per game and 48.8 points per game.

An NCAA Division III product, Walden was the starting quarterback at Dordt College (2008) and Sul Ross State University (2011).

He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Sul Ross State in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in history.

“I am truly blessed and honored to be here at Southern Miss,” Walden said in a press release. “The pride and tradition of USM is second to none and I’m excited to be here.”

Walden replaces John Wozniak, who took the running backs coach job at Oklahoma State.

This story was originally published March 8, 2017 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Southern Miss hires DIII head coach to handle receivers."