Official: SMU hires Sonny Dykes as head coach
SMU is bringing in an experienced head coach to replace Chad Morris.
The school announced Monday night that Sonny Dykes, the former head coach at California and Louisiana Tech, has agreed to be the next head coach of the Mustangs. The school will hold a press conference Tuesday to introduce Dykes.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be introduced as the Head Coach at SMU. This is home and this is a program I grew up watching. I watched Mustang legends compete and I could always see myself putting on that iconic pony. Today, I’m proud to do just that,” Dykes said in a statement.
“This is a proud football program with a rich tradition. It is also a proud academic institution. I place great emphasis on both. We will set lofty goals for our program, but will keep our primary focus on improving every day in all phases on and off the field to ensure we build a total program and shape champions.”
Dykes, a Texas native, spent the 2017 season as an offensive analyst for TCU following a four-year tenure at Cal. Dykes had a 19-30 record in Berkeley, improving the team from a 1-11 mark in his first season to an 8-5 record in 2015. That season was capped off with a win in the Armed Forces Bowl, the program’s first bowl win since 2008.
Cal went 5-7 in 2016 and the school decided to part ways with Dykes more than a month after the season ended. When announcing Dykes’ dismissal, then-athletic director Mike Williams said the school sought a coach who was “fully committed” to the school, alluding to Dykes being connected to openings at Baylor, Missouri and Houston during his tenure.
Before his time at Cal, Dykes had a 22-15 record at Louisiana Tech and also served as an assistant at Kentucky, Texas Tech and Arizona. Dykes, the son of longtime Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes, has deep roots to the state. Dykes spent seven years as an offensive assistant for the Red Raiders under Mike Leach before three seasons as the OC at Arizona.
“It is my pleasure to introduce Sonny Dykes as the Head Football Coach at SMU,” SMU athletic director Rick Hart said. “Coach Dykes is enthusiastic about joining the Mustang family. He has a plan to assemble a talented staff, dedicated to shaping champions and pursuing championships with integrity. Coach Dykes shares our commitment to establishing SMU as the best overall program in the American Athletic Conference. We welcome Sonny, Kate, Ally, Charlie and Daniel to the Hilltop.”
At SMU, Dykes takes over a program about to play in its first bowl game since 2012. In three seasons, Morris engineered an impressive rebuild before leaving for Arkansas. SMU improved every season under Morris, going 2-10 in 2015, 5-7 in 2016 and 7-5 this year. In the year before he arrived, the Mustangs went 1-11. Entering bowl play, SMU is No. 13 nationally in total offense, averaging 494.5 yards per game, and No. 8 in scoring offense, putting up 40.2 points per game.
“Coach Morris did great things here and I am fortunate that I have been selected to take the foundation Chad and his staff put in place and take it to a new level. And, make no mistake – that is what we plan to do,” Dykes said.
“Our brand of football is fun. It’s about excitement. We are going to score a lot of points – always have, always will – and we will balance our offensive production with defensive results. They say that ‘Defense Wins Championships,’ and we will look to build a championship-level defense on the Hilltop. One that attacks and plays downhill, just like our offense.”
SMU will play Louisiana Tech Dec. 20 in the Frisco Bowl with interim coach Jeff Traylor at the helm.
“I’d like to thank Dr. Turner and the members of our search committee for their dedication and support, Coach Traylor and the members of our staff who are working tirelessly in support of our student-athletes in preparations for the upcoming DXL Frisco Bowl. We all look forward to competing for an eighth win in front of the SMU fans next week,” Hart said.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
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