Andy McCollum, who guided Middle Tennessee State University during its transition from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Football Bowl Subdivision more than two decades ago, has been named the 32nd head coach in Sewanee history.
Sewanee, also known as the University of the South, was among the 13 charter members of the Southeastern Conference in 1933 but left the league after the 1940 season and now competes in NCAA Division III and the Southern Athletic Association.
"I am looking forward to representing the University of the South as the head football coach with tremendous energy and enthusiasm in the opportunities the Sewanee culture provides for the student-athlete and the campus community," McCollum said through a release. "Sewanee has an excellent reputation for its tremendous educational, cultural, and environmental opportunities.
"I, and my energetic staff, look forward to expanding the Sewanee football reputation with pride and winning."
McCollum, who turns 64 next month, was MTSU's coach from 1999-2005, leading the Blue Raiders to a 6-5 record during their FBS debut season in 2000 and to an 8-3 record the following year. MTSU's 2001 team opened with a 37-28 win at Vanderbilt and tied for the Sun Belt Conference championship with North Texas.
The Blue Raiders would win all three meetings against Vanderbilt during McCollum's tenure and lost close calls at Alabama (39-34) in 2002 and at Missouri (41-40) in 2003. His opportunity to take over in Murfreesboro came after five seasons as a Baylor University defensive assistant, and he was let go from MTSU after compiling a 34-45 record.
McCollum worked as a scout for the Tennessee Titans in 2006 and as North Carolina State's linebackers coach from 2007-09 before serving as a Georgia Tech defensive assistant under Paul Johnson from 2010-18. He was Western Carolina's defensive coordinator in 2020 and spent the past two seasons as a senior defensive analyst at the University of Buffalo.
"In the long and storied tradition of Sewanee Athletics, our coaches have always been teachers and educators first, but they are also mentors, advisors, and leaders in our campus community," Tigers athletic director John Shackelford said in the release. "In Coach Andy McCollum, we have found a walking bear hug that embraces challenges as opportunities and solves those problems by loving his students harder — with the care of a parent, the steady discipline of a school principal, and the wisdom that comes with a lifetime of experience.
"The student-athletes who will represent Sewanee on the field will know that the wind is at their back, because 'Hurricane Andy' has landed on the mountain."
Sewanee will begin the McCollum era against visiting Maryville College on Sept. 2.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com..