BOWLING GREEN — After two-and-a-half embattled seasons as the head coach of Bowling Green State University’s football team, Mike Jinks’ tenure is finished.
The school announced Sunday it fired Jinks one day after the Falcons lost to Western Michigan at home.
BGSU said defensive coordinator Carl Pelini, a longtime college assistant and the former head coach at Florida Atlantic University, will be the interim head coach. Pelini is in his first season on the staff at Bowling Green.
Current BG director of athletics Bob Moosbrugger said in a statement “it was time.”
"I want to thank coach Jinks for all of his efforts with our football program and in the BG community. However, we felt it was time to make a change in leadership,” Moosbrugger said in a prepared statement. “These are not easy decisions and we do not take this lightly. This affects 11 coaching families, 112 student-athletes and numerous support staff.
“We wish Mike and his family the best in their future endeavors."
Jinks could not be reached for comment.
The school plans to have a news conference to discuss the coaching change Monday morning.
Bowling Green's 2018 football schedule
BG said in a release it will begin its search for a new coach immediately.
Jinks was in the third year of a five-year deal he signed with BG. The agreement calls for Jinks to be paid his base salary for the full term of the contract if terminated without cause. Jinks’ base salary this season was $437,228.
The total buyout can be reduced if he gains new employment by Dec. 8, 2020.
The Falcons went 7-24 under Jinks, whom former BG director of athletics Chris Kingston hired in December, 2015. In a make-or-break year for Jinks this season, BG started 1-6, has lost its three Mid-American Conference games, and fell to rival Toledo for the ninth consecutive time.
Jinks came under increasing pressure from boosters, fans, and eventually, the senior administration at BGSU.
"Our football program has been a source of pride for our alumni and fans,” Moosbrugger said. “We need football to be successful to help our entire athletics department and university. We are committed to excellence on the field and in the classroom."
During a news conference Sept. 24 — two days after the Falcons’ listless performance in a home loss to Miami — Jinks was asked if he thought he still was the right man to lead the program. Jinks said he had “no doubt” and pointed to the programs at Buffalo and Miami, whose coaches are in their fourth and fifth years, respectively.
“All it takes is a couple kids, and all it takes is the belief,” Jinks said then. “I think we’ve got the right guys in places from a coaching standpoint and I think we’ve got the talent coming as well. There’s no doubt in my mind we can get this thing done here.”
However, Jinks will not be given a chance to finish this season.
The Falcons’ hiring of Jinks was a puzzling one from the outset, even in many coaching circles. Jinks was a successful Texas high school coach who made the move to college as an assistant at Texas Tech. Jinks was the running backs coach for three seasons at Texas Tech, and BG hired him despite the fact he never had been to Ohio before accepting the job.
Jinks’ two full recruiting classes were ranked in the top three of the Mid-American Conference, according to 247Sports.com’s composite rankings, but attrition was a major issue, and during the offseason, five different Falcons players were arrested. On the field, BG had one winning streak in the three seasons Jinks was in charge. BG won its final three games of 2016 to finish that year 4-8, but won just three more times in the next 19 games.
Bowling Green’s lone win so far this season came against Eastern Kentucky, a Football Championship Subdivision opponent.
While the end result seemed inevitable for BG, Moosbrugger and the department of athletics ultimately decided the move could not wait. The Falcons’ open date is Oct. 27, but BG opted to make the change six days before it is set to play at Ohio.
The Falcons have five games to go — and they’ll finish the season under new direction.
“We have a talented group of hard-working student-athletes and I look forward to the program finishing the season strong playing for the senior class under the leadership of coach Pelini,” Moosbrugger said.
Contact Nicholas Piotrowicz at: npiotrowicz@theblade.com, 419-724-6110, or on Twitter @NickPiotrowicz.
First Published October 14, 2018, 7:25 p.m.
