University of Toledo offensive coordinator Brian Wright will be the next head coach at Division II Pittsburg State in Kansas, according to a source in the Toledo athletic department.
Pittsburg State made the hiring official on Saturday afternoon.
“Brian’s passion for the game of football and desire to help mold student-athletes into elite winners both on and off the field is contagious,” Pittsburg State athletic director Jim Johnson said in a press release. “The future is bright for our proud and storied program.”
Wright has spent the past four years as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Toledo head coach Jason Candle.
“I can’t wait to lead the Pitt State football program into this next chapter of success and carry the torch for this proud program built by so many great coaches and players before,” Wright said in a press release.
In 2019, Toledo took a step back offensively under Wright compared to the offensive coordinator's first three years with the Rockets.
Battling injuries at key positions, including quarterback, Toledo finished eighth in the Mid-American Conference in scoring offense with 27.3 points per game and fifth in total offense with 434.1 yards per game.
In Wright's first three seasons with Toledo from 2016-18, the Rockets were first or second in the MAC in scoring offense and total offense each season.
In 2016 with standouts like quarterback Logan Woodside, running back Kareem Hunt, and wide receiver Cody Thompson, Toledo was second in the MAC with 38 points per game and topped the conference with a whopping 517.8 yards per game.
With Woodside again leading the offense in 2017, Toledo was second in scoring at 36.4 points per game and led the conference in total offense with 483.9 yards per game on the way to a MAC championship.
In 2018, Toledo led the conference in scoring at 40.4 points per game and was second in total offense at 443.8 yards per game.
Wright was on the staff at Youngstown State from 2001-09 in several different roles as quarterbacks coach, recruiting coordinator and offensive coordinator.
He was then the offensive coordinator at Montana State from 2010-11 before joining Florida Atlantic, where he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2012-15. In 2013, he served as interim head coach for the Owls for the final four games of the season.
At 6-6 this season, if Toledo is to play in a bowl game, it will be without its two coordinators from the beginning of the season as the news of Wright’s departure comes less than a week after Candle parted ways with defensive coordinator Brian George and linebackers coach Mike Ward.
First Published December 7, 2019, 6:13 p.m.
