Say this about Texas State: The spectrum of its coaching hires, since the Bobcats’ jump to the FBS ranks, is certainly wide.

First, there was Dennis Franchione, the consummate college football lifer. To get the Bobcats’ FBS ship out to sea, Texas State turned to a longtime head coach with deep ties and a long track record. Call it a re-tread, sure; it felt like what the Bobcats needed at that moment in their lifespan.

Then, there was Everett Withers, the exciting lower-level coach who finally got his chance. To get the Bobcats to the next level, Texas State turned to a guy who had FBS coordinator experience but was best known for winning big at the Division II level. Call it a risk, sure; it felt like what the Bobcats needed at that moment in their lifespan.

Franchione and Withers, in many ways, were both unconventional hires, though on opposite ends of the convention spectrum. With their third hire, the Bobcats appear to believe that splitting the difference is the way to success.

Reports surface on Wednesday that Texas State would hire West Virginia offensive coordinator Jake Spavital as its third head coach in its now-seven year FBS existence.

Spavital becomes the youngest FBS coach in the state and the second-youngest in the nation at 33 years old, but he’s been considered an offensive wunderkind for the better part of this decade. He first earned acclaim as West Virginia’s quarterback coach in 2011 and 2012 before getting his first coordinator job, replacing Kliff Kingsbury as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator under Kevin Sumlin.

This is where the Spavital narrative splits — fans will tout that he guided the Aggies to the 4th best offense in the nation in 2013, and kept the A&M machine humming; detractors will argue that the offense dropped from 4th to 50th in the two years after Johnny Manziel left, and the playcalling got stale.

Though your mileage may vary, Spavital now lands in San Marcos after one-year swims through Cal and West Virginia, with his reputation as an offensive mastermind still mostly intact. His wide-open style of offense will undoubtedly excite the Bobcats’ faithful, as will his recruiting prowess — he’s credited with A&M landing Christian Kirk and Kyler Murray, among others.

For a program that has almost exclusively hired non-traditional candidates, Texas State went a much more traditional route with this pick — a well-regarded coordinator at a Power 5 school given his first chance at the big chair. He’ll inherit a program in need of a jumpstart, a fan base hungry for a winner, and a conference that appears ripe for contention.

Jake Spavital is, for better or worse, not Dennis Franchione and he’s not Everett Withers. He is an entirely new face in San Marcos, tasked with guiding the Bobcats through this new phase of their FBS lifespan.