Lamar football has hired Blane Morgan as the third head coach since the program returned to the field in 2010. 

Morgan previously served as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Air Force for eight seasons. Rocky Long hired him at San Diego State to coach quarterbacks in 2015 and he served in the same role through the most recent season. 

“When we began this process, there were several criteria that we wanted in our next head coach,” Lamar athletic director Marco Born said in a statement. “Blane meets all those expectations.” 

Under his watch, San Diego State experienced the greatest period of success in program history. The Aztecs posted three of its four best seasons ever, winning 11 games in 2015 and 2016 and adding a 10-win campaign in 2017. The Aztecs finished 2016 ranked for just the second time in program history. 

"[Morgan] understands what it takes to win and is a proven winner," Long said. "He's gotten the most out of his players, and their consistent play is a big reason for our two conference championships since he's been here. He should make an outstanding head coach."

In his five seasons at San Diego State, the Aztecs posted a 48-18 record with wins in the Hawaii and Las Vegas Bowls and a pair of Mountain West championships. Quarterback Ryan Agnew – who hails from Southlake – completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 2,175 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2019. 

While Morgan coordinated an option offense at Air Force, don’t expect him to coach it at Lamar. San Diego State threw 366 pass attempts in 2019. 

Morgan comes to the state with deep Texas ties. He played quarterback at Addison Trinity Christian for his father and served as the primary Texas recruiter for Air Force football. Twelve Aztecs are from the state of Texas, including Agnew. He played quarterback at Air Force and posted the best winning percentage (.870) in program history.

Morgan will replace Mike Schultz, who led the Cardinals to their first FCS playoff appearance in program history in 2018. However, the team fell to 4-8 in 2019 while struggling through quarterback injuries. Schultz finished with a 13-22 record in three seasons. 

FootballScoop reported that Texas offensive coordinator Tim Beck and Southern Miss offensive coordinator Scotty Walden were considered for the position. Jeff Traylor, who was named on Monday as the head coach at UTSA, was also interviewed.