By Malcolm Butler
Louisiana Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie announced Thursday night during his weekly radio show that he will relinquish the offensive play calling duties moving forward.
The third-year Bulldog Boss said that co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Nathan Young would be moving up to the box and would assume the offensive play calling responsibilities starting with next Thursday’s home game against Middle Tennessee.
Cumbie said he took a hard look at the struggles on offense through four games, with the Bulldogs averaging just 18.8 points per game. Tech’s season high in points came in the opener in a 25-17 win over Nicholls State.
“For us as coaches, we have to own what we are doing,” said Cumbie during the show. “We have to own how we set up the gameplan. We have to own our performance, and quite frankly we haven’t played very well.
“I have been the offensive play caller for the last two and a half years, and I have to own that we haven’t played very well on offense. We haven’t been very productive, and we have not scored very many points.”
Cumbie said he met with the team earlier this week to communicate his decision.
“I told our players that I love being the starter when it comes to calling plays,” said Cumbie. “But right now I’m not producing. Right now I’ve not been very good in that role. So this week I am going to take a step back and moving forward I’m going to let Nathan Young take over the offensive play calling duties. It will allow me to be a better head coach.
“I can better serve our players and better serve this team if I do that. When we get to Thursday, Friday and Saturday, there are just so many decisions to make and my brain is so full of so many different scenarios … it causes me not to be as aggressive. It causes me not to be as creative.”
Louisiana Tech Director of Athletics Ryan Ivey said he felt confident in Cumbie’s ability to make the decision that he felt was best for the program.
“I’m really proud of Sonny and his ability to look inward and make what I feel is the right decision for the football team,” said Ivey. “There aren’t many times where leaders have the courage to do such. I believe great things are still ahead for our football program.”
Young, who came to Ruston in 2022 along with Cumbie, has experience as an offensive play caller at both the collegiate and high school levels during his time at Abilene Christian and at San Antonio’s Madison High School.
“Nathan is super smart,” said Cumbie. “He’s called plays before. He has been highly successful when he has done that and he is highly creative.”
Tech hosts Middle Tennessee Thursday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
