Missouri State, SMU OC Casey Woods finalizing contract to be next head coach

The Missouri State Bears have found their next head coach. Per On3’s Pete Nakos, SMU Mustangs offensive coordinator Casey Woods will be the next head coach at Missouri State. The deal is still pending board approval.

A Mississippi native who played wide receiver at Tennessee from 2003 to 2007, Woods quickly got into coaching as his playing career came to an end. He became a GA at Tennessee in 2008. From there, he’s made multiple stops around the South. That includes multiple stints at Auburn, where he was the Director of Player Personnel under Gus Malzahn. He also has extensive experience as a tight ends coach.

Woods first got to SMU in 2022 and has been the team’s offensive coordinator and tight ends coach since then. That’s been under Rhett Lashlee, where the two have helped transition the Mustangs to the ACC and go to the College Football Playoff.

This past season, SMU ranked 35th in total offense, averaging 419 yards per game. The Mustangs were also 27th in scoring offense, averaging 32.9 points per game in 2025.

Recently, Rhett Lashlee shared some praise for Casey Woods. In particular, Lashlee feels Woods is ready for this opportunity to become a head coach. That’s an opportunity that he’s now found at Missouri State, where the Bears are positioned for success in Conference USA moving forward.

“Casey’s going to make a great head coach. He’s ready,” Lashlee said. “If it works out, I’m gonna hate to lose him. But it’s hard to get those opportunities, so if this is his time, I’m gonna be so happy for him, and if it’s not, his time will come.”

The 2025 season was the first for Missouri State at the FBS level, moving from the Missouri Valley to Conference USA. Head coach Ryan Beard led the transition, helping Missouri State to go 7-5 this season and qualify for the Xbox Bowl. He would leave to become the head coach at Coastal Carolina following the end of the regular season.

Ryan Beard had replaced Bobby Petrino at Missouri State. Petrino had spent the previous three seasons with the program and gotten them to the FCS playoffs. Currently, Bobby Petrino’s son, Nick Petrino, is the Missouri State offensive coordinator and will be acting as the interim head coach at Missouri State for the remainder of the season.

Missouri State is set to take on Arkansas State in the XBox Bowl. That game is scheduled for Thursday, December 18th, at 9:00 p.m. EST.