Bobby Petrino, the football coach at Missouri State, has accepted the offensive coordinator position at UNLV

The schools made the announcement on Tuesday night that football coach Bobby Petrino will be leaving Springfield to become the offensive coordinator at UNLV.

ESPN college football insider Chris Low was quick to give an account of Tuesday morning. The News-Leader was informed by reliable sources that Petrino would leave to become the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in Las Vegas under the new UNLV head coach and former Mizzou coach Barry Odom.

In a press release, Missouri State Director of Athletics Kyle Moats stated, “Coach Petrino did what we thought he would do.” He was able to transform our team into a championship-winning team.

“I know our fans will be forever grateful for having experienced his exciting brand of football and the many great memories he provided Bears fans over the past three years. It was a pleasure to get to work with him again, and I wish him and Becky the best of luck in their new endeavor.”

According to Moats, the search for a replacement for Petrino will begin immediately.

The News-Leader was informed by a source that defensive coordinator Ryan Beard, Petrino’s son-in-law, is the most likely candidate for Missouri State’s internal hire. ESPN made the same report.

In recent days, Petrino has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the open offensive coordinator position at Texas A&M. Low stated that Petrino has communicated with Texas A&M and other universities.

Under Petrino, Missouri State went 18-15 and is coming off a 5-6 season in 2022. In his first two years as head coach, the Bears made it to their first two FCS postseasons since 1990. In just three seasons, he turned around a program that went 1-10 in 2019 and became a winner and even considered a contender for the national championship.

Petrino had four years remaining on a contract that paid him $275,000 per year going into what would have been his fourth season as the Bears’ head coach. If the information is accurate, UNLV would owe Missouri State the money that was left over from his contract.