SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Shawn Watson, head football coach at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, will step away when the 2026 season ends, the college announced Tuesday, Nov. 10. Watson is 67 and has been in charge of the Terriers since 2022.
The school plans to recognize him at Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg on Saturday, Nov. 14, the last regular-season home game. Wofford has started what it calls a confidential search for his successor.
Retirement caps a career of 45 years in coaching, the last five on the Wofford sideline. Watson arrived in January 2022 as offensive coordinator and assistant head coach, took over as interim head coach on Oct. 6, 2022, and received the permanent job on Dec. 1 of that year.
The Terriers went 2-9 in 2023 and 5-7 in 2024. Last fall they finished 6-6 overall and 5-3 in the Southern Conference after winning six of their final seven games. Maximus Pulley was a consensus All-American after topping the country in pick-sixes.
Before Wofford, Watson was on the staff at Northern Iowa and held offensive coordinator jobs at Texas, Louisville, Nebraska, Colorado and Pittsburgh. He also ran the program at Southern Illinois, his alma mater, for three seasons starting in 1994.
In a statement released by the school, Watson thanked Wofford’s administrators, coaches, staff, faculty, fans and players, and said working with student-athletes had been the heart of his career. Athletic Director Scott Kull credited him with steering the program through a midseason coaching change and a shifting national landscape.
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