Western Kentucky University has hired Mike Sanford as the next head football coach.
The 34-year-old Sanford has spent the past two seasons as Notre Dame's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
In a news conference Wednesday, Sanford said he’s been eyeing the WKU job for a while.
"Great facilities, a great town, and an opportunity to be in a recruiting area that's so fertile and driveable," commented Standford. "Really in this day and age recruiting is all about the unofficial visit, and it's awesome to have a campus located strategically for players of all regions."
Sanford returns to WKU after serving as an assistant coach in 2010 under Willie Taggert. His 12-year coaching career also includes stints at Stanford, Yale, UNLV and Boise State.
He replaces Jeff Brohm, who left WKU last week to take Purdue's head coaching job. Sanford takes over a program that went 30-and-10 in three seasons under Brohm and won back-to-back Conference USA championships.
"This program has made unbelievable jumps, so with that being said, I have some lofty goals for the program," said Stanford.
Those five goals include graduating every player, serving the community, winning a Conference USA championship, defeating a Power 5 conference team each year, and winning a New Year's Six bowl game.
Defensive coordinator and interim coach Nick Holt will guide WKU in the Boca Raton Bowl against Memphis on Dec. 20.
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