Time to Apologize to UL-Monroe Football and Athletics
When the University of Louisiana - Monroe moved on from Head Football Coach Terry Bowden in late 2023, it felt weird. I openly questioned that if you were in the position ULM football was, and had Terry Bowden as your coach, how were you going to do better? Bowden is a historic name in college football, and Terry has a big resume with coaching awards, bowl victories, and playoff trips.
Too be fair, Bowden did go 10-26 over his three years in Monroe, and after two 4 win season, his wins dropped to just 2 in his final season. It did look like the program was regressing. But at the same time, how would a program in that position attract a coach with the credentials that Bowden had?
Well, they didn't find the credentials, but they might have found a coach that has something else they needed.
The ULM Warkhawks hired Bryant Vincent to be their Head Coach in December of last year, taking him from his Offensive Coordinator position at New Mexico. This was Vincent's second stint as a Head Coach, but his first official Head Coaching position. Vincent had previously served as the interim Head Coach at University of Alabama - Birmingham.
That season with UAB turned into an impressive run that culminated in a bowl victory in the Bahamas Bowl. However UAB decided to hire Trent Dilfer as their Head Coach in November of that year. Which sent Vincent to New Mexico, which was his last stop before taking over ULM.
Since he's taken over the ULM program, things seem...different.
After the first 5 weeks of the season, ULM is 4-1, matching Terry Bowden's highest mark for wins in a single season with the program, and they have 7 games left to go. In fact, the only team that ULM has lost to this year is the #1 team in the nation, the Texas Longhorns.
Obviously, Vincent is pressing the right buttons this season. Including this past weekend's win over James Madison, who was a national media darling. Some had even suggested that James Madison could be a spoiler for a College Football Playoff bid. James Madison had previously put up 70 points against North Carolina, in North Carolina. They also scored 63 against Ball State, but ULM held them under 20 points.
Vincent is doing something right in Monroe right now. Something I didn't see as possible when Terry Bowden was let go from the program. So with that, I apologize to the ULM athletic department, the ULM Football program, and Coach Vincent.