Rahne releases his offensive coordinator
No reason given for Campbell’s firing as 6-6 Monarchs await possible bowl
NORFOLK — Old Dominion coach Ricky Rahne has fired offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell, the school announced Sunday.
Campbell’s dismissal came a day after the Monarchs’ 56-34 Conference USA win over Charlotte, a victory that clinched bowl eligibility for ODU (6-6, 5-3 C-USA) for the second time in program history.
No reason for the move was given.
“I would like to thank Kirk for his hard work and diligence throughout the last two years,” Rahne said in a statement. “He is a good football coach and a man of excellent character. This was a difficult decision, but I believe it is in the best interest of our program.”
Campbell, a former offensive analyst at Penn State, came to O DU from Happy Valley with Rahne, the Nittany Lions’ former offensive coordinator.
This season, the Monarchs have averaged 28.5 points per game, good for seventh in C-USA, and 385.4 yards of total offense, eighth in the league.
Saturday, ODU put up 441 yards of total offense.
In conference games, the Monarchs averaged 29.3 points and 393.4 total yards per game.
After a 1-5 start, ODU went 5-1 down the stretch, including wins in its last five games.
The turnaround coincided with a decision to bench starting quarterback D.J. Mack in favor of redshirt freshman Hayden Wolff.
The Monarchs, one of 83 eligible teams available to fill 82 postseason slots, are waiting to learn whether they’ll receive a bowl berth.
Rahne was hired in December 2019, and his staff was built shortly afterward. Citing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, ODU didn’t play games in 2020, leaving the team with a full season in limbo.
Campbell was the offensive coordinator at Division I I Alders on Bro add us, in West Virginia, for five years before joining the staff at Penn State.