Shawn Watson was named head coach on December 1, 2022. A veteran with nearly 40 years of coaching experience, Watson came to Wofford in January 2022 as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator. On October 6, he was named interim head coach of the Terriers.
Prior to Wofford, he spent the 2021 season as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at the University of Northern Iowa. Along with his work with the Panthers, he has served as offensive coordinator at Texas (2014-15), Louisville (2012-13), Nebraska (2007-10), Colorado (2000-05) and Pittsburgh (2017-18). Additionally, he was the head coach at his alma mater, Southern Illinois, from 1994-96.
The team took a step forward in 2024, posting a 5-7 overall record with a 3-4 mark in the Southern Conference. The team won the first two games of the season, including a victory over eventual CAA conference champion Richmond. A 17-13 win at Samford was the first for the Terriers over the Bulldogs since 2014. The team added a win at Furman, giving Wofford back-to-back wins over the Paladins. Five players were named to the All-Southern Conference second team, while four players earned SoCon All-Freshman Team honors.
In his first full season as head coach in 2023, the Terriers were 2-9 overall and 2-6 in the Southern Conference. Wofford won the last two games of the season as they earned an 11-3 win at The Citadel and then downed Southern Conference Champion Furman 19-13 at Gibbs Stadium as the Paladins were ranked #2 in the nation. Following the season, DL Brandon Maina and LB David Powers earned All-Southern Conference honors.
“Wofford was fortunate to have had a lot of interest in the position,” said Dr. Nayef Samhat, Wofford’s president. “I believe this is because we have a tradition of success, but it’s also because we are second to none when it comes to encouraging student-athletes to excel academically, athletically and in leadership and service. That’s a powerful legacy, and we look forward to Coach Watson continuing the tradition.”
In 2021, Northern Iowa posted a 6-6 overall record with the season coming to an end in the NCAA FCS Playoffs against Eastern Washington. In the shortened 2021 spring football season, they were 3-4 overall with a conference-only slate of games.
He spent the 2019 season in an offensive quality control role at the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs were 12-2 overall that season, capping the campaign with a win over Baylor in the Sugar Bowl. They averaged 30.8 points per game as Jake Fromm threw for 2,860 yards and D'Andre Swift rushed for 1,218 yards.
In 2018, Watson helped the University of Pittsburgh to their first ACC Coastal Division title after going 6-2 in league play followed by an appearance in the Sun Bowl. The Panthers featured one of the nation's top rushing attacks including a 1,000-yard rushing duo (Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall) for the first time in school history. Pitt finished the 2017 season with an upset of No. 2 Miami (Fla.), which marked the highest-ranked opponent the Panthers had ever defeated at home.
He spent the 2016 season with the University of Indiana, first as a quality control coach before taking over as quarterbacks coach. During the 2014 and 2015 seasons he was the assistant head coach for offense and quarterbacks coach at the University of Texas under Charlie Strong.
While at Louisville from 2011-13, Watson helped develop Teddy Bridgewater as the Cardinals went 30-9 during a three-year span with a pair of Big East Championships and three bowl appearances. Bridgewater went on to become a first-round NFL draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings. In 2013 the team was 12-1 overall as Bridgewater threw for a school-record 31 touchdowns. The Cards capped the 2012 season with a 33-23 upset win over fourth-ranked Florida in the Allstate Sugar Bowl to finish 11-2.
Prior to the Cardinals, Watson spent four seasons (2007-10) at Nebraska. The Cornhuskers annually ranked among the nation's most productive offenses. Cornhuskers quarterback Joe Ganz set 23 school records under Watson's tutelage.
Watson made his first stop in the Big 12 in 1999 when he became the quarterbacks coach at Colorado. He was elevated to offensive coordinator/QB coach the following season and spent six years (1999-05) in Boulder, helping the Buffalos win the Big 12 North Division four times, including a conference title in 2001. He coached quarterbacks at Northwestern for two seasons (1997-98) under Gary Barnett.
Watson played safety at Southern Illinois (1979-80) and began his coaching career as a Salukis graduate assistant in 1982, making stops at Illinois and Miami (Ohio) before landing the head job at his alma mater in 1994. In his three seasons as head coach, the team was 11-22 overall and produced 20 all-conference players.
He earned a bachelor's degree in health education from SIU in 1982. Watson and his wife, Anita, have three children: Amber (Marcus Capone), Aaron (Victoria) and Adam (April) and four grandchildren, Caden, Maggie, Wyatt, and Emma.
