Director of Athletics Darren Dunn announced today that Earnest Collins Jr. will not return as head coach of the football program for the 2020 season.

"This is never an easy decision to make," Dunn said. "We would like to thank Earnest for his dedication to the student-athletes, the Athletics Department and the University of Northern Colorado over the past nine years. He has been a positive role model not only for hundreds of football student-athletes but to other coaches, staff and student-athletes at UNC."

Collins finished his career with a 28-72 record in his nine seasons at UNC, including leading the team to its first two winning seasons as a Division I program in 2015 and 2016.

Under his leadership, the team's APR improved from 938 to its current rating of 960, earning recognition by the FCS Athletic Directors Association for the top APR improvement in 2016-17. The program's graduation success rate also increased from 66% to 8%, among the best in the Big Sky, during his tenure.

During his nine-year stint at the helm of the football program, he coached four All-American selections and 64 All-Big Sky players. Collins had six players go on to spend time with NFL teams and two more with the CFL. His leadership stretched beyond the football field into the department as a recipient of the 2017-18 Bob Heiny Bear Pride Award for exemplifying the Athletic Department's core values.

Dunn also announced that the university has retained College Sports Solutions to assist with the national search for the next UNC head football coach.

Full story on UNC Athletics site.