Louisiana Tech, football coach Skip Holtz to part ways after regular-season

Louisiana Tech and head football coach Skip Holtz have agreed to part ways, the school announced Friday.

Holtz, 57, will coach his final game with the Bulldogs on Saturday against Rice.

“Skip and I talked and agreed it was time for a change for both parties,” Eric Wood, vice president and director of athletics, said in a statement Friday. “Louisiana Tech owes Skip a debt of gratitude for his loyalty and dedication to our football student-athletes, our University, and our community over the past decade.”

Said Holtz: “This is the right time for me to evaluate a new start in my career. I’ve had the privilege of mentoring young people and building football programs for more than 30 years, including the last nine as head coach of Louisiana Tech. The past two seasons have brought additional challenges to our program, and I simply think it is time for someone else to have the chance to lead this special group of young men.”

In nine years at Louisiana Tech, Holtz has compiled a 64-49 record heading into Saturday’s finale against the Owls. He led the Bulldogs to seven bowl appearances with six wins in those games.

The 2016 Conference USA Coach of the Year said that his coaching days are far from over.

“I am not done coaching football and have great passion and energy to continue to lead young men through this game that I love so much,” Holtz said. “It is just time for me to channel my energies elsewhere.”

Tech is 3-8 on the season. Wood said a national search for a new coach will begin immediately.