Tulsa hires ‘proven winner’ Lamb of ETSU as coach

Tulsa has hired East Tennessee State‘s Tre Lamb to be the program’s next head coach, it was announced Sunday.

“We are so excited for Tre and his family to join TU,” Tulsa athletic director Justin Moore, who came to the university in July, said in a statement. “He is young, energetic and a proven winner. We feel he is exactly who we need to lead our program and restore a tradition of winning for Tulsa in this new era of college football.”

Lamb, 35, brings five years of head-coaching experience. In the wake of Tulsa going 8-16 over the past two seasons, the job Lamb did executing turnarounds at ETSU and Gardner-Webb appealed to school officials, sources said.

East Tennessee State went 7-5 in Lamb’s first season, as he took over a team that was 3-8 in 2023. Prior to his arrival, Lamb coached Gardner-Webb for four seasons, taking over a program that finished 3-9 in 2019. He led the team to back-to-back FCS playoff appearances in 2022-23.

“Being the head football coach at Tulsa is a responsibility I will not take lightly,” Lamb said. “We are going to compete for championships. Before we do that, I look forward to hiring a staff and building a roster our students and fans will be excited about!

“This an opportunity of a lifetime. My family and I cannot wait to explore Tulsa and make it our home.”

Lamb’s experience on the offensive side of the ball is a fit for the American Athletic Conference, as his experience running a wide-open system meshes well with the league.

Tulsa officials also sought experience navigating the NIL and portal space, which Lamb has done at the FCS level. Part of Tulsa’s pitch to candidates was that they’d have available NIL/revenue share dollars that are competitive with the top of the conference.

Lamb made national headlines this year for his work helping his team navigate through a harrowing 12-hour bus trip to play in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Following the difficult journey, ETSU beat Citadel 34-17.

Lamb comes from strong football bloodlines. His father, Hal, led Calhoun High in Georgia to three state titles. His grandfather, Ray, also won three state titles in a long high school career. His uncle, Bobby Lamb, was a veteran Division I coach at Furman and Mercer and is the head coach at Anderson University in South Carolina.

Lamb replaces Kevin Wilson, who was fired after less than two seasons at Tulsa.