FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) — After a month long national search, the University of North Alabama has found the new man who will lead the Lions’ football program.

UNA officially introduced Brent Dearmon as the school’s 12th head football coach in a press conference on Monday afternoon.

Dearmon comes to the Shoals most recently from Florida Atlantic University, where he served as the offensive coordinator this past season; Dearmon has also served as the offensive coordinator at Arkansas Tech, Kansas and Middle Tennessee State.

This marks Dearmon’s second head coaching job at the collegiate level. He served as the head coach at his alma mater Bethel University in 2018 and led the team to the best season in school history.

The Alabama native noted the Shoals community and the rich tradition of UNA’s program as main reasons why he wanted to come to UNA and he says he’s looking forward to helping this program continue to grow.

“I’m honored to be the head coach at the University of North Alabama. This is probably the most exciting time in my coaching career, to be honest with you to have the opportunity to come back to the state and coach at such a prestigious and tradition-rich program,” Dearmon said. “Just because new is coming in we’re not going to forget about the great tradition here. We’re not going to forget about the championships and the playoff appearances and the alumni. Those people are still going to be a big influence and a big part of our program around here.”

Dearmon and his family look forward to becoming part of the UNA family and are thrilled to be part of the Lions’ football program.