Sources: Charlotte to hire Albin as new coach

Charlotte is expected to hire Ohio University head coach Tim Albin as the school’s next head coach, sources told ESPN on Saturday.

The sides are working toward a five-year deal that’s expected to be completed in the near future, sources said.

Albin led Ohio University to the school’s first MAC title since 1968 on Saturday, blowing out Miami University, 38-3, in Detroit. Albin emerged as a target at Charlotte prior to the game. He capped off a third-consecutive 10-win season at the school, as he’s 33-19 in his four seasons there and 30-10 the last three years.

He’s won both of the bowl games Ohio has reached, beating Wyoming in the Arizona Bowl and Georgia Southern in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.

Albin replaces Biff Poggi, who went 6-16 through two seasons. Charlotte won the two games under interim coach Tim Brewster. Since joining the American Athletic Conference two years ago, Charlotte is 6-16 in league play.

Albin is a two-time MAC coach of the year, including this season. He earned the head coaching job at Ohio after the retirement of Frank Solich in July of 2021. Albin received an initial four-year deal after Solich’s retirement and a two-year extension through 2026 in March of 2023.

After an initial 3-9 season after taking over for Solich, Albin led Ohio to the 2022 MAC title game. In 2023, Ohio upset Iowa State in Athens. This season represented Albin’s best work, as Ohio lost all six of its all-league players from last year. Star quarterback Kurtis Rourke transferred to Indiana and has been the catalyst of that school’s improbable run to College Football Playoff contention.

Behind UCF transfer quarterback Parker Navarro, Ohio closed the season with a six-game win streak. That included avenging a loss to Miami earlier in the season.

Albin is a former NAIA head coach at his alma mater, Northwestern Oklahoma State. That included a 13-0 NAIA national championship season in in 1999, when he finished with a 13-0 record.