Albin, who led Ohio to its first MAC title in over a half-century, is set to leave Athens for the Queen City.
Hours after coaching the Ohio Bobcats to their first MAC conference title since 1968 in a resounding 38-3 win over their rival Miami [OH], head coach Tim Albin was en route to greener pastures.
Chris Vannini of The Athletic reported on Bluesky Saturday night Tim Albin was expected to be hired by the University of North Carolina-Charlotte as the 49ers’ new head football coach, in a story first reported by Pete Thamel of ESPN.
Albin, who was not present for Ohio’s impromtu on-campus celebration last night, was confirmed to be hired by Charlotte on Sunday morning. The two sides were reportedly working on a five-year deal, though the school did not announce terms of the deal at time of confirmation.
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Tim Albin and his family to Niner Nation,” UNC-Charlotte chancellor Sharon L. Gaber said via press release. “Coach Albin brings not only an impressive record of success on the field but also a deep commitment to the development of student-athletes as leaders and scholars. Under his leadership, I am confident that our football program will continue to grow, thrive, and represent Charlotte with pride.”
Albin got his coaching start in 1989 for Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, as a graduate assistant, eventually joining the staff as offensive coordinator. He stayed there until 1993, when he went to his alma mater, Northwestern Oklahoma State, as offensive coordinator and line coach before being promoted to head man.
Albin’s big break happened in 2000, when he joined Frank Solich’s staff at Nebraska. In 2005, after a season at North Dakota State, he joined Solich again when Solich was named Ohio’s head coach. Albin was Solich’s right hand man as offensive coordinator and assistant head coach right up until the latter’s retirement, with Albin named the successor starting in the 2021 season.
Albin leaves behind probably the best four-year stretch in Ohio football history. After a rough 3-9 season his first year, the ‘Cats won 10 games two years in a row for the first time in school history, and only for the third and fourth times since 1962. The ‘Cats have also won their last two bowl appearances, beating Wyoming 30-27 in the 2022 Arizona Bowl and Georgia Southern 41-21 in the 2023 Myrtle Beach Bowl.
(Ohio is reportedly set to play Jacksonville State in the Cure Bowl on Dec. 20, per Action Network’s Brett McMurphy.)
Charlotte is a program in need of a new direction. Since ascending to the FBS level in 2015, they’ve only posted one season above .500, and none at all if you don’t count post-bowl records. They fired their previous head coach, Biff Poggi, after a 3-7 start following up a 3-9 campaign in 2023.
That said, Charlotte is also a program with significant upsides, including a fertile recruiting area, recent athletic facility upgrades and a larger budget thank to the program’s recent promotion to the American Athletic Conference.
Should Albin continue his recruiting prowess he’s shown off at Ohio over the years, it could turn into a contender.
As of publication, Ohio has not released a statement on the matter. This story will be updated as developments occur.