B9315505046Z.1_20141215184106_000_GJ09DTL1Q.1-0Blount, 56, guided the Hornets to a 16-29 record, including 13-19 in the MEAC. He was unavailable for comment.

“We did the evaluation based on all four years – not just last year – and decided not to renew the contract,” athletic director Candy Young said.

Young added that DSU will begin a national search for a new coach. However, she said a replacement isn’t expected to be named until mid-February, which puts DSU past the Feb. 4 Signing Day when recruits accept scholarships and, therefore, limits DSU’s ability to build a recruiting class.

“It’s a process of making sure we’ve got the right fit,” she said.

That will be, she added, someone who is an “effective communicator” with leadership skills particularly in line with “this generation of student-athletes.”

In the 18 seasons since Bill Collick completed his 12-year stint as coach with an 81-48 record, DSU has had just five winning records under four coaches.

Young added that Andrew Faison, who joined the Hornets staff as safeties coach in March, will serve as interim coach. He is a former head coach at Division II Virginia State, where his teams went 58-52 from 2002-12.

Players, who have completed final exams and mostly gone home for their break between semesters, were informed of the change through phone calls and emails from assistant coaches. READ FULL