Kris McCullough is currently suspended as the college football coach at Gardner-Webb University. His former offensive coordinator, Jake Maxwell, got his popcorn ready to watch the saga unfold.
He claims he was fired because he was not willing to fall in line.
Gardner-Webb has not released an official statement regarding the status of its college football coach as of this writing. However, the season is already underway and an interim head coach has been named while an investigation is conducted behind the scenes.
Who is Kris McCullough?
At 30 years old, Kris McCullough is one of the youngest head coaches in Division I. He was hired as the head coach at Gardner-Webb in December. He was formally introduced in January. The Bulldogs previously reached the FCS playoffs in two of the last five seasons.
Prior to his current role, McCullough got his start as a student assistant at Henderson State in 2015. From there he spent time with the quarterbacks at Old Dominion and running backs at Fairmont State. He joined the staff at East Central in 2018 and worked his way up from special teams coordinator to offensive coordinator to head coach. UT Permian Basin hired him as head coach in 2023.
McCullough went 9-3 in his one season at East Central, and 28-10 in three winning seasons at UT Permian Basin with two NCAA Division II playoff appearances. His team was ranked as high as No. 3 in the country in 2025.
Gardner-Webb was thrilled to land one of the brightest young minds in the sport but the hire is already a disaster.
First and foremost, the Bulldogs — with Chad Pennington’s son at quarterback — lost to Austin Peay by 18 in its season-opener. And then the news dropped over the weekend.
Kris McCullough is currently serving a suspension for unknown reasons. It stems from “off the field” matters. The university is conducting an investigation. Special teams coordinator Pete Bennett was announced as the interim.
A former offensive coordinator spoke out against Gardner-Webb’s football coach.
Jake Maxwell was hired as the co-offensive coordinator and “tight line coach” at UT Permian Basin in 2023 after serving in the same role under Kris McCullough at East Central. He lasted only one season at UT Permian Basin before he was fired.
Maxwell ultimately decided to leave coaching for medical sales. Although he makes a “s— ton of money,” he will never forgive McCullough for “taking football away from him.”
The former offensive coordinator at East Central and UT Permian Basin saw the report about the suspension. He claims he was only fired from his role under McCullough because he was not willing to do everything and anything McCullough wanted.
“He fired me because I wasnt a yes man. Top 10 offense in the country as the OC and I get fired because I was honest and not going to be bullied by a power hungry fat nerd.”
Shots fired! Maxwell looks forward to watching the saga unfold in Boiling Springs, North Carolina over the next few days, weeks and months. It sounds like this could be poetic justice for the end of his coaching career. We’ll see what happens!