Gardner-Webb University fired first-year head football coach Kris McCullough on Wednesday, just five days after his debut on the sideline, following an investigation into off-field allegations that the school has declined to detail. The move, first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, comes only two days after McCullough was suspended pending that investigation.
McCullough, 30, was hired in December to replace Cris Reisert, who left Boiling Springs to become Toledo’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. McCullough arrived with a strong resume, having gone 28-10 in three seasons at Division II UT Permian Basin, including a program-record 11-win campaign and a No. 3 national ranking in 2025. He lasted exactly one game at Gardner-Webb, a 35-17 loss at Austin Peay in the season opener, before the university placed him on leave.
A Program That Can’t Keep a Head Coach
The university confirmed Monday it had suspended McCullough “pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation,” naming special teams coordinator and tight ends coach Pete Bennett as interim head coach. Multiple outlets reported the inquiry centered on off-field conduct, though no specifics have been made public and Gardner-Webb has offered no further comment since Wednesday’s dismissal announcement.
Bennett, who joined the Gardner-Webb staff in 2024, has coaching stops at NC Central, Memphis, South Alabama and Central Arkansas on his resume. He now inherits a Runnin’ Bulldogs team that opened 0-1 in Ohio Valley Conference play and hosts Wofford this Saturday. McCullough’s exit marks the fourth head-coaching change at Gardner-Webb since 2023, an extraordinary level of instability for any FCS program trying to build continuity in a conference that recently absorbed the old Big South football membership into the OVC.
What the Coaching Chaos Means for the Market
Betting markets have already reacted to the upheaval. Gardner-Webb opened the week as a road underdog at Wofford, sitting at +6.5 on the spread with a moneyline near +195, while the total sits at 48.5. Early prediction-market pricing has the Runnin’ Bulldogs’ win probability in the low-30s, a notable discount for a team that reached the FCS playoffs as recently as 2023 under previous leadership.
That gap reflects more than just a Week 1 blowout loss — it reflects a program now on its second head coach of the season with a full coaching search still to come. For bettors tracking small-conference futures, coaching turmoil this early typically pushes a team’s remaining win total and season-long outlook further toward the under, since interim staffs rarely get the benefit of the doubt from oddsmakers until they prove otherwise on the field. Gardner-Webb’s next few results under Bennett will be the first real test of whether the roster can steady itself, or whether the number continues to drift as the season goes on.
