Northwestern State cut ties with football coach Blaine McCorkle Sunday afternoon, Nov. 15, according to NSU athletic director Kevin Bostian.
McCorkle’s team was 0-11 this fall and his overall record was 1-34 in his three seasons in Natchitoches. The only win came against Alcorn State in the 2025 season-opener when the Demons escaped with a 20-10 victory. The Demons have one game remaining on this season’s schedule, Thursday against Alcorn State.
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“We sincerely appreciate coach McCorkle and the dedication, commitment and hard work he has demonstrated during his three years leading the Northwestern State football program,” Bostian said in a release. “During his time at Northwestern State, coach McCorkle undertook the important task of rebuilding the culture of a proud football program with a rich tradition. His efforts helped establish a foundation centered on accountability, discipline, commitment and pride in representing NSU.”
MCCORKLE: Northwestern State coach Blaine McCorkle says coming to NSU was ‘a no-brainer’
Northwestern State coach Blaine McCorkle
Assistant coach Norman Joseph, who has been associate head coach and quarterbacks coach, will serve as interim head coach for Thursday’s season finale at SFA. McCorkle was credited with raising the program’s cumulative grade point average to nearly 3.0 after taking over a program in disarray in 2024.
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“We recognize the time and energy coach McCorkle invested in our student-athletes, coaching staff, and the university,” Bostian said. “We are grateful for his service and wish him and his family nothing but success in their future endeavors. “While this decision marks the beginning of a new chapter for Northwestern State football, our commitment to building a program that reflects the pride, tradition and expectations of Northwestern State University remains strong. We believe in the future of Demon football and are committed to positioning this program for sustained success.”
The Demons halted their 2023 football season with four games remaining after the on-campus shooting death of one of its student-athletes. The Demons were 0-6 overall and 0-2 in the Southland Conference and the program was in disarray and head coach Brad Laird resigned as part of the fallout. Many believed the NSU football program was dead and buried for the next millennium. Enter McCorkle, who spoke freely about the challenges his staff faced and why he took the job during a 2024 visit to Shreveport.
“Why would any coach in the world not want to be the head coach at Northwestern State right now?” McCorkle asked at the time. “If you’re a coach and you’re coaching for the right reasons — and we all say that we get into coaching to grow and develop and mature and mentor young men — why would 250 people not have applied for this job? Where else in the country is there a better opportunity to speak into the lives of young men right now than Northwestern State?”
Jimmy Watson covers Louisiana sports for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at jwatson@shreveporttimes.com and follow him on Twitter @JimmyWatson6.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Northwestern State fires football coach with one game remaining
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