On Tuesday afternoon, Villanova issued a media advisory announcing a press conference for Wednesday January 13, 2016. At the event, the school will make an announcement regarding the football program. The press conference will be held in the Pavilion Press Room.
Sources close to the football program indicated to VU Hoops that the school will announce the 2016 football season as Andy Talley's final season in charge of the program. Long-time assistant Mark Ferrante is expected to be named head-coach-in-waiting and will take over for the 2017 season.
If this is the case, it's been a remarkable run for Talley and it will be tough to see him go. In 31 years on the Main Line he's completely overchieved given his resources and turned Villanova in to a championship program that was on the verge of moving to the FBS. Over that time, he amassed a 221-133-1 (including a 136-84 record in conference games) with the Wildcats. Additionally, he was named the Howie Long FCS National Coach of the Year for the 2009 season when 'Nova won the National Championship.
His impact off the field with the Be The Match foundation has been remarkable as well. He's a future Villanova Hall of Famer without a doubt and a legend at the school.
As for the future, Mark Ferrante always seemed like the obvious choice, and we're excited to see where he takes the program. We'll have more on him and the impact on the program soon, but his tenure at the school is second only to Talley (just 1 year less than him) and his appointment will ensure a smooth transition for the players and coaches alike rather than risking it with an open coaching search.
We'll wait for the official confirmation on Wednesday, but it looks to be a bittersweet day. I'm not ready for Talley to hang up the headset just yet, but I'm extremely happy for him that he gets to leave on his own terms after all he's done for Villanova Football.