Missouri's Dave Steckel to accept Missouri State head coaching job

Missouri defensive coordinator Dave Steckel will accept the head coaching position at Missouri State University, according to a report from the Kansas City Star.

Missouri defensive coordinator Dave Steckel will accept the head coaching position at Missouri State University, according to a report from the Kansas City Star.

Missouri State is expected to announce Steckel's hiring at a press conference at 5 p.m. Sunday. 

A longtime lieutenant of Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel, Steckel has led the Tigers' defense since 2009, and has been a member of Pinkel's staff in Columbia since 2001. 

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Steckel helmed one of the SEC's best defenses in 2014. Missouri yielded only 4.76 yards per play this season, a Top-15 mark. Steckel has also coached the SEC Defensive Player of the Year for each of the last two seasons: defensive linemen Shane Ray (2014) and Michael Sam (2013). Steckel was a finalist for the 2014 Frank Broyles Award, an honor bestowed annually on college football's top assistant coach.

Two potential replacements for Steckel are Memphis defensive coordinator Barry Odom and current Missouri defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski, according to St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Dave Matter.

Missouri State did not renew the contract of head coach Terry Allen after the school finished with a 4-8 record. The Bears finished 1-7 in conference, a mark good for ninth out of 10 teams in the Football Championship Subdivision's Missouri Valley Conference.  

Missouri will play the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1. 

- Will Green