AP Source: Ball St coach Lembo to become Maryland assistant

A person who has been briefed on the decision tells The Associated Press that Ball State coach Pete Lembo is leaving the Cardinals to join Maryland as an assistant.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the deal was being finalized and an official announcement being prepared by the school.

The news was first reported by Fox Sports.

Lembo is the third recent head coach to join Maryland as an assistant since D.J. Durkin was hired as head coach earlier this month. The 37-year-old former Michigan defensive coordinator has also added former Virginia coach Mike London and former Syracuse coach Scott Shafer to his staff.

Lembo had been Cardinals coach since 2011 and is coming off a 3-9 season, his worst at Ball State. The Cardinals went 25-13 in Lembo's first three seasons, including 10-3 record in 2013. The success helped land Lembo a contract that made him the highest paid coach in the Mid-American Conference at the time. Lembo made $517,750 this past season, according USA Today's salary database.

Ball State has fallen to 8-16 in the last two seasons.

Lembo is the second MAC head coach to leave his job to become an assistant at a Power Five school in the last two seasons. Dan Enos resigned as Central Michigan coach after last season to become offensive coordinator at Arkansas.

Durkin has already hired an offensive coordinator in Walt Bell, who held the same position at Arkansas State.

Lembo, who played at Georgetown, has been in a head coach since 2001. He spent five seasons at Lehigh in the Patriot League and went 44-14 before moving to Elon, where he went 35-22 from 2006-10.

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AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org