Buffalo names S. Carolina’s Lembo as new coach

South Carolina special teams coach Pete Lembo has been hired to become Buffalo‘s next football coach, the school announced Sunday.

Lembo, 53, received a five-year contract, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Lembo replaces Maurice Linguist, who has agreed to a deal to be Alabama‘s co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach on new Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer’s staff, sources told ESPN last week.

Linguist was 14-23 in three seasons as Buffalo’s coach.

Lembo brings a strong history in the MAC, as he went 33-29 (23-17 in league play) at Ball State in five years as head coach.

Lembo has a breadth of experience as a head coach. He has gone 112-65 during his 15 seasons at Ball State, Lehigh and Elon. He is also considered an elite special teams coach, with previous stops at Maryland, Rice and Memphis before joining South Carolina.

“I’ve followed his career and have been very impressed not only with his coaching acumen but how he’s achieved success at his various stops. His positive engagement and relationship building with people are second to none,” Buffalo athletic director Mark Alnutt said in a statement. “This is very advantageous when it comes to running a successful program. I have no doubt that we will be very competitive and win championships in the MAC. The future is very bright for UB Football with Coach Lembo at the helm.”

Buffalo athletic director Mark Alnutt prioritized head-coaching experience in his search.