New MSU football coach lays out vision for team 

Missouri State University's new head football coach was formally introduced Monday afternoon at Great Southern Bank Arena.  

Casey Woods, who was announced as the new football coach two weeks ago, said the program has raised $1.2 million since he was brought on board.

"Your role in this matters," he said. "It's going to take all of us to win. It takes all of us to recruit."  

Introduced at the afternoon news conference by MSU President Richard "Biff" Williams and Director of Athletics Patrick Ransdell, Woods said his vision for the football team has four central points: winning a championship, recruiting better than ever before, making Plaster Stadium "one of the toughest environments in football" and creating an impact on student-athletes, the student body and fans.  

"We're going to start big," he said, pointing to a goal to "capitalize off this momentum" following the team's first bowl game. "We've got an unbelievable product to sell."  

Woods said all but two positions on his staff team had been filled to date, with announcements expected in the coming weeks. That includes his father, veteran coach Sparky Woods, he said.  

Ransdell said Woods was selected after an "exhaustive national search" that sought a candidate who is a winner, has a clear identity, has recruited at high levels, wanted the job and fits Springfield.  

"Casey Woods checked every single box we were looking for," Ransdell said. "There has never been a better time to get behind this program."

According to his contract, Woods will be paid a first-year salary of $700,000, with annual increases boosting the amount to $850,000 by Jan. 1, 2030, Springfield Business Journal previously reported.

As head football coach, Woods succeeds Ryan Beard, the team's leader since 2022. Beard was hired as the new head football coach of Conway, South Carolina-based Coastal Carolina University.