East Texas A&M University Athletic Director Jim Curry says head football coach Clint Dolezel will return for the 2026 season following a comprehensive review of the program. The announcement came Thursday afternoon in a message to fans outlining on-field performance, academic progress, and new investments planned for Lion Football.
Curry highlighted improvements on the field during the 2025 season, including an offense ranked 18th nationally in passing and top-half national marks in scoring and total offense. Off the field, he noted Dolezel’s teams have ranked among the top 10 nationally for number of graduates in each of the past two years and recorded the program’s first 3.0 semester GPA since 2020.
Still, Curry acknowledged that “on-field results have not yet matched our collective expectations,” saying both he and Dolezel “stand together in our commitment to align program expectations with results.”
New Investments in Football
In the announcement, Curry detailed several major resource enhancements for football:
- Assistant coach salary pool increased to the highest in the Southland Conference
- A six-figure NIL/revenue-sharing pool dedicated to recruiting and retaining student-athletes
- Conversion of the Field House into a new year-round football training facility, including an indoor turf field, meeting rooms, a weight room, and coaches’ offices
These upgrades accompany nearly $2 million per year in additional football spending since ETAMU began its Division I transition in 2021. The university has added staff positions, expanded scholarships, increased operating budgets, refreshed equipment and uniforms, and enhanced sports medicine support.
Donor Campaign Coming
Curry also announced plans for a new athletics donor campaign aiming to grow annual supporters to 4,000, a level he says would position the program to “consistently compete for championships across all sports – including national championships in FCS football.”
He emphasized that donor support is a critical part of “long-term, sustainable success” as the Lions continue to build competitiveness at the Division I level.
Contact Information
Curry invited anyone with questions about Lion Athletics to contact him directly.
