Ingram announces resignation, leaves C-N for VMI
LEXINGTON, Va. – Carson-Newman is looking for its 21st head football coach.
LEXINGTON, Va. – Carson-Newman is looking for its 21st head football coach.
Ashley Ingram announced his resignation Tuesday afternoon to take over as head coach at the Virginia Military Institute.
"We certainly wish Ashley well as he and his family move to Lexington," Carson-Newman Vice President for Athletics Matt Pope said. "We are obviously sad to see him go, but grateful for the two years he spent with us here at Carson-Newman. We will move quickly to secure our 21st head coach."
Ingram finishes his two-year tenure on the banks of Mossy Creek with a 16-6 record – the most wins by a football coach in his first two seasons at C-N. He guided Carson-Newman to the NCAA playoffs in his first year with a 9-3 record before finishing 7-3 in 2025.
His two teams at C-N both led the South Atlantic Conference and finished top 10 in the nation in rushing yards per game. He coached two All-Americans in Jayden Sullins and Major Williams, while mentoring all-region selections in Turk Daniels and Cruz Temple.
The Eagles' mentor won his first seven games as head coach, the best start to a C-N coaching career in program history. Along the way, the Eagles collected a SAC Mountain Division title and appeared in the NCAA playoffs for the 17th time. Ingram is the first Carson-Newman head coach to guide the Eagles to a postseason appearance in his first year at the helm of the program.
A search for Carson-Newman's 21st head football coach is already underway.
