The University at Buffalo football program has a new man in charge.
UB’s athletic department announced Pete Lembo’s hire as its football coach Sunday afternoon, and Lembo takes his first head coaching job since 2015, when he was at Ball State. Most recently, Lembo was South Carolina’s associate head coach and special teams coordinator for the last three seasons.
“We will work tirelessly to recruit, develop and maximize the experience for our student-athletes on and off the field,” Lembo said in a statement released by the UB athletic department. “I am really excited to assemble an energetic staff that will build meaningful relationships with our players and with each other.”
UB will formally introduce Lembo at noon Tuesday at the Murchie Family Fieldhouse, and he will make his in-game debut as UB’s coach when the Bulls open the season Aug. 29 against Lafayette at UB Stadium.
It has been three very special years for me and Lembo family here in Columbia! I would like to thank Coach Beamer, Coach Tanner, our coaching staff, our support staff and especially our players for their unwavering support! The future is bright for Gamecock football! I look…
— Pete Lembo (@Pete_Lembo) January 21, 2024
“Pete is a proven winner as a head coach and is an awesome hire for Buffalo,” South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said in a statement. “He made our program at South Carolina better on and off the field. I can’t wait to watch what he does at Buffalo.”
Congrats Pistol Pete !!!!!! Incredible opportunity for you …You made our program better on and off the field This position in Columbia is EXTREMELY attractive to so many now because of it …Although the new coach will never be able to reach your level of nickname usage on… https://t.co/WyIxn6Ku6D
— Shane Beamer (@CoachSBeamer) January 21, 2024
Lembo replaces Maurice Linguist, who resigned last week to become an assistant on Kalen DeBoer’s staff at Alabama, after three seasons at UB.
An athletic department spokesperson told The Buffalo News that Lembo has agreed to a five-year contract at UB, but the financial terms were not immediately available.
The Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C., reported Sunday that according to Lembo’s contract at South Carolina, he earns an annual salary of $725,000, but the terms of his contract state that he will not have to pay USC a buyout as he is leaving to become a head coach. Linguist made an annual base salary of $475,000 and additional annual compensation of $200,000, according to his original contract and contract extension.
“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,” UB athletic director Mark Alnutt said in a statement. “His positive engagement and relationship building with people are second to none. 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.”
A source also told the News that Lembo is scheduled to meet with UB’s players Tuesday afternoon after he is introduced on campus.
More about Pete Lembo
Lembo, 53, grew up in Staten Island, and played college football at Georgetown.
Lembo was a head coach at Lehigh, at Elon and at Ball State from 2001-2015, but has served as an assistant, as a coordinator or as an associate head coach since 2016 at Maryland, Rice, Memphis and South Carolina. One of Lembo’s wins as head coach at Lehigh came against UB in 2002.
Lembo was 33-29 and 23-17 in the Mid-American Conference in five seasons at Ball State, from 2011-15. He led the Cardinals to bowl games in 2012 and 2013.
Lembo left Ball State after the 2015 season to join Maryland’s staff as a special teams coordinator, working with former Terps head coach DJ Durkin.
What awaits Lembo
At UB, Lembo takes over a team that was 14-23 over the last three seasons, and played in the 2022 Camellia Bowl. In those three seasons, the Bulls finished no higher than second in the MAC’s East Division. The conference’s championship stakes change, this season, though. The MAC eliminated its East and West divisions in football after the 2023 season, and the top two teams based on conference winning percentage will play for the MAC championship.
UB had 12 players enter the transfer portal after the 2023 season, and seven of those players have announced they will join new programs. However, UB did not lose any of its incoming high school recruits between Linguist’s departure Tuesday and Lembo’s hire Sunday, and did not have any FBS, FCS or junior-college transfers announce that they will not join the program.
The first duty for Lembo is to meet with current and incoming players and outline their commitments, responsibilities and roles within the program. Again, that will happen Tuesday.
Second: Shoring up a coaching staff. UB has one coordinator (Dave Patenaude) and four assistants currently in house from Linguist’s previous staff.
Third: Lembo will have to finalize dates for UB’s spring practices and spring game, as well as UB’s pro day, which is typically held in March.
UB opens the season in August but it’s unclear, as of right now, if UB will face Ball State — Lembo’s last head coaching stop — this fall. The MAC will announce each school’s future opponents at the end of January, and will release the full 2024 schedule at the end of February.