LORMAN — Earnest Collins Jr. has been named the interim head football coach, Alcorn State University announced Friday.

Collins, the Braves’ defensive coordinator and associate head coach this season, was one of the seven assistant coaches fired in November and rehired a week later.

A statement released by Alcorn President George Ross Friday said Collins “will operate with all the responsibilities and authority of the head coach.

“We are pleased to have Coach Collins serve in this capacity,” Ross said in the statement. “He is an exceptional leader, he’s student-athlete centered and possesses the knowledge base to lead our football program in a positive direction. The respect and support this young man has garnered from the ASU community is tremendous.”

Collins is in his first year with Alcorn. He previously worked as the special teams and cornerbacks coach at Kansas and as the secondary and special teams coordinator at the University of Northern Colorado.

He spent his collegiate career as a defensive back and punt returner for the University of Northern Colorado from 1991-94, earned All-North Central Conference honors as a senior and holds he school record for career (967) and season (497) punt return yards.

“I want to thank Dr. Ross for the opportunity to become the Interim Head Football Coach,” Collins said in the statement. “I believed when I came here that we were going to take this program to new heights, and that is still our plan.”

Ross made the move three days after announcing the termination of head coach Ernest Jones after two months of athletic department drama that started when Jones said Athletic Director Darren Hamilton fired seven assistants football coaches without his consent.

The coaches were reinstated, but Jones received a letter notifying him of the university’s intent to fire him after he filed a $3 million lawsuit with the university.

The Braves were 2-10 in Jones’ first year as coach but lost six games by 6 points or less and four games in the final minute of play this season.