By Andy Walter

NEWARK — Delaware apparently isn’t going to land K.C. Keeler as its next head football.

But that doesn’t mean the Blue Hens aren’t going to hire a Sam Houston State staff member to take over the reins of the program.

Former Delaware quarterback Ryan Carty, Keeler’s offensive coordinator with the Bearkats, may in fact be athletic director Krissi Rawak’s choice for the Delaware job.

Carty was the backup QB to Andy Hall on Delaware’s 2003 NCAA Division I-AA national championship team has made a name for himself both as an assistant coach at New Hampshire and now at Sam Houston State.

A 2007 Delaware grad, Carty has been at Sam Houston State since 2018 after spending the previous 11 seasons on the New Hampshire coaching staff. At UNH, Carty spent six years as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach.

After helping Sam Houston State win the FCS national title in the spring, Carty named the FCS Coordinator of the Year by FootballScoop.com and was also named to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football’s “Top 40 Coaches Under 40” list following the year.

Earlier in the day, Keeler tweeted out a message to Delaware fans.

“Reaching out to you #BlueHens,” he wrote. “Thank you for all your outpouring of support to bring me. It is heartwarming & means a great deal to my family & I. Leaving you was hard. I hope it gives you solace to know I’m w/ good people. Wishing you all the best in ur search.”

Previously, Keeler sent out a message that he wasn’t a candidate for the Blue Hens job.

“Let’s put this to rest #BearKatNation,” Keeler tweeted. “I have not and will not interview for the UD opening. Love my KATS!”

While Delaware athletic director Chrissi Rawak hasn’t set a deadline publicly for hiring a new coach, the early national signing day for football is on Dec. 15.

Several Blue Hen players have entered the NCAA transfer portal since coach Danny Rocco was fired on Monday. Many have said they may stay at Delaware but want to keep their options open.

On Friday, linebacker Johnny Buchanan joined that list. Quarterback Nolan Henderson, the Smyrna High grad, most recently tweeted that he has an offer from FBS Connecticut.

Follow Andy Walter on Twitter at @DSNSports.