Football
UCA Co-OC Gunnar Boykin Heads Home to Mississippi High School
Gunnar Boykin is leaving UCA football after a decade to take a job at Madison Central High School in Mississippi.
After a decade of helping build one of the FCS’s steadier programs, Gunnar Boykin is heading home.
Central Arkansas has confirmed that Boykin, the Bears’ co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, is leaving the program to take a position at Madison Central High School in Madison, Mississippi.
It’s a move that brings the longtime coach back to the state where his football roots run deep, and it closes a chapter that UCA head coach Nathan Brown clearly didn’t want to see end.
Boykin joined the Bears’ staff in June 2015, and in the 10-plus years since, he’s become one of the more trusted and consistent figures on the UCA sideline.
His departure marks one of the more meaningful staff changes the Bears have faced in recent memory.
— Gunnar Boykin – UCA (@CoachGBoykin) May 30, 2026
“Life isn’t fair sometimes, but no one has handled what life has thrown his way better than Coach Gunnar Boykin,” Brown said in a statement. “He has been by my side for over a decade and that is uncommon in this profession. UCA Football will always save a seat for you.”
That kind of send-off says a lot. Brown isn’t the type to offer empty words, and his statement makes it clear that Boykin’s value to the program went well beyond X’s and O’s.
A Career Built on Loyalty and Results
Boykin’s impact at UCA wasn’t just measured in wins. During his time in Conway, he was part of three conference championships and three NCAA playoff appearances.
He helped develop 18 players who earned all-conference honors, two conference players of the year, and eight All-Americans. That’s a production record any FCS program would be proud to put on paper.
Before arriving at UCA, Boykin had already built a solid foundation in Mississippi high school football.
He coached at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School from 2007 to 2008, then spent time at Richland High School in 2011 before moving to Brandon High School from 2012 to 2014.
He knows the Mississippi prep football landscape well, and that experience should give him a strong foundation heading into his new role at Madison Central.
The move is also something of a homecoming in more ways than one. Boykin grew up attending Ridgeland High School in Mississippi, just a short drive from Madison Central’s campus. He’s not walking into unfamiliar territory — he’s walking back into it.
From the Field to the Classroom and Back
Boykin’s playing career took him across several stops.
He suited up at Ridgeland High School before playing at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, where he earned an All-MACJC selection and played in the 2006 MACJC All-Star Game.
He went on to play at Mississippi State University and UT Martin before turning his attention fully to coaching.
His academic path matched his football one in terms of persistence.
He earned an Associate’s Degree from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College before transferring to the University of Southern Mississippi, where he completed a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.
That background in psychology isn’t a throwaway detail for a coach who works closely with offensive linemen, a position group that demands as much mental toughness as physical.
It’s the kind of foundation that shapes how a coach communicates, motivates, and builds trust with players year after year.
What It Means for UCA Moving Forward
Boykin’s exit creates a real void on the UCA offensive staff.
The Bears will need to replace not just a coordinator, but someone who’d been central to the program’s offensive identity through three different conference title runs.
That’s not an easy thing to replicate quickly.
Still, UCA’s program under Brown has shown it can adapt.
The Bears have remained competitive in the ASUN Conference, and Brown’s ability to retain and develop coaching talent has been one of the program’s quiet strengths.
For Boykin, the opportunity at Madison Central is a chance to shape young players at a critical stage of their development, bringing FCS-level experience and a decade of championship-caliber coaching to the high school level in his home state.
That’s a combination that doesn’t come around often in prep football circles, and Madison Central is getting a proven football mind.
Brown’s parting message — that there’ll always be a seat for Boykin at UCA — wasn’t just a farewell.
It was an acknowledgment that some coaches leave a mark that doesn’t fade when they walk out the door.
Coach Gunnar Boykin — Career Facts
- Title at UCA: Co-Offensive Coordinator / Run Game Coordinator / Offensive Line Coach / Tackles & Tight Ends Coach
- Date Hired at UCA: June 2015
- New Position: Madison Central High School, Madison, Mississippi
- Education: Ridgeland High School, Ridgeland, MS
- Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College — Associate’s Degree
- University of Southern Mississippi — Bachelor of Science in Psychology
Playing History:
- Ridgeland High School
- Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
- Mississippi State University
- University of Tennessee at Martin
Coaching History:
- St. Andrew’s Episcopal School (2007–2008)
- Richland High School (2011)
- Brandon High School (2012–2014)
- Central Arkansas (2015–present)
Playing/Coaching Highlights:
- All-MACJC Selection
- Played in MACJC All-Star Game (2006)
- Part of 3 UCA conference championships
- Part of 3 UCA NCAA playoff appearances
- Coached 18 all-conference honorees
- Coached 2 conference players of the year
- Coached 8 All-Americans
