MUNCIE, Ind. — Stan Parrish, Ball State’s offensive coordinator the past three seasons, signed a four-year contract on Thursday and promised a smooth transition as the new coach of the 23rd-ranked Cardinals.

He replaces Brady Hoke, who resigned this week to become the coach at San Diego State, and his first game will be on Jan. 6, when the Cardinals play Tulsa (10-3) in the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

“Brady’s footprints, fortunately, will stay on the program,” Parrish said at a news conference announcing the coaching change. “It makes the transition for me very, very easy. There will be a lot of continuity in this program, because I had a lot of say in what we did before. That’s a wonderful situation.”

Hoke was 34-38 in six years as coach, including 12-1 this season.

Led by quarterback Nate Davis, a Unitas Golden Arm award finalist, Ball State was ranked as high as 12th — best in program history — before a loss to Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference championship game.

Parrish said he also would remain offensive coordinator and continue calling the plays for the Cardinals.

“This decision was based on one thing: about the players,” he said. “Brady gave me a unique format to coach under here, with no micromanagement and total trust in what I did and total support. It’s hard to find a job like that. I won’t be as good a boss, I guarantee you.

“Obviously we did a good job, or I wouldn’t be standing here today,” Parrish said.

Parrish, a former head coach at Wabash, Marshall and Kansas State and assistant at Rutgers and Michigan, was an NFL assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002-03. He came to Ball State as quarterbacks coach in 2005 and added the title of offensive coordinator the following season.

His record as a head coach is 57-41-3. Most of those wins came at Division III Wabash, where his teams were 42-3-1 in 1978-82. He was 13-8-1 in two years at Marshall but won just two games in three seasons at Kansas State.

“I learned a lot about being successful as a head coach and about failing as a head coach,” he said. “I have a good plan in place. It’s a matter of keeping going.”

Northwestern State hires new coach

NATCHITOCHES, La. — Northwestern State is turning to a former assistant coach to turn around its football program.

LSU co-defensive coordinator Bradley Dale Peveto agreed late Thursday night to become head coach of the Demons, where he was an assistant from 1996-98. Peveto replaces Scott Stoker, who was dismissed last month after going 43-38 in seven seasons.

Athletic director Greg Burke will reintroduce Peveto at a news conference Monday.

Peveto, who has also coached at Houston and Middle Tennessee, will work with LSU through the Chick-Fil-A Bowl against Georgia Tech on Dec. 31.

Johnson gets extension at Georgia Tech

ATLANTA — Georgia Tech first-year coach Paul Johnson has been given a new seven-year, $17.7 million contract.

The school said Johnson, who led a team picked to finish near the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference to a 9-3 record and its first win in eight years over rival Georgia, will receive $2.3 million for 2009, plus incentives.

Johnson was voted ACC Coach of the Year. The Yellow Jackets are ranked No. 15 in the AP poll and will meet LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Dec. 31.

“The future of Georgia Tech football has never been brighter,” athletic director Dan Radakovich said, “and we are thrilled that Paul Johnson will be leading our program for a long time.”

UT San Antonio to add football program

AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at San Antonio got approval Thursday to create a football program, and officials think the Roadrunners could play their first game as early as the fall of 2011.

“It’s a historic moment for us,” said UTSA president Ricardo Romo, speaking to reporters after the UT Board of Regents voted unanimously to approve an expansion that will include an $84 million athletic complex. “I think the real work begins now.”

Money from student fees, existing athletics funding and private sources will be used to pay for the football program, officials said.

University officials will embark on a $100 million fundraising campaign, $15 million of which will be slated for creation of the football team, they said.

Athletic director Lynn Hickey said the school would look to hire a coach “as quickly as we can.” The Roadrunners football team will be part of the Division I-AA Football Championship Subdivision, or FCS.

Romo said adding a football program would enhance the student experience at UTSA without undermining the university’s core mission.

“Academics will always be our top priority,” he said.

UTSA, with 28,400 students, is the second-largest school in the University of Texas system.

The only other university in San Antonio to offer a scholarship football program is the University of the Incarnate Word, a small Catholic college that begins play next fall.