Editor’s Note: This is part seven of a 12-part series featuring Western Kentucky’s 2019 opponents. Charlotte will visit WKU on Oct. 19. Friday will feature Marshall.

FRISCO, Texas – One of the youngest Division I programs in the country will start a new era with one of the youngest head coaches around.

Will Healy became a hot commodity when he resurrected the program in what many thought to be an impossible job at Austin Peay. The 33-year-old left Clarksville, Tenn., after three years to take over in Charlotte, a seven-year-old program coming off its best season so far in Conference USA.

“I was fortunate to inherit a really good situation,” Healy told the Daily News at the C-USA Kickoff Event. “The young men who are a part of our program are top of the line, so it’s been a lot of fun. Everyone knows what the ceiling is and the potential for our program and now we have to put in the work to give ourselves a chance to reach it.”

Charlotte went 5-7 last season and 4-4 in the C-USA East Division, their best season since becoming an FBS school in 2015. Brad Lambert, the program’s only coach since its inception, was fired in November with two years remaining on his contract and now works as an assistant at Marshall.

The 49ers sought the hot hand from the FCS ranks and hired Healy, a Chattanooga, Tenn., native who started his coaching career as an assistant in 2009. Healy turned around an Austin Peay program that lost 29 straight and had only won five games in a season twice in 25 years.

In 2017, Healy coached the Governors to an 8-4 record and was named the FCS Coach of the Year. That year included a 7-1 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference and three of the nonconference defeats were to FBS opponents Cincinnati, Miami (Ohio) and UCF.

The 49ers hired Healy as the second-youngest FBS head coach behind Sean Lewis (32) at Kent State.

Charlotte defensive end Alex Highsmith sees that same energy Healy had at APSU being infused into the 49ers program.

“He’s brought new juice to the program and energy to practice, meetings and everything we do,” Highsmith said. “He shakes the hand of everyone he sees and I’ve never seen anyone shake so many hands in my life. He always preaches that if people know you, they’re going to come to your games so that’s what he’s about, especially getting the people in the area of Charlotte to come to our games.”

Until last season, Charlotte hasn’t given much of a product to warrant attendance, going 11-36 since joining C-USA in 2015. When Charlotte pounced on WKU 40-14 at home last year, it marked the program’s largest win margin against an FBS opponent. WKU will host Charlotte for homecoming Oct. 19, bringing Healy back to an area he recruited heavily for the OVC a short drive across state lines.

Benny LeMay is one of five returners to the Charlotte offense after averaging 5.4 yards per carry last season. He said that win over the Hilltoppers last October was a statement victory.

“Western has been a powerhouse team for years and showing us to win in that fashion shows if we really dial down and dig in, we can contend in this league in a major way,” LeMay said. “I feel like we just have to come to every game with that same mindset and continue to move from that.”

Charlotte 2019 Schedule

8/29 – Gardner-Webb

9/7 – at Appalachian State

9/14 – Massachusetts

9/21 – at Clemson

9/28 – FAU

10/12 – at FIU

10/19 – at WKU

10/26 – North Texas

11/2 – Middle Tennessee

11/9 – at UTEP

11/23 – Marshall

11/30 – at Old Dominion