Jonesboro, AR — Arkansas State University (ASU) has confirmed they are in the final stages of contract negotiations with former Arkansas and Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt.

Nutt reportedly reached out to the university’s athletic director Terry Mohajir following rumors of former coach Bryan Harsin going to Boise State. Mohajir immediately contacted Nutt to begin the contract process following Harsin’s departure this morning to have the new coach in place before the GoDaddy.com bowl.

“I have always dreamed of becoming a championship head coach in the SEC,” Nutt tells us. “I feel this position at Arkansas State gives me the best opportunity of my career to fulfill that dream. I feel success and a GoDaddy.com bowl bid could position me perfectly for the soon-to-be vacant University of Florida job.”

Nutt last coached at Ole Miss in 2011 where he went 2-10 in his final season. Nutt spent 4 seasons at Ole Miss with an overall record of 24-26, and 10-22 against SEC teams. Prior to Ole Miss Nutt coached for 10 seasons at University of Arkansas where he lost twice in the SEC championship game.

Since 2011 Nutt has served as a college football analyst for CBS. Nutt has been rumored for a number of positions, including most recently UConn. Both Nutt and Mohajir feel Arkansas State offers a perfect fit.

“Nutt and I spoke at great length, and we both feel like he will be a great fit to lead us to a GoDaddy.com bowl next year,” Mohajir tells us. “He fits the direction we have established for Arkansas State. We are the premier school for coaches to come, lead us to a co-conference championship, then leave as fast as humanly possible.”

Contract details will not be released until the official contract is signed. Sources tell us that Nutt will receive a $900,000 loan to be repaid at the end of the 2014 football season by way of a $1.6 million buyout.