After spending a year in the high school ranks, former WKU Head Coach David Elson is back to coaching college football.

Elson on Wednesday was named defensive coordinator at New Mexico State.

He goes to Los Cruces, N.M., after one season as the defensive coordinator at Franklin-Simpson High School, where he helped the Wildcats reach the Class 4A state championship game.

Elson was head coach at WKU from 2003 until his dismissal during the 2009 season, overseeing the Toppers’ transition from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Football Bowl Subdivision.

His WKU teams went 39-44 during his time as head coach.

Elson was an assistant with the Toppers from 1996-2002 under former head coach Jack Harbaugh.

He was also defensive coordinator for WKU’s 2002 I-AA national championship team.