Head Coach Willie Taggart said that when someone leaves WKU, the Toppers will replace him with someone better.

On Friday, Lance Guidry was tabbed as one of those replacements.

WKU announced in a release that Guidry, who was previously the interim head coach at Miami (Ohio), will take over the Toppers’ defensive coordinator position. The job opened in December when former DC Clint Bowen resigned to accept the same position at North Texas.

“When our defensive coordinator position opened up, I told people we were not going to settle for just anybody,” Taggart said in a release. “We were going to make the best hire for WKU, and we were not going to rush things. After a very thorough process, there is no doubt Lance Guidry is the perfect person to be our new defensive coordinator.

“He is a winner and a proven leader who motivates people to do their very best.”

Guidry was the defensive backs coach at Miami (Ohio) before becoming interim head coach for the Redhawks’ GoDaddy.Com Bowl game against Middle Tennessee last season.

Miami won its bowl game, but Guidry was not retained as head coach.

Miami led the Mid-American Conference in pass efficiency defense in 2010, ranked second in rushing defense and sacks and finished third in total defense and scoring defense. The Redhawks also ranked 29th in the nation in total defense.

The Herald previously confirmed that Guidry interviewed for WKU’s open position on Jan. 14.

“WKU is a program on the rise, they are going about building the program the right way, and I am very excited and proud to be their next defensive coordinator,” Guidry said in the release. “I was very excited when Coach Taggart called and asked me to interview because he said he wanted someone with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and I feel those are two qualities I definitely bring forward.

“WKU reminds me a lot of Miami when we went there in 2009. We had to change the culture, because a lot of our guys had forgotten how to win.”

Taggart and Guidry will be available at 2 p.m. Friday for further comment. Check back at wkuherald.com for more coverage.