FLORENCE — North Alabama athletic director Mark Linder said he has not yet met with football coach Terry Bowden to discuss his future with the Lions.

Bowden’s third season at UNA ended with a 42-14 loss to Delta State this past Saturday. His original three-year contract expires Dec. 31.

Linder, who has out of town Tuesday, said he plans to meet with Bowden sometime in the next two weeks.

“I meet with our fall sports coaches at the end of every year and I plan on doing that in the next couple of weeks,” Linder said.

“We talk about where the program is and how it can get better. It’s a normal procedure we go through with all the coaches, including coach Bowden.”

UNA finished with a 9-3 record this season. The Lions were ranked No. 1 during the middle of the season before suffering back-to-back losses to Delta State and West Alabama. UNA avenged the loss to West Alabama in the first round of the Division II playoffs before losing again to Delta State.

Bowden now has an overall record of 30-9 in three seasons at UNA. The Lions have advanced to the playoffs all three years under Bowden, reaching the second round twice and the third round once.

Bowden’s name is constantly mentioned by various media and Internet message boards with Division I job openings, such as UAB, Memphis and Florida Atlantic.

Despite the rumors, Bowden said Saturday he plans to be back at UNA next season.

“I plan on being here,” Bowden said. “We have a lot of work to do, Mark Linder and I. We’re excited about it, so I’m looking to do a better job here.”

Linder said like everyone else he hears

the rumors concerning Bowden, but he

has heard nothing from any of the schools rumored to be interested in hiring UNA’s head coach.

“I have not received any phone calls asking for permission to talk to Terry,” Linder said. “That’s usually normal procedure whey you want to talk to a coach at another school, but I haven’t been asked for permission or received any notifications concerning anyone talking with him.”

Jeff McIntyre can be reached at 256-740-5737 or jeff.mcintyre@TimesDaily.com.