UPDATED: 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Elon University Director of Athletics Dave Blank announced Tuesday that head football coach Rich Skrosky resigned to take a coaching position at Florida International University.

In the statement, Blank said, “This was an unexpected development. Rich was offered an opportunity that will best allow him to pursue his career goals.

“We remain committed to building a successful football program in the Colonial Athletic Association, and we expect to begin a national search immediately to find the right person to continue our progress.”

Skrosky declined to be interviewed, but did release a statement to the Elon News Network, saying, "I am grateful to Elon for the opportunity to be the Head Football Coach for the last three years. I am confident I am leaving the program in a better place today than when we got here. The hardest part of this decision has been thinking about the staff and players at Elon.

"I will always be indebted to the coaches and support staff for their work ethic and drive to make this program better each day in every way. I appreciate the players that have invested in the program and I believe the future is bright. I am excited about this new opportunity at FIU to work for a coach with the experience of Butch Davis. I can’t wait to meet the players and get back to coaching."

FIU hired Butch Davis in mid-November as the new football coach for the Panthers. Davis had previously been the head coach at the University of Miami and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

After being hired in 2013, Elon went 7-27 in the three years under Skrosky.