Iowa women’s head coach Daryl Greenan has accepted a job at Mississippi State University effective immediately.

Greenan, who previously coached at the University of Mississippi for Women, was entering his sixth season with the Hawkeyes. But now he replaces Lady Bulldogs 13-year head coach Tracy Lane and plans to head for Starkville, Miss., today to become the 13th head coach in school history.

“It’s a little bit of weird timing,” Greenan said. “That was always one of three jobs I said I would put my name in for if it opened. I put my name in it, next thing I know, I’m down there interviewing and getting the job.”

His departure was not something he had planned. However, he said, he thinks the Hawkeyes sensed something wasn’t right.

“The only time I ever missed a day of practice was for my grandma’s funeral,” Greenan said. “Or for when [my daughter] Willa was born, and my wife was in the hospital.

“There were two days in a row where I told them I was in meetings … but I didn’t tell them I was in Mississippi.”

The team had just finished its first tournament when rumors surfaced that Greenan would leave Iowa.

The team was aware Greenan was leaving before they journeyed to Minneapolis, though. Greenan said he told them the news before they left and then proceeded to take the trip with the team.

Junior Alexis Dorr, also a Daily Iowan reporter, said the team knew, but the news of him leaving was very abrupt.

“It’s pretty shocking,” she said. “It’s always hard when we have a coach for a long period of time, and we don’t have him anymore.”

The relationship Greenan had with his team was what made the news hurt the most.

“It was really hard for the team to take it because we’re so close to Daryl,” Dorr said. “He’s a great coach, and he’s done a lot for the team and for our game.”

Greenan shared the same sentiment.

“The hardest thing is leaving the girls and the people I’ve worked with the past five years,” Greenan said. “I’m really going to miss the girls, and all the great people I’ve worked with at Iowa. It’s really been a positive experience for me and for my family, and that will make it hard.”

Greenan, however, isn’t completely down. He said he has always wanted to go back to the South before his career is over.

Greenan’s wife, Shannon, is a native of Mississippi, which was where they met while he was coaching at Mississippi from 1998 to 2001.

“We’ve always kind of had a dream of moving back down there eventually,” Greenan said.

While the head coach’s future is certain, that of the Hawkeyes is still unknown. Iowa has not named a replacement for a head coach, but there is an active open search.

Greenan said assistant coach Mira Radu is not in the running for the coaching vacancy because she is not applying for the job.

She will take over the head coaching duties until the search is completed.

“She’s doing the best that she can, and we’re all helping each other out, trying to get things done,” Dorr said. “We just want to stay strong because when this happens to a lot of teams, it’s usually difficult for them to get back on their feet. Our goal is to stay strong and keep it coming.”