LEWISTON — Malik Hall will not be returning as Bates College men’s football coach for the 2021-22 season. 

The Bates Student reported early Tuesday that Bates Athletic Director Jason Fein sent an email to the Bates athletic department that stated Malik Hall would not be returning to the team in the fall. 

“We are in the process of solidifying the rest of the interim coaching staff in order to ensure that we are ready for the arrival of student-athletes in August and our return to the field this fall,” Fein said in the email. 

Assistant coach Ed Argast will serve as the interim head coach, effective immediately.

In 2018, Bates went winless, going 0-9, before putting up a 2-7 record in 2019. In the 2019 season, Bates took a close loss to Colby on the road, 23-20, before earning a convincing 30-5 win over rival Bowdoin. The Bobcats then ended the regular season with a 26-21 victory over Hamilton. 

On the win against Bowdoin, Hall said, “I am happy for the Bobcat family. I am happy for the Bobcat fans. It is a long time coming.”

The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This story will be updated.