San Diego State will name Ball State coach Brady Hoke as its next head coach, a person briefed on the decision told ESPN's Joe Schad on Sunday.
Hoke, who interviewed with San Diego State last week, was also a candidate for the head coaching position at Auburn, which was filled Saturday by Iowa State's Gene Chizik.
Ball State, ranked 22nd in the final BCS standings, finished the regular season 12-1 after losing its finale 42-24 to Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference championship game.
The Aztecs (2-10, 1-7 MWC) fired Chuck Long after three seasons and the program's first 10-loss season.
Other finalists for the San Diego State position were former Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione and UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker.
Ball State will face Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl on Jan. 6.
When asked about his conversations with Auburn, Hoke didn't go into detail.
"We had discussions, but I think there's been a lot of discussions," Hoke told the Mobile Press-Register on Wednesday.
"If you're any kind of competitor, the challenges are out there, so there's always a high interest," Hoke said.
Information from ESPN's Joe Schad was used in this report.