Former UL head coach and recently named Southern Mississippi offensive coordinator Rickey Bustle has been reassigned while he deals with a "time-consuming health problem," head coach Ellis Johnson told the Hattiesburg (Miss.) American newspaper Thursday.

Johnson declined comment on the specifics of Bustle’s health problem, the American reported.

Bustle will now handle running backs and Steve Buckley, Southern Miss’ associate head coach, becomes the Golden Eagles’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

"Rickey had been experiencing some health issues this spring and we wanted to decrease his workload a bit so we thought this was the best way to handle (it) for both our staff as well as his welfare," Johnson said on the school’s website. "We have all the confidence in Steve to handle this role and Rickey will continue to have his say in how we will run our offense this fall."

Bustle, 58, was UL’s head coach from 2002 through the end of the 2010 season, when the Ragin’ Cajuns went 3-9 and he was replaced by Mark Hudspeth.

UL went 38-65 during Bustle’s nine seasons in charge of the Cajuns, including one winning year — 6-5 in 2005 — and three 6-6 seasons.

After leaving UL, Bustle spent last season as quarterbacks coach at Tulane. He left for Southern Mississippi after a coaching change for the Green Wave.

Buckley, most recently the head coach at Petal High in Mississippi, was an assistant coach at LSU from 1991-94. He’s never previously worked as a college offensive coordinator.

Click here for the profile of Coach Rickey Bustle.