Valdosta State is making two coordinator hires and also filling a key offensive role as well, per source.
Sources tell FootballScoop that Jason Semore is joining the staff as defensive coordinator, and Thomas Reese will be the new special teams coordinator / running backs coach for the program.
Semore is a veteran defensive coach who had been working in-state for Geoff Collins at Georgia Tech as a defensive quality control specialist.
He previously worked with Geoff Collins at Temple as a senior defensive advisor.
Prior to joining Collins's staff at Temple, Semore started as the special teams coordinator at Montana (FCS) before taking over as defensive coordinator for a few seasons.
Semore’s resume also includes a season as defensive coordinator at Colorado School of Mines, two seasons as a defensive assistant at Oklahoma State, two seasons as outside linebackers coach at Tulsa, two seasons as co-defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator and secondary coach at Adams State, and a season as secondary coach at Colorado School of Mines.
Reese is the former special teams coordinator / wide receivers coach at Mars Hill University (D-II - NC) and also carried recruiting coordinator duties.
The job at Valdosta State marks a return for Reese, as he coached the team's receivers in 2014 and the running backs in 2015, where he worked with All-American running back Cedric O'Neal and helped lead the team to two D-II playoff appearances during his time with the program.
Just after that, Reese served as the running backs and tight ends coach at Valdosta HS (GA), where he held a variety of other roles as well and helped the Wildcats capture the state title in 2016 before going on to join the Mars Hill staff.
In addition to those two coordinators, sources tell FootballScoop that Phillip Ely is joining the staff as quarterbacks coach.
Ely, a former All-MAC quarterback at Toledo, is the former quarterbacks coach at Western Carolina (FCS) and also previously served as the co-offensive coordinator at Tiffin (D-II - OH).
The job at Valdosta reunites Ely with head coach Gary Goff, who before taking over the Blazers program in 2019, had spent eight seasons leading the Tiffin (D-II - OH) program.