Thursday January 25, 2018
Oregon: Source tells FootballScoop Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal has offered tight ends / special teams position to Alabama's Bobby Williams. Williams has largely been with Nick Saban since the Michigan State days. He has coached a number of offensive positions for Nick and had a healthy run as tight ends / special teams at Alabama. This year he served as special assistant to Nick Saban. We are told Williams is expected to accept the position.
Arizona: Sources tell FootballScoop that wide receivers coach Theron Aych is being retained by Kevin Sumlin, as we previously reported was a strong possibility. Other staff hires such as offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone are expected to become official tomorrow, we are told.
Alabama: Pete Thamel tweets that Dan Enos is expected to leave Michigan and be named associate head coach / quarterbacks coach on Nick Saban's staff.
Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals are working out a deal and are expected to hire Mike McCoy as their offensive coordinator, Ian Rapoport tweets. Also, linebackers coach Larry Foote is being retained, per multiple reports.
Alabama: Sources tell FootballScoop that Dan Enos, who recently accepted a position on the Michigan staff, is a strong candidate to join Nick Saban's staff. Sam Webb tweeted this afternoon that Enos was "in the mix" for a job with the Tide. Details here.
Arizona: Iona Uiagalele is expected to join the staff as defensive line coach after spending nearly two decades on staff at Mount San Antonio College (JC - CA) staff, per source. Tucson.com has reported the same. Uiagalele has served as defensive coordinator since 2006, and associate head coach since 2010.
Alabama: The program has formally announced the hire of Karl Scott as secondary coach.
Iowa: Derrick Foster has joined the staff as an offensive assistant, and the 10th assistant hire on the Hawkeyes staff. Foster coached the running backs and served as running game coordinator the past two seasons at Samford (FCS - AL). Foster's coaching resume includes coaching stops working with the running backs or receivers at Northwestern State (FCS), Tennessee, and Valdosta State (D-II - GA). Kirk Ferentz previously noted that the 10th assistant hire on staff would allow tight ends coach / special teams coordinator LeVar Woods to focus solely on special teams. Stay tuned for more...
Bowling Green: Per a tweet from Jordan Strack, BGSU is hiring Jimmy Williams as their defensive line coach. Williams previously coached the defensive line under PJ Fleck at Western Michigan and has also coached at Toledo, Eastern Michigan, and UAB. We can confirm the hire per sources.
Brown (FCS - RI): Kevin Decker has been promoted from tight ends coach to offensive coordinator, and will also take over the quarterbacks while New Hampshire (FCS) tight ends coach Chris Zarkoski has been brought on board to work with the tight ends after three seasons coaching at New Hampshire.
Carolina Panthers: Heath Farwell has been hired as assistant special teams coach, after serving in the same capacity with the Seahawks last season, Omar Ruiz tweets.
Indianapolis Colts: University of Illinois defensive line / defensive run game coordinator Mike Phair has stepped down and is joining the Colts' staff as defensive line coach sources tell FootballScoop. Phair spent the 2015 season as Illinois' co-defensive coordinator. Prior to that, he spent 13 seasons working in the NFL with the Bucs & Bears both working with the defensive line and with the Seahawks (as a scout and then a coach).
Glenville State (D-II - WV): Steve McCollom has been named defensive backs coach. Prior to Glenville State, McCollom was defensive quality control at Toledo.
NC Central (FCS - NC): Graham Hobbs has been named Quarterbacks Coach at NC Central. Hobbs comes from Marshall University where he was an Offensive Graduate Assistant for 2 seasons. Prior to his stint at Marshall, Hobbs worked at Florida International as an Offensive Quality Control for 2 years.
Glenville State (D-II - WV): Running backs coach Kylan Butler has been promoted to receivers coach / pass game coordinator. Butler was an offensive grad assistant at Arizona prior to Glenville State.
Iowa State: Illinois offensive analyst Nate Scheelhaase has joined the Iowa State staff as running backs coach. Scheelhaase, a former Illini quarterback, coached running backs at Illinois in the 2015 season.
Colorado State: Source tells FootballScoop former Notre Dame defensive line Keith Gilmore is joining Mike Bobo's staff. Gilmore spent the '15-16 seasons at Notre Dame, had coached at North Carolina, Illinois, Cincinnati and more.
RPO Kryptonite? Four Down, Two-High Safeties:Researchers at X&O Labs have discovered an emerging trend that is turning the tables on RPO offenses and giving control back to defenses. Option coaches may say they’re always in the perfect play based off the defense’s alignment, but X&O Labs has found a small group of defensive coaches who are taking back leverage by dictating whom they want to carry the ball and they're doing so by operating from four down, two-high safety defenses. [This is where option coaches get excited because they love to see two-high, but that’s what these DCs want them to think…] This new trend is eliminating what RPOs do best—and X&O Labs’ research shows you exactly how you can do it, too. See the research here.
Northern Arizona: Receivers coach Aaron Pflugrad has been promoted to offensive coordinator source tells FootballScoop. Pflugrad has coached receivers at NAU the past three seasons. He played receiver at both Oregon and Arizona State, and then served as a grad assistant at ASU 2012-15.
Arizona Cardinals: Quarterbacks coach Byron Leftwich is being retained by new head coach Steve Wilks, per Ian Rapoport.
Minnesota Vikings: Analysts on NFL Network mention Saints assistant head coach / tight ends coach Dan Campbell as another candidate for the offensive coordinator job and add that he will interview Tuesday. Campbell played for the Cowboys while Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer was the defensive coordinator there in the mid-2000s.
Penn State: As we reported yesterday, Penn State plans to officially announce the addition of Ja'Juan Seider to the staff today we are told. Update:The Nittany Lions have announced Seider as running backs coach, with David Corley, Jr., being moved to wide receivers. Defensive line coach Sean Spencer has also been promoted to associate head coach.
Southeastern Louisiana (FCS): Two of the remaining candidates for the head coaching position include current offensive coordinator Greg Stevens and former Tulane and Louisiana Tech offensive coordinator Frank Scelfo sources tell FootballScoop. Scelfo, after coaching in the NFL 2010-15 served as Frank Wilson's OC at UTSA until this past November when Wilson announced Scelfo would not return. Will update as more is clear...
Buffalo Bills: Director of analytics Michael Lyons and system analyst Peter Linton will not return as part of the Bills analytics staff.
Florida: Larry Scott has been announced as the Gators new tight ends coach. Scott spent the past two seasons at Tennessee, first as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach in 2016, and then as offensive coordinator and tight ends coach last season. Scott joined the USF staff in 2005 as director of high school relations and went on to coach the offensive line, tight ends, and running backs during his time there and also spent two seasons coaching the tight ends at Miami (FL), where he spent the final six games of 2015 as the interim head coach.
Mike Vrabel: The new Titans head coach explains how he went from bombing his first coaching interview at Ohio State, to now the leader of an NFL team - "You have to learn how to interview. I bombed my first interview with Urban Meyer."
XFL: Vince McMahon will announce later today that XFL 2.0 is happening.
New York Giants: The Giants are set to add Lou Anarumo (DBs), Bill McGovern (LBs) and Gary Emanuel (DL) to Pat Shurmur's staff, per Alex Marvez's tweet. Anarumo coached the Dolphins secondary last season, McGovern coached the linebackers for the Giants under Bill McAdoo, and Gary Emanuel spent six seasons coaching the defensive line for the Colts.
Detroit Lions: Boston College defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni is reportedly a "target" for defensive coordinator of the Lions under Matt Patricia. Ian Rapoport tweets Pasqualoni "could take a job on the staff after the Super Bowl." Pasqualoni has been the head coach at Western Connecticut State, Syracuse, and UConn and has coached on both sides of the ball at the NFL level, including defensive coordinator stints with the Dolphins and Cowboys and defensive line jobs with the Bears, Texans, and most recently at Boston College, where he spent the last two seasons.
Minnesota Vikings: In addition to Darrell Bevell and Kevin Stefanski, Tom Pelissero tweets that the Vikings will also interview Texans quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan for their offensive coordinator spot. Ryan is currently coaching the Senior Bowl in Mobile.
Oregon State: Jonathan Smith has announced the hirings of David Lose as a defensive quality control assistant and Matt Troxel as an offensive quality control assistant.
Aurora (D-III - IL): Sources tell FootballScoop thatLakeland (D-III - WI) co-offensive coordinator Tyler Wellman has been hired to serve as run game coordinator and offensive line coach. Wellman was a finalist for the FootballScoop Division III Coordinator of the Year this past season
Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks and senior defensive assistant Travis Jones have mutually agreed to part ways. Jones coached the defensive line form 2013-16 before moving into the senior defensive assistant role this past season.
East Tennessee State (FCS): Collins Ukwu has joined the staff as defensive ends coach, per source. Ukwu previously served as the defensive line coach at Alabany State (D-II - GA), and prior to that was a graduate assistant at Georgia State.
Olivet Nazarene (NAIA - IL): Olivet Nazarene University is seeking applicants for a graduate assistant position to coach wide receivers. This position includes full paid tuition for ONU’s graduate school as well as a stipend. Candidates must demonstrate exceptional knowledge of offensive strategy, successful recruiting, strong leadership, social media expertise, video editing or Photoshop, recruiting experience and communication skills. Responsibilities include, but not limited to, coaching wide receivers, recruiting, academic & spiritual growth coaching of players. Olivet Nazarene University is a nationally recognized Christian university located 45 miles south of Chicago in Illinois. A Bachelor’s degree is required; college playing experience preferred. Email letter of interest, resume, Christian faith statement, and 3 references to Eric Hehman atedhehman@olivet.edu.
Saint Vincent College (DIII – PA): Saint Vincent College seeks a part-time assistant football coach. CORNERBACK experience preferable. This coach will be responsible for coaching their position, film-breakdown (HUDL), scouting reports, recruiting, and other duties as assigned by the Head Coach. Position pays $8000 dollars and housing is a possibility. Only serious applicants should apply. Applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to lorrie.quadro@stvincent.edu. Bachelor’s degree preferred. Computer and Hudl proficiency also preferred. Prior coaching or playing experience at college or high school level is desired.
Lyon (NAIA - AR): Lyon College located in Batesville, Arkansas is seeking applications for a full time position coaching an offensive skill position. This a full time position with salary and benefits. The successful candidate must have played or coached an offensive skill position at the collegiate level and should have recruiting ties in the Louisiana, Mississippi, or Alabama areas. If interested please send resumes to LyonCollegeFootball@gmail.com. No phone calls please.
St. John Fisher College (D-III - NY): St. John Fisher College is looking for a game week 2 or 3 of the 2018 season. Interested programs can contact Paul Vosburgh at 585-385-8433.
Kansas City Chiefs: Andy Reid confirmed that defensive coordinator Bob Sutton will return for 2018, noting to the Kansas City Star that it's not an option he's even considered.
New York Giants: Thomas McGaughey will be the new special teams coordinator for the Giants, per Ryan Dunleavy.
New York Jets: The Jets announced their decision to let go offensive line coach Steve Marshall last night. Marshall has previous stops in the NFL with the Packers, Browns and Texans.
Saginaw Valley State (D-III): Drew Burton has officially been announced as offensive line coach after spend last season as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Alma (D-III - MI).
Head coaching changes: 2017-18 NFL & college head coaching changes.
