-1600x900.webp)
Widely hailed as one of college football's top, rising young coaches, Jeff Faris is making a strong addition to his Austin Peay staff, FootballScoop has learned.
Sources tell FootballScoop that Faris is tabbing Blake Littman into the role of director of player personnel for the Govs. Littman is the former assistant director of player personnel at Big Ten program Indiana University, which is coming off a record-breaking season under Curt Cignetti that included the Hoosiers' first-ever College Football Playoff berth and an 11-win campaign.
Littman had some five years' experience in the Indiana program, starting as a recruiting staff assistant under former coach Tom Allen and then making the transition to the Cignetti era.
At Austin Peay, Littman -- who's already in the Govs' facilities today and beginning work, sources tell FootballScoop -- will helm personnel operations for the Faris-led program that has been opportunistic in the NCAA Transfer Portal -- snagging multiple Power Conference additions to the roster -- while also still recruited heavily in the high school ranks.
A former Duke player and offensive coordinator for David Cutcliffe, the 35-year-old Faris has significant experience from his lengthy stint at Duke as well as working under Chip Kelly at UCLA. It was just last month at the Collective's Coaches Invitational that former Navy and current San Jose State coach Ken Niumatalolo tabbed Faris