There's been a shuffling of defensive coordinator chairs in the Gulf South Conference.
Chowan University, located in Murfreesboro, N.C., has hired Tony Gilbert away from Mississippi College. Gilbert and Chowan will host Mississippi College on Sept. 28.
Gilbert spent five seasons at Mississippi College, helping the Braves transition from Division III to Division II.
Gilbert's specialty is secondary play; he previously coached defensive backs at Stephen F. Austin, Eastern Illinois, ULM, Arkansas State and Central Arkansas, among others.
Chowan is looking to improve upon a tough first season under head coach Paul Johnson (not the former Navy and Georgia Tech coach). The Hawks went 0-10 in 2023, finishing 147th in D2 in scoring defense, 135th in passing efficiency, and 133rd in rushing defense.
In response to Gilbert's departure, Mississippi College hired Will Paruta as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
The position will be Paruta's first as an on-field coach. He broke into the business serving as a student assistant with Clemson's strength program from 2013-16. Upon graduation, he transitioned to a graduate intern under Brent Venables.
From there, Paruata spent 2018 as a graduate assistant with Jacksonville State, 2019-20 as a senior defensive analyst at Troy, 2021-22 in the same role at Coastal Carolina. He then followed Jamey Chadwell to Liberty in 2023, again serving as a senior defensive analyst.
Mississippi College went 3-7 in 2023.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.