Coach Mo's staff starts taking shape

Staff Report
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Ten days after taking over as East Carolina's head football coach, Scottie Montgomery took the first formal steps on Wednesday towards organizing the program to reflect his blueprint by announcing the hiring of five staff members.

Continuity will play a part in the equation as Montgomery looked to the staff of former ECU coach Ruffin McNeill to retain Rick Smith as defensive backs coach. Smith, who served as the Pirates' defensive coordinator last season, is intimately familiar with the program, having also been a part of the Skip Holtz coaching regime that brought two Conference USA championship trophies to Greenville.

The other hires announced by Montgomery:

• Vanderbilt associate head coach and linebackers coach Kenwick Thompson headlines the new staff appointments. Thompson will depart Nashville to served as the Pirates' defensive coordinator.

• Deke Adams, who served as South Carolina's defensive line coach since 2013, will assume those same responsibilities at ECU.

• Miami Dolphins assistant coach Phil McGeoghan will oversee the Pirates' pass-catching corps. Before serving as Miami's wide receivers coach this season, McGeoghan had been an assistant wide receivers coach for the Dolphins since 2012.

• Terrell Smith, director of football operations under Duke head coach David Cutcliffe last season, will be ECU's assistant athletic director for football operations.

Montgomery is undoubtedly working the phones from New York City to round out his staff. The Duke offensive coordinator and associate head coach is in the Big Apple for his final game with the Blue Devils before taking up residence in Greenville. Duke will meet Indiana on Saturday in Yankee Stadium in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.

PAGE UPDATED 12/24/15 04:07 AM.

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