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Thompson's staff taking on Ozark theme
Bonesville.net staff report
There may be a new cheer
developing at East Carolina, something the new football coaching staff can
relate to. Something like “Sooey, ECU!”
New Pirates football coach John
Thompson is filling his staff with numerous assistants with connections to
his home state of Arkansas. Of the six coaches added to the staff in the
most recent wave of hirings, only one lacks an Arkansas item on his resume
and that's former ECU standout receiver Larry Shannon, who will work as an
offensive graduate assistant in the reorganization of the Pirates in the
Thompson regime.
The most experienced of the new
additions is no stranger to big-time football. J.B. Grimes has been
offensive line coach at Texas A&M the last five years, offensive line coach
at Virginia Tech for five seasons before that, and yes, offensive line coach
at Arkansas 1989 to 1992. He’s a native of Clarendon, Ark.
Two more position coaches are
kids compared to Grimes, who is 47. New defensive backs coach Matt Graves is
25 and new tight ends coach Steve Janski is 27. Both have been working as
graduate assistants for the Razorbacks.
The former position of
recruiting coordinator has apparently been restructured as director of
football operations, the post that former Razorbacks academic counselor Mike
Ritchie will assume.
Thompson has also summoned Shep
Campbell, a native of Fayetteville, Ark., to be defensive graduate
assistant. Campbell played three years at UCLA, lettering at free safety,
but he ultimately graduated from Central Arkansas, which is also Thompson’s
alma mater.
Earlier, Florida linebackers
coach Jerry Odom was named defensive coordinator and running backs coach
Jerry McManus was retained from the staff of former head coach Steve Logan.
Four staff positions remain to be filled, including offensive coordinator.
With the youth and inexperience
of several of the new staff members, Thompson may have saved a significant
amount from the staff salary pool of $900,000 to compensate a big-time
offensive coordinator. Several candidates have been interviewed and the
hiring process is expected to continue over the weekend as the Pirates also
host many of the football commitments secured by the previous staff.
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