Football | 1/14/2016 1:11:00 PM
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State's new head football coach
Everett Withers announced that he is officially adding 10 members to his football staff for the 2016 season.
The new staff includes six coaches and a director of operations who are rejoining Withers from James Madison.In addition, he added two veteran defensive coaches and an offensive coach who have FBS experience at previous stops.
His staff includes a pair of coaches from American Conference teams, a coach from the Mountain West Conference, four coaches who were part of coaching staffs for six national championship teams and several coaches with ties to the state of Texas and The Ohio State University.
John Wiley was named the associate head coach and linebackers coach, while
Randall McCray will serve as an assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
Brett Elliott will be the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and
Parker Fleming is the special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach.
The other additions include assistant coaches
Ron Antoine,
Adrian Mayes,
Jules Montinar,
Vince Oghobaase and
Tyler Santucci.
Antoine will serve as the running backs and tight ends coach. Mayes will coach the offensive line and serve as a recruiting coordinator for the Bobcats, while Montinar is the cornerbacks coach. Oghobaase is the defensive line coach, and Santucci is the outside linebackers coach.
In addition,
John Streicher is the new director of football operations. Two former staff members,
Anthony Crespino and
Jeremy Smith, will serve as the director of player personnel and the director of player development, respectively.
John WileyAssociate Head Coach/Linebackers CoachJohn Wiley comes to Texas State as the associate head coach and linebackers coach after serving as an associate head coach and inside linebackers coach at East Carolina during the past six seasons. There, he produced six all-conference players, including three First-Team selections, a Freshman All-American and a conference Freshman of the Year. He also helped guide the Pirates to four bowl games and transform ECU's defense into one of the nation's top 40 defenses in two of the last three seasons.
East Carolina ranked among the top seven rushing defenses in 2013 and top 11 rushing defenses in 2014. The Pirates also boasted one of the top 37 overall defenses in 2014 after being listed in the top 40 in 2013. In addition, ECU also ranked among the top 45 teams in rushing defenses in 2012 after improving 60 spots from the previous year. His linebackers also recorded four of the team's forced fumbles in 2012.
Wiley went to East Carolina after an illustrious stint as a defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Appalachian State for 19 years (1993-2009). There, he was the architect of the Mountaineer defense that played a key role in winning three FCS National Championships, appearing in the FCS playoffs 12 times, winning seven conference championships and producing 87 all-conference players.
He began his career as a defensive backs coach at Texas in 1987. He also was a defensive backs coach at Appalachian State for the next two seasons before being named defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator at Iowa Wesleyan in 1991 and Valdosta State in 1992.
Randall McCrayAssistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Safeties CoachRandall McCray comes to Texas State as the assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and safeties coach after serving the past three seasons as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Gardner-Webb where he directed one of the league's top two total defenses and top three scoring defenses in 2015. His defense also produced a three-time FCS All-American and four All-Big South Conference players.
Over the past three seasons combined, McCray's defenses held 13 different opponents to less than 100 yards rushing – including FBS foe Wake Forest. O.J. Mau earned All-America honors for the third straight season in a row in 2015 and Shaquille Riddick earned FCS All-American honors and was fifth in the final voting for the Buck Buchanan Award in 2013. McCray's defense also produced 12 All-Big South players during the past three years.
McCray went to Gardner-Webb after coaching outside linebackers and serving as the special teams coordinator at Pittsburgh. He also was the defensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee State and spent four seasons at Wisconsin, where he coached the defensive line for two years, linebackers for one and safeties in another season. In addition, he has coached at Toledo, Illinois State, Murray State, Bethune-Cookman, Clemson and UT Chattanooga after beginning his coaching career on the staff at South Carolina in 1992. He also had a brief stint at Rice in 2005.
Brett ElliottOffensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks CoachBrett Elliott is in his first season as offensive coordinator at Texas State after serving as the co-coordinator and quarterbacks coach at James Madison last season when he coached the Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Year Vad Lee.
Lee led the nation in total offense with 375.5 yards per game and completion percentage with 68.3 percent. He passed for 2,190 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 814 yards and eight TDs. Lee also became the only player in NCAA Division I history (FCS and FBS) to pass and run for 275 yards in the same game when he threw for 289 yards and rushed for 275 yards in James Madison's 48-45 victory over SMU on Sept. 26. He also earned the "Bill Dudley Award" for the second straight year as the top player in Virginia.
The Dukes had one of the top offenses in the nation in 2015 and ranked second in scoring and total offense with 44.3 points and 528.8 yards per game. The team led the FCS in third-down conversions with 54 percent, while ranking fourth in pass completion percentage with 66.9 percent, seventh in rushing with 273.8 yards per game and ninth in red-zone scoring with 89.4 percent. JMU also set a school record with 6,345 yards of total offense after rushing for 3,285 yards and passing for 3,060 yards.
Elliott went to James Madison in 2015 after serving three seasons on the offensive staff at Mississippi State when the Bulldogs broke 29 individual and team single-season records with the top offense in school history. Mississippi State also won 10 games for the first time and had its highest Associated Press ranking since 1940 when the Bulldogs finished 2014 at No. 11 in the
Associated Press poll.
He was a quarterback as a redshirt freshman at Utah before transferring to Linfield College, where he was named All-American twice and led Linfield to the 2004 NCAA Division III National Championship. He won the Gagliardi Trophy and Melberger Award in 2005, which is given to the top player in Division III.
After signing as a free agent with the San Diego Chargers, Elliott played for the Rhein Fire of NLF Europe and was under contract with the San Jose Sabercats of the Arena League when the league halted operations in 2008. He also played in the Arena League and was a starter for the Utah Blaze in 2010 and Georgia Force in 2011.
Ron Antoine Running Backs and Tight Ends CoachRon Antoine will coach the running backs and tight ends at Texas State after working four years as an assistant coach at Fresno State. Antoine was the running backs coach for the Bulldogs last season after coaching the outside receivers the three previous years. He also was the recruiting coordinator at Fresno State during the past two seasons.
Last season, Antoine coached Marteze Waller, who was named the team's offensive MVP after rushing for 920 yards and five touchdowns on 228 carries. Waller also caught 20 passes for 151 yards and two TDs.
Antoine also produced a pair of the most productive wide receivers in school history during his first three seasons. Davante Adams was named to eight All-America teams in 2013 after shattering Fresno State and Mountain West Conference records with 24 touchdown receptions. His 24 TDs were the fourth highest total in FBS history. He led the nation with 131 yards and was second nationally with 1,718 receiving yards, another school record. Adams also set school records with 233 receptions and 38 TD catches, another MWC record, in his career.
Josh Harper also produced back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons when he caught 79 passes for 1,011 yards and 13 TDs in 2013 and 90 passes for 1,097 yards and seven touchdowns in 2014.
Adams was selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers, and Harper signed as a free agent in 2015.
Antoine went to Fresno State after serving two seasons as a receivers coach at South Alabama, two seasons as the running backs and tight ends coach at Arkansas and two seasons as the running backs coach at Wofford. He also assisted with special teams for the Terriers. Antoine also coached during two different stints at Ohio when he was a graduate assistant in 1998-99 and the wide receivers coach from 2001-04. Antoine's wife, Zenarae, is in her fifth season as Texas State's head women's basketball coach. They have three sons Zavier, Zachary, and Zayden.
Parker Fleming Wide Receivers Coach/Special Teams CoordinatorParker Fleming comes to Texas State after serving as the wide receivers and special teams coach at James Madison for the past two years. Last season, he coached a pair of All-CAA selections in First-Team wide receiver Brandon Ravenel and a Third-Team punter Gunnar Kane. Ravenel led the Dukes with 57 passes for 683 yards and four touchdowns, while Kane averaged 42.3 yards on 40 punts and placed 28 inside the 20 and had nine 50-yard punts.
In 2014, he coached All-CAA Second-Team wide receiver Daniel Brown, who led James Madison with 608 receiving yards on 42 catches and scored seven touchdowns. Brown was signed by the Baltimore Ravens.
He went to James Madison after working on the staff at Ohio State for two years, coaching on the offense and special teams staffs in 2013. Before he went to Ohio State, Fleming coached quarterbacks at his high school in Decatur, Ga. in 2010 and at Capital University in Bexley, Ohio in 2011. He was a quarterback and three-year letterman at Presbyterian College from 2007-09.
Adrian Mayes Offensive Line Coach/Recruiting CoordinatorAdrian Mayes comes to Texas State as the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator after serving briefly as an offensive coordinator and running backs coach under Withers at James Madison. Mayes went to James Madison after serving as the director of football recruiting at Houston during the 2015 season.
Mayes returned to the Bayou City after spending one year as a graduate assistant on the offensive staff at Ohio State in 2014 when the Buckeyes won the first College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy with victories over Alabama and Oregon.
He also spent three seasons as an assistant coach on the offensive and defensive lines at Rice, where he helped the Owls win a Conference USA championship and play in two bowl games. His coaching experience also includes completing an NFL minority internship with the New York Jets while working with the running backs in the spring and summer of 2013.
Mayes played at Kansas, where he developed into the Jayhawks' Offensive Lineman of the Year as a senior after he initially walked on. He was a two-year starter and played on three Jayhawk bowl teams.
Jules Montinar Cornerbacks CoachJules Montinar serves as Texas State's cornerbacks coach after serving two years in a similar capacity at James Madison. While at James Madison, Montinar's cornerbacks broke up 59 passes, intercepted 14 passes and returned six of them for touchdowns. The Duke cornerbacks also forced and recovered eight fumbles. They forced 22 turnovers and scored seven touchdowns overall. Montinar also produced All-Conference First-Team cornerback Taylor Reynolds in 2015 after Reynolds earned Second-Team honors in 2014.
Montinar went to James Madison after he spent two years working with the defense at Alabama, where he helped Alabama finish the 2013 season with an 11-2 record and earn a berth to the 2014 Sugar Bowl. In his first year at Alabama, the Crimson Tide won the 2013 BCS National Championship Game after beating Notre Dame, 42-14, in Miami. That 2012 Tide defense posted four shutouts and held six opponents to 10 points or less. Alabama also led the nation in rush defense, total defense and scoring defense.
He went to Alabama after serving as a graduate assistant at Purdue. He also was the defensive back coach and assistant special teams coach at Lake Erie College in 2010 after beginning his coaching career working with linebackers and defensive ends at his alma mater, Eastern Kentucky in 2007-09. He played football at EKU and West Virginia. While at EKU, he won a conference championship as a player (2007) and coach (2008). He also played in two Gator Bowls while playing at West Virginia.
Vince OghobaaseDefensive Line Coach Vince Oghobaase comes to Texas State after briefly joining James Madison's staff and serving two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Ohio State, where he worked with the defensive line both years, including the 2014 campaign when the Buckeyes won the Buckeyes won the first College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy with victories over Alabama and Oregon.
A native of Houston, Oghobaase went to Ohio State after serving two years on the coaching staff at Duke, where he worked with the defensive line in 2012 after serving as a staff assistant in football relations in 2011.
He also lettered four seasons at Duke, where he played in 44 games and compiled 165 tackles, 36.5 tackles for loss and 14.0 sacks during his career. Oghobaase was a Freshman All-American in 2016 and was named an All-American Third-Team in 2009. He also earned Honorable Mention All-ACC honors twice during his career. After graduating from Duke in 2010, Oghobaase signed as a free agent with the Miami Dolphins and spent time on the Washington Redskins' practice squad. Later, he played with the Hartford Colonels of the UFL.
Tyler Santucci Outside Linebackers CoachTyler Santucci also comes to Texas State after serving briefly as an assistant coach at James Madison. Santucci was a graduate assistant at Wake Forest in 2014 and 2015 while working with the rovers on defense last fall. He went to Wake Forest after coaching at his alma mater, Stony Brook, the previous four seasons.
There, he was a defensive line coach and assisted with the defensive play calling in 2013. That season, the Seawolves defense ranked second in scoring defense and total defense in the Colonial Athletic Association. Stony Brook also was among the league's top five teams in rushing defense. He also coached defensive end Victor Ochi, who led Stony Brook with 10 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. In the previous three years, he worked with safeties one season and the defensive line during his first two years. His leadership helped Ryan Haber and Roosevelt Kirk earn All-Big South honors in 2011.
Santucci also played at Stony Brook and was chosen on the Big South's All-Decade Team in 2013 after being named the Big South Defensive Player of the Year. He was named Stony Brook's first Division I All-American after leading the team with 93 tackles, including 14 tackles for loss in 2009. He finished his career with 284 tackles to rank fourth among the school's all-time leaders, and his 145 solo tackles set a school record.
John Streicher Director of Football OperationsJohn Streicher joins Texas State's football coaching staff after serving the last two years on James Madison's football staff. Last year, he was named the director of football operations and player personnel at James Madison, where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the JMU football program and oversaw JMU's football recruiting and roster. He served as a special assistant to the head coach in his first year at James Madison.
Streicher went to James Madison after spending six seasons on the football staff at Ohio State. He worked the first four years as an equipment manager and his final two years as a student assistant with the defensive staff when he worked with the defensive secondary under Withers.
