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Joey Jones Football Camps
Coaching Staff
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Bill Clark
Defensive Coordinator
Former Prattville High School head coach Bill Clark — the third individual added to the South Alabama staff on March 3, 2008 — is entering his third season and fourth year as the Jaguars’ assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.
In their first season on the field under Clark’s direction, the Jags surrendered just 41 total points and 234 yards per game to finish the year 7-0. That included allowing no points in the opening quarter of any contest and 12 in the first half as USA never trailed during its inaugural season.
Clark’s unit would give up 225 total yards or fewer in five straight games in the middle of the year, while in the season finale against Huntingdon (Ala.) College the Jags allowed a total of 236 yards to a unit that entered the contest leading the NCAA Division III level in the category in recording the program’s second shutout of the season.
It was a balanced group that contributed to the unit’s success, as nine individuals recorded at least 20 total stops and 17 ended the season with 10 or more tackles. USA sacked the opposing quarterback on 25 occasions in seven games and forced 23 turnovers after intercepting 14 passes and recovering nine fumbles.
The Jag defense was nearly as stingy in the program’s second season of competition, ending the 2010 campaign allowing only 255 yards and 13 points per contest in helping USA to another undefeated mark (10-0). The Jaguars gave up just 81.2 yards per game rushing, a total of 28 points in the third quarter of 10 contests and just 20 second-quarter points all season. The group averaged nearly 2½ sacks per game, recorded 25 total takeaways (15 interceptions, 10 fumble recoveries) and allowed the opposition to convert on just 26 percent of its third-down opportunities.
In addition to shutting out three of 10 opponents, the Jags also held two others to a single-digit scoring total. USA allowed five schools less than 250 yards of total offense, highlighted by a school-record 88 given up to Pikeville (Ky.) in the season opener.
Eight individuals in the group posted at least 20 tackles, with six of those credited with 30 or more stops including a pair of individuals — Enrique Williams and Justin Dunn — who finished with better than 40. A total of 27 players made at least one stop behind the line of scrimmage, with 16 collecting at least one of the Jags’ 24 sacks.
Clark came to South Alabama after nine years as head coach of the two-time Alabama Class 6A champion Lions. His last two teams won 30 straight games, while the 2007 squad was ranked No. 2 in the nation in the USA Today’s national high school poll. Following his final season at PHS, he was named the Alabama High School Athletic Association Coach of the Year and was also selected Schutt Southeast Regional Coach of the Year.
He first led the Lions to the state 6A playoffs in 2000, his second season guiding the program, where they lost by two points in the opening round. Clark earned his first postseason victory a year later, helping PHS advance to the quarterfinals before falling to the eventual state champions, which is where the Lions’ season would end each of the next two falls.
Prattville made its first state championship game appearance under Clark in 2004, with the team allowing three touchdowns in four postseason contests leading up to the final including recording a pair of shutouts. The Lions advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2005 playoffs before dropping a two-point decision as well.
Clark posted a 107-11 (90.7%) overall record during his tenure, suffering his last regular-season loss during the second week of the 2002 season.
Clark served on the staff of the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic three times, including as head coach in the summer of 2007. He also served as head coach in the 2004 North-South All-Star Game.
Following graduation from Jacksonville State in 1990 with a degree in physical education, Clark began his coaching career as an assistant at Piedmont High School. There, he helped guide the Bulldogs to the state 3A playoffs in both of his seasons at the school, including reaching the quarterfinals his first fall. He later coached at Tuscaloosa County High School, Coffee County (Ga.) High School and Dothan High School — the the last stop before taking over at Prattville, he led DHS to back-to-back appearances in the state 6A playoffs, which included picking up a first-round victory in 1998.
Clark and his wife, Jennifer, have two children, Katie (16) and Jacob (14).
Kurt Crain
Linebackers Coach
Kurt Crain, who joined the South Alabama staff in July of 2008, is going into his third season as the program’s linebackers coach and his second as an associate head coach.
In the program’s first season, inside linebackers Justin Dunn and Charlie Higgenbotham ranked first and third on the team with 40 and 26 total tackles, respectively, while helping the defense allow under 235 yards and seven points per outing. Dunn would pace the team in stops in each of its first four games, while fellow inside linebacker Enrique Williams — who would end up with 24 tackles to tie for fourth on the squad — accomplished the feat in two of the season’s final three contests.
Bryson James would chip in 23 stops as Crain’s unit accounted for 16½ tackles for loss while also forcing three fumbles.
Crain’s unit would provide the Jags with their top two tacklers in 2010, as Williams collected 48 stops and Dunn 41 in helping lead USA to a 10-0 mark. Higgenbotham and Jake Johnson — who transferred into the program over the summer — each chipped in with 31 tackles to tie for fifth on the squad in the category, while James finished with 18 and Ben Giles (another transfer) added 14 as well.
Five of those six individuals posted multiple tackles for loss, while Johnson led USA with four sacks. Their efforts helped the Jaguars allow only 255 yards and 13 points per outing in recording the program’s second straight undefeated season.
Crain was an Associated Press All-American at linebacker at Auburn, helping lead the Tigers to a 19-3-2 (80%) mark, the 1987 Southeastern Conference championship and a pair of bowl berths — AU defeated Southern California in the Citrus Bowl his junior year before tying fourth-ranked Syracuse in the Sugar Bowl in his final collegiate appearance. The Tigers finished in the top 10 of the final AP rankings in each of those seasons, ending the 1986 campaign sixth while being voted seventh the following year.
Selected as team captain his senior season, Crain recorded team-leading totals with 168 tackles — still the second-highest figure on the AU season record charts — and five interceptions to add first-team all-SEC accolades to his All-America honors. He also was chosen first-team all-conference the previous fall as his 156 stops, which ranks fifth on the season record list, paced the team.
Crain finished his collegiate career with 324 tackles, four sacks and seven interceptions, and still holds school records with 19 solo stops and 26 total tackles in a 1986 contest against Georgia. And, Crain’s 152 total assists still stand ninth on the school’s all-time list.
He began his collegiate career at Memphis, earning a pair of letters. The Tigers went 11-9-2 during his tenure, picking up a pair of victories over Mississippi State, a 20-point defeat of Mississippi in his collegiate debut and a 17-17 tie against 17th-ranked Florida State his sophomore season.
Following his time on the Plains, Crain was drafted by the Houston Oilers. He played two seasons in the NFL, spending time with both the Oilers and the Green Bay Packers.
He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Auburn in the early ’90s. Crain then moved on to Troy, where he coached linebackers during the 1991 season under Larry Blakeney. Crain then spent the 1992 campaign at Texas Christian with Pat Sullivan, coaching the outside linebackers. Following his stint with the Horned Frogs, Crain returned to his alma mater. While at Auburn, he coached the Tiger defensive line from 1993-95 and then moved to the outside linebackers in 1996 — AU was 36-9-1 (79.3%) during that stretch, finishing all four years ranked in the AP’s final top-25 poll. That included ending his first season back with the program fourth in the country after going 11-0.
Before Crain arrived at USA, he had been hired as the defensive coordinator for the All-American Football League team in Birmingham, Ala.
Crain and his wife Susan have three children: sons Jacob (21), who is a student assistant with the USA football program, and Blain (16), and daughter Shelby (18).
Brian Turner
Recruiting Coordinator/Defensive Staff Coach
Brian Turner is beginning his third season and fourth year on the South Alabama coaching staff as defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator.
Jaguar defensive linemen combined to post 30 of the team’s 67 tackles for loss in 2010 as USA completed a second straight undefeated season, with Romelle Jones pacing the squad with six, Randon Carnathan and Anthony Taylor supplying five each, and Andy Dalgleish and Monatavious Williams collecting four apiece; Jones and Taylor would lead the group overall with both posting 19 total stops. Turner’s unit also broke up eight passes, recovered four fumbles and blocked two kicks as USA allowed only 81.2 yards rushing, 254.6 total yards and 13 points per contest.
Eleven of Turner’s players combined to account for 18 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, helping the Jaguar defense allow under 235 yards and seven points per game while going 7-0 in the school’s inaugural season the previous fall. Three USA defensive linemen — Taylor, Williams and Jones — paced the group after posting double-figure tackle totals, with Taylor tying for fourth on the squad with four stops for loss.
And, in February each of the last three years, Turner’s efforts have assisted the Jags in putting together signing classes to help add to the talent level and depth in the program. That has included inking multiple players ranked among the best at their position by Scout, Inc., as well as numerous individuals who have helped their high schools to state championships and deep postseason runs.
Before coming to Mobile, Turner had worked the previous five years on the coaching staff at Sun Belt Conference rival Troy. In addition to serving as recruiting coordinator, he spent his last season as coach of the defensive ends after working with the safeties in 2006. A guard and center for the Trojans in the mid-1990s, Turner previously worked with the offense, focusing primarily on tight ends and wide receivers.
In five years with the program, Troy compiled a 33-27 (55%) mark overall while going 20-8 (71.4%) in Sun Belt action. The Trojans earned invitations to a pair of bowl games — they were an at-large participant in the 2004 Silicon Valley Bowl, and they defeated Rice 41-17 in the 2006 New Orleans Bowl after receiving the bid as SBC champion — while winning league titles in each of his last two years.
During Turner’s playing career, the Trojans posted a 31-6-1 (82.9%) record, including the school’s first perfect regular-season (11-0) in 1995. In 1993, Troy advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs with victories over Stephen F. Austin and McNeese State, while the 1994 and 1995 squads qualified for postseason play as well.
A native of Fort Meade, Fla., Turner began his coaching career as a graduate assistant with the Trojans from 1999-01. Troy recorded a winning record all three seasons, posting a 28-8 (77.8%) mark in that span including a 13-1 (92.9%) record in Southland Football League action. The Trojans won the conference championship in both 1999 and ’00 before moving up to the NCAA Division I-A level his final year. Troy advanced to the quarterfinals of the playoffs his first season as a graduate assistant while participating in postseason play the following fall as well.
His first full-time appointment came in 2002, when he spent a year as offensive line coach at North Alabama before returning to Troy.
Turner joined his brother John on the USA football staff, making South Alabama one of the few programs at the NCAA Division I-A (Football Bowl Subdivision) level with brothers patrolling the same sideline. Their father, Blaine, played football at University of Tampa and later coached at the high school level for 30 years.
Turner completed his bachelor’s degree in social science in 2000. He is married to the former Kristi Jernigan, and has one daughter, Bryce (3).
Duwan Walker
Defensive Backs Coach
Duwan Walker enters his third season and fourth year on the South Alabama staff working with defensive backs after coming to the program in March 2008.
Six defensive backs combined to intercept 11 passes last fall, with Tim Harvey and Michael Wilson sharing the team lead with three apiece, defending another 18 as the Jags gave up less than 175 yards per game through the air, fewer than 255 yards per outing overall and just 13 points per contest. The secondary had a hand in recovering a pair of fumbles and were credited with forcing three, while five members of the unit posted a double-digit tackle total; Ken Barefield and Jerron Mitchell ranked third and fourth on the team with 37 and 34 stops, respectively.
Members of Walker’s secondary found multiple ways to contribute to a defensive unit that gave up less than 235 yards per game as well as just 41 total points as the Jaguars finished their inaugural season in 2009 7-0. USA defensive backs accounted for all but one of the team’s 14 interceptions — returning two of those for touchdowns — broke up seven other pass attempts, forced two fumbles and recovered another pair. Four members of Walker’s unit posted at least 20 tackles, while another two reached double figures in the category.
Walker spent the previous nine years prior to his arrival in Mobile as an assistant at Prattville High School, where he coached under current USA defensive coordinator Bill Clark. At PHS, he worked for two years as defensive backs coach before being elevated to defensive coordinator in 2001. During that time, he helped the school advance to the state 6A playoffs on eight occasions, three state championship games and the state title in each of his last two seasons on the staff. Overall, the Lions would go 107-11 (90.7%) during his tenure with the program — that included winning every regular-season contest from the third week of the 2002 campaign through the end of his time at PHS.
The Lions first advanced to postseason action in his second year on the staff, and they picked up their first playoff victory during his tenure a year later after advancing to the quarterfinals before falling to the eventual state champions. PHS would again move on to the final eight in 2002 and ’03, then made the state championship game for the first occasion while he was on the staff in 2004.
After another quarterfinal appearance the next fall, Walker helped guide the Lions to the state 6A championship in both 2006 and ’07. They won 30 straight games during that span, finishing second in the country in the USA Today’s national high school poll his last season with the school.
He gained his start in the coaching profession as a graduate assistant at Troy beginning in 1997, working with the defensive line for one season before helping defensive backs the next. In his second season on the staff, Walker helped the Trojans to an 8-4 finish and a berth in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs — that included going 5-2 in the Southland Football League.
A four-year letterman at Troy from 1992-95, Walker played as a true freshman, primarily on special teams. He spot-started at safety as a sophomore before moving into the No. 1 spot on the depth chart for his junior and senior seasons. During his time at Troy, the Trojans competed as an NCAA Division I-AA independent, reaching the semifinals of the playoffs in 1993 while also participating in the event in both 1994 and ’95. The school would go 41-7-1 (84.7%) overall during his career, winning 10 or more games while losing just once in three of those years.
Walker earned a bachelor’s degree in human services with a double minor in psychology and biology from Troy in 1996, and he received his master’s degree in counseling from the school in 2001. He and his wife Kaylyn have three children, Durelle (21), Christian (8) and Caden (6).
Robert Matthews
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
University of South Alabama head football coach Joey Jones announced on December 28, 2011, that Robert Matthews — who just helped Southern Mississippi to a 12-2 finish and the 2011 Conference USA championship — will serve as the program’s offensive coordinator.
Matthews has been part of the Golden Eagle staff for the last two seasons, and was the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator this fall. USM defeated then sixth-ranked Houston 49-28 in the C-USA title game, then earned a 24-17 victory over Nevada in the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl; the Golden Eagles would also beat Western Athletic Conference champion Louisiana Tech and bowl participant Virginia while ranking in the top 20 nationally in both scoring (15th, 36.86 points per game) and total (16th, 461.36 ypg) offense.
This year, USM averaged better than 200 yards per outing both rushing and passing which included collecting a league-best 205.14 yards per contest on the ground. It was the second straight season that the Golden Eagles have recorded better than 200 yards per game rushing and passing, as in Matthews’ first year on the staff — he served in an administrative role which included responsibilities working with the offensive line — USM posted a then school-record 5,894 total yards while accomplishing the feat. The Golden Eagles would participate in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl and end the campaign with eight victories.
“I talked to a lot of coaches in the southeast and Robert’s name kept coming up,” commented Jones. “After interviewing him, I realized immediately that he is an intelligent person who will coach our players hard. With his experience at Southern Mississippi and Oklahoma State, he has been around the type of offense we want to run with our personnel; Robert knows it inside and out, and will bring that knowledge to South Alabama.”
Matthews served in various roles the previous four seasons at Oklahoma State, where he was part of a staff that guided the Cowboys to three bowls games during that span. As the program’s quarterbacks coach in 2009, Matthews helped OSU to a 9-4 record — which included a 6-2 mark in the Big XII Conference — and a berth in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. He was the Cowboys’ director of recruiting in both 2007 and ’08, and served as OSU’s coordinator of football operations in his first year with the program; while in the former role, Matthews’ responsibilities included directing the school’s walk-on program as well as other internal operations.
“Having a chance to observe USA’s program from a distance, I could tell that coach Jones has the Jaguars moving in the right direction,” Matthews stated. “I know a lot of people are excited about the school’s move to the [NCAA] Football Bowl Subdivision and the Sun Belt Conference. This was a great chance to join the program while it was making that transition, I’m looking forward to helping USA achieve all its goals.”
He earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Georgia, adding a master’s degree from the school in science education. Matthews played three seasons for the Bulldogs, and in addition to being part of Outback and Peach Bowl champion squads he was named to the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll on three occasions.
Before moving to the collegiate level, Matthews was tight ends coach and special teams coordinator at Oconee (Ga.) High in 1999, Camden County (Ga.) High’s wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator the following fall and offensive coordinator at North Gwinnett (Ga.) High for two seasons from 2001-02. He also served three seasons as head coach at Shiloh (Ga.) High, where in addition to guiding the program to multiple postseason berths in the state’s highest classification he played a key role in a facility upgrade for the school that included a new strength center, locker room and coaches’ offices.
John Turner
Offensive Line Coach
John Turner joined the South Alabama coaching staff in March 2008, and is entering his fourth year working with the Jag offensive line.
In the program’s first-ever season, Turner’s unit played a key role in helping the Jaguars average better than 45 points and nearly 440 yards per outing. The offensive line cleared the way for USA running backs to record an average of more than six yards per carry, while the passing game accounted for over 170 yards per contest as the group surrendered just seven sacks in seven games. Five Jag linemen recorded five knockdown blocks per game or more, including two — Jon Griffin and Chris Brunson — who paced the group with 55 and 53 pancakes, respectively.
In 2010, the offensive line was just as effective as USA averaged more than 41 points and nearly 440 yards per game while winning all 10 outings. The unit helped the Jaguars collect more than 200 yards per game both on the ground and through the air, and it allowed just 12 sacks despite missing the services of a pair of upperclassmen for multiple games. Both Griffin and Trey Clark were credited with better than seven pancake blocks per contest, with six individuals reaching double digits in the category.
A native of Fort Meade, Fla., Turner served as offensive line coach at Chattanooga beginning in 2003 and was promoted to assistant head coach following the 2005 season. His line units surrended less than a sack per game on average over his last three years and he produced a trio of all-Southern Conference selections — tackle Josh Shinpaugh in 2005, guard Justin Matherson in 2006 and center Garrett Windham in ’07.
Turner went to UTC after one season at Western Carolina. He has also had collegiate coaching stops at Clemson as a graduate assistant for Tommy Bowden in 2001 and at Auburn in 1997 and ’98, when he was offensive line and special teams assistant under Terry Bowden. AU won the SEC West and defeated Clemson in the Peach Bowl his first year with the program, while Clemson went 7-5 and defeated Louisiana Tech 49-24 in the Humanitarian Bowl in his lone season with the program. CU spent eight weeks in the national rankings, with the highlight of its season a 47-44 overtime victory at then-No. 9 Georgia Tech.
A 1988 graduate of Jacksonville State with a degree in physical education, Turner was a standout offensive lineman for the Gamecocks in 1986 and 1987. JSU finished 5-4-1 in each of his two seasons as a letterwinner.
He began his coaching career immediately as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, working with a team that reached the NCAA Division II quarterfinals. The Gamecocks ended that season 10-2 overall, and they went 7-1 in Gulf South Conference play to tie for the league champinship — JSU would defeat West Chester 63-24 for the school’s first postseason victory in six years.
Turner also has ties to the high school ranks in the state, coaching at Daleville High School (1989-93), Dothan High School (1994-96) and UMS-Wright Prep (1999-00). In just his second season on the staff, Daleville High advanced to the second round of the state 4A playoffs before falling 27-21 in double overtime to the eventual runner-up. After a two-point loss in the second round to the same school the following fall — this time, the opposition would go on to earn the title — his DHS team won the state championship in 1992 and advanced to the state finals in 1993.
Dothan HS advanced to the state 6A playoffs in his final year on the staff as well, while his efforts helped UMS-Wright win a pair of postseason contests to make the quarterfinals of the 4A bracket in each of his two seasons with the school.
Turner has coaching in his heritage as his father, Blaine, is a retired head coach in the Florida high school ranks, while his brother Brian is also on the USA staff.
While at Auburn, Turner earned his master’s degree in physical education in 1998. He and his wife Kim have one son, Walker Wilson (4).
Tommy Perry
Running Backs/Special Teams Coordinator
Tommy Perry is entering his third season on the South Alabama football coaching staff working with the program’s running backs and as the special teams coordinator.
Five Jag running backs gained at least 100 yards in the program’s inaugural season in the fall of 2009, with the group accounting for almost 80 percent of USA’s 267 yards per game on the ground. Brandon Ross led the group with 594 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Santuan McGee rushed for 350 yards and three scores to help the Jaguars average better than six yards per carry.
And his efforts helped the Jags excel on special teams play too. Scott Garber averaged 42 yards per punt with nine of 22 kicks downed inside the opposition’s 20-yard line, and Erling Riis averaged just under 13 yards per punt return. The kick return unit gained nearly 30 yards per run back, while USA allowed opponents to average only 17 yards per kickoff return. And, Jaguar kickers combined to make 5-of-6 field-goal attempts while converting 40 extra points, with Michel Chapuseaux ending the season second on the team in scoring with 46 points.
Despite losing Ross to a season-ending injury midway through the 2010 campaign, Perry’s group still managed to contribute to an attack that averaged more than 230 yards per game rushing and nearly 440 overall. Highlighted by a school-record 891 yards from Kendall Houston, the Jags’ top four rushers all gained at least 200 yards in the fall as eight running backs combined to collect totals of 1,923 yards (82.7 percent of the team’s overall total) and 25 scores. The unit also contributed to the passing attack, led by T.J. Glover’s 14 receptions — which tied for fourth on the team — for 155 yards.
Behind the efforts of Glover and Jeremé Jones, USA’s punt returners increased the team’s average from 8.8 yards to 16 per run back, while Jaguar placekickers combined to go 17-of-23 on field-goal attempts one year after making only four in seven outings; that including helping Lawson McGlon kick a school-record four field goals on two different occasions. The Jags also averaged almost 23 yards per kick return and more than 39 yards per punt, as Garber had 16 of 34 kicks end up inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
Perry spent the three seasons prior to joining the Jag staff before the program’s first-ever spring practice as a graduate assistant and then an intern on the staff at Alabama, working under both Nick Saban and Mike Shula. The Crimson Tide went undefeated in the regular season in the fall of 2008, advancing to the Southeastern Conference championship game as well as the Allstate Sugar Bowl. After posting a 12-2 record, the team was ranked sixth in both the final Associated Press and USA Today top-25 polls.
UA finished 7-6 the previous season, defeating Colorado 30-24 in the PetroSun Independence Bowl, while the Crimson Tide participated in the same postseason contest his first year as part of the program.
Perry began his coaching career as an assistant strength & conditioning coach at Texas in 2004, also serving as an academic advisor for the Longhorns. He became a linebacker and strength coach at Texas A&M-Commerce later that year, moving over to coach running backs and handle kickoff return duties in 2005 for the Lions. Three of his backs earned all-Lone Star Conference honors that year, including one who was named the Offensive Back of the Year after rushing for more than 1,000 yards in 10 games.
His responsibilities at TAMUC also included assisting with the program’s recruiting in Northeast Texas and Northern California.
Perry has additional experience coaching at the professional level after working as a special teams assistant and head strength coach for NFL Europe’s Amsterdam Admirals in 2006. That spring the team posted a 7-3 mark and competed in the World Bowl.
A 2003 graduate of Texas A&M with a degree in English and history, Perry played two seasons — lettering in 2003 — for the Aggies as a fullback, inside linebacker and defensive end while also participating on various special teams units. He was one of four players on the team who served as the program’s 12th man as a senior. He began his career as an inside linebacker at Tyler [Texas] Junior College.
Perry, who earned his master’s degree in health & human performance from Texas A&M-Commerce 2005, is married to the former Angela Painter. The couple have one daughter, Joanna Rose (2).
Ron Antoine
Wide Receivers Coach
Ron Antoine, entering his second season on the South Alabama football coaching staff working with wide receivers, wasted little time in making an impact on the program after starting the day before the Jaguars began spring practice in February 2009 following two seasons at Arkansas.
In his first year with the Jags, Antoine’s unit had a major impact on the offense averaging 35 more yards per outing through the air. Courtney Smith surpassed his own school records with 38 receptions for 592 yards, tying another with five touchdown catches, in leading the team in all three categories. Three freshmen also reached double figures in catches, with Bryant Lavender (16), Jeremé Jones (15) and Corey Waldon (14) all finishing in the top four on the squad behind Smith — it was a double-digit increase for Lavender, who caught one pass in 2009, while Waldon saw his total climb by nine from his performance in the program’s initial season. In all, eight receivers contributed to totals of 102 receptions, 1,531 yards and 11 scores.
In the second of Antoine’s two seasons with the Razorbacks, they finished 8-5 after defeating East Carolina 20-17 in overtime in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. UA — which finished tied for fourth in the Southeastern Conference West Division — ended the year by winning five of its last six outings. Included in the final record was a victory over No. 17 Auburn, while four of the program’s five losses came to schools ranked in the top 20 at the time. In 2009, the Razorback offense set school season records for points, passing yards, touchdowns passing and total offense.
The Razorbacks’ 2008 campaign — his first with the program — included wins over nationally ranked opponents Auburn and Tulsa.
Antoine’s duties at Arkansas included assisting with running backs, fullbacks and tight ends, scouting the opposition, helping put together practice scripts and game plans, and evaluating and developing self scout reports. He also evaluated the performance of UA offensive players and assisted in recruiting.
The previous two years, Antoine coached running backs and assisted with special teams at Wofford. The Terriers won the 2007 Southern Conference championship, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly NCAA Division I-AA) playoffs en route to a 9-4 finish. That fall, WC running backs ranked second in the nation with 2,899 yards and 32 touchdowns, while he helped Kevious Johnson earn first-team all-conference honors.
In his first season with the Terrier program, Antoine helped WC go 7-4 overall and 5-2 in the SoCon. WC averaged just under 30 points per game while two of its four losses were by only one touchdown at eventual FCS champion Appalachian State as well as at Football Bowl Subdivision and SEC member South Carolina.
While at Elon in 2005, he worked with wide receivers and slot backs. Under his direction, Michael Mayers collected 632 yards receiving — a total that still ranks among the top 10 on the school’s season record list — on his way to becoming one of only three players in school history to record more than 2,000 receiving yards in a career. Antoine’s other responsibilities with the Phoenix included assisting with special teams and monitoring the team’s academic progress.
Antoine has served two stints on the staff at Ohio. He was a graduate assistant during the 1998 and ‘99 seasons before earning his master’s degree in higher education in 2000, then returned as a full-time assistant from 2001-04.
Some of the program’s accomplishments after Antoine returned to the school included finishing .500 in the Mid-America Conference (2002) as well as defeating Kentucky (2004). In his role working with wide receivers and coordinating the passing attack, several Bobcats recorded performances that made the school’s top-10 lists for catches and yards receiving in a game, and receiving and all-purpose yards in a career. Scott Mayle ended up second in OU history in receiving yards and fifth in all-purpose yards, while Chris Jackson’s 12 receptions against Miami (Ohio) in 2004 were the second-highest total recorded in the program’s record books.
In fact, Jackson’s 39 catches that fall were most by an Ohio receiver since the 1991 campaign.
His other responsibilities with the school included scouting opponents, working with the kickoff return unit, monitoring the program’s academic progress and serving as a liaison with the faculty on campus. While a full-time assistant at Ohio, Antoine worked with another member of the Jaguar coaching staff, as USA offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Greg Gregory was at the school from 2001-03.
During Antoine’s two years as a graduate assistant with the Bobcats, when his duties included coordinating the scout defense and special teams, and breaking down film, OU posted a 5-3 mark in MAC action each fall.
In between stints at Ohio, he was an assistant coach — his duties also included coordinating recruiting efforts off the field and the program’s passing attack on it — at Fayetteville (N.C.) State during the 2000 campaign. His work with Bronco receivers helped Andregus Holmes earn all-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association honors.
Antoine was a four-year letterwinner at Colorado State from 1993-96, where he played wide receiver. Twice during his career the Rams won the Western Athletic Conference championship to earn a berth in the Holiday Bowl, highlighted by the program’s 10-2 record his sophomore season — that fall, CSU defeated both nationally ranked Brigham Young and Arizona. As a junior, the Rams finished 8-4 with a victory over No. 21 Air Force, and they posted a 7-5 mark (three of those losses came against top-25 teams) his final year.
CSU would go on to reclaim the WAC title in 1997 when Antoine served as a student assistant coach, ending the season ranked 17th in the nation after picking up a 35-24 win over 19th-ranked Missouri in the Holiday Bowl. He would earn his degree in exercise and sport science from the school in ’97.
Antoine’s wife, Zenarae, is in her first season as head coach of the women’s basketball program at Texas State. The couple’s twin sons, Zachary and Zavier, turned two the last week of January.
Bryant Vincent
Tight Ends/Special Teams Assistant
Bryant Vincent was added to the USA coaching staff in January 2011, with his responsibilities including working with tight ends and assisting with special teams duties.
Vincent has been a head coach at the high-school level the last five years, including four at Spanish Fort High School. In addition to leading the Toros to the state 5A championship in the fall, he was twice named the Baldwin County Coach of the Year following the 2008 and ’10 campaigns. In his second year guiding the program, SFHS finished 11-2 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs before falling to the eventual winner. A season later, the Toros advanced to the semifinals of the state playoffs — where they dropped a 29-28 decision to the ultimate champion — on the way to an 11-3 finish before claiming the state title last season; SFHS ended 2010 with a 13-2 mark.
He also served as the school’s athletic director during that four-year span, overseeing a program that collected five state championships in that time — in addition to the one he coached in football, the Toros also picked up two titles in track, one in cross country and one in baseball. And as president of the Spanish Fort Sports Association, Vincent instructed a youth league coaches clinic every summer, held youth football camps, and chose the head coaches and organized the draft for all divisions.
In his first season as a head coach, Vincent led Greenville (Ala.) High to a 10-3 record and a berth in the quarterfinals of the state 5A playoffs in 2006 one year after the Tigers finished 1-9. For his efforts, he was selected the 5A Coach of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.
In five years as a head coach, he compiled a 49-16 (75.4%) mark which included going 39-13 (75%) at Spanish Fort High.
Vincent — who originally hails from Glasgow, Ky. — is a 1998 graduate of West Alabama, where he earned a degree in physical education. He got his start in the coaching profession as a student assistant for the Tigers in the fall of 1996, going on to coach UWA’s wide receivers the following season.
After one year as the offensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coach at Hart County (Ky.) High School, Vincent moved to the staff at Charles Henderson (Ala.) HS. He was the Trojans’ quarterbacks and receivers coach in 1999, earning a promotion to offensive coordinator after his first year with the school. In his last three seasons at CHHS, the school posted a 24-8 (75%) record while averaging 29.5 points per contest; Vincent’s unit put up three of the four best offensive seasons in the school’s history during that time as well.
Vincent also served as the assistant head coach/offensive coordinator — working with quarterbacks and wide receivers — at Spain Park (Ala.) HS during the 2003-05 seasons. In his first season on the staff, the Jaguars improved from 14 to 26 points per game offensively, going from 3-7 to 7-3 to qualify for the state playoffs for the first time in school history. SPHS would earn its first postseason victory the following fall, finishing the year 9-4 after advancing to the quarterfinals of the state 6A playoffs before falling to the eventual champions.
Vincent, who added a master’s degree from Troy in 2001, and his wife Holli have two sons, Brady (14) and Bret (5).
Brendt Bedsole
Director of Operations
Brendt Bedsole enters his third season, and fourth year overall, as the director of operations for the South Alabama football program.
In his role handling day-to-day aspects of the program, Bedsole coordinates the budget, handles all aspects of travel and is the Jaguars’ professional scout liaison. He also has responsibilities assisting with the scheduling of preseason camp and practices, the recruiting process, clinics and community relations projects.
Bedsole came to the program after working the previous two years at Hoover (Ala.) High School as a teacher and assistant football coach. In 2007, when Bedsole served on the Buccaneer football staff, HHS reached the quarterfinals of the state 6A playoffs.
Prior to his tenure at the high school level, Bedsole spent nine years as an assistant coach at four universities. He was an assistant at Samford during the 2005 and ’06 seasons — the Bulldogs finished .500 in Ohio Valley Conference action his first year on the staff — while working at fellow OVC member Murray State the previous four falls. While at MSU, Bedsole handled a variety of responsibilities, including coaching tight ends, outside linebackers, free safeties, defensive ends, and he was the program’s special teams coordinator. The Racers won 22 games during his tenure, which included advancing to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs in 2002 after they tied for the league title with a 5-1 mark — MSU tied for second with a 6-2 OVC record in 2004 as well.
Dating back to his undergraduate days, Bedsole also served on Auburn’s staff on three different occasions. He was a student assistant during the 1987 and ’88 campaigns, later working as a graduate assistant in 1997 and again from 1999-00. In those five seasons, the Tigers played in the Sugar Bowl twice, the Florida Citrus Bowl and the Peach Bowl while compiling a 43-16-2 (72.1%) overall record and a 25-11-1 (68.9%) mark in the Southeastern Conference. AU won the league championship twice and added a pair of SEC West Division titles in his time with the program.
Bedsole also worked as an assistant at Trinity (Ala.) High School — serving as head junior varsity coach as well — in 1998.
He received his bachelor’s degree from Auburn in 1989 and his master’s degree from the school in 2000. Bedsole was a walk-on for the Tigers during the 1985 and ’86 seasons, as they were 18-6 during that stretch while playing in both the Cotton and Citrus Bowls.
Bedsole — who was a corporate businessman from 1990-97 — and his wife Beth have a six-year-old daughter, Sarah Catherine and one son, Will, who was born on Feb. 17.
