Bill Clark 
Defensive Coordinator 
Former Prattville High School head coach Bill Clark became the third coach added to the South Alabama staff when he was named assistant head coach and defensive coordinator on March 3, 2008.

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 (14) and Jacob (11).

Kurt Crain 

Linebackers Coach
Kurt Crain joined the South Alabama staff as linebackers coach in July of 2008.

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 (19), who is a freshman on the USA baseball team this year, and Blain (14), and daughter Shelby (15).

Chuck Dunn
Strength & Conditioning Coach
Chuck Dunn — who will work with USA’s outside linebackers and assist with the strength and conditioning program — came to South Alabama after spending the previous six seasons as head strength and conditioning coach and linebackers coach at Prattville High School in Prattville, Ala.  While with the Lions, Dunn was responsible for the strength and conditioning of 15 varsity sports.

During his six seasons at Prattville with fellow Jaguar assistant coaches Bill Clark and Duwan Walker, the Lions recorded an 83-4 (95.4%) overall record highlighted by capturing back-to-back Alabama High School Athletic Association 6A state titles as well as a No. 2 national ranking in the 2007 USA Today top-25 poll.  During those two seasons, the Lions had an unblemished 31-0 record.

Actually, PHS advanced to at least the quarterfinals of the state 6A playoffs in each of his years on the staff, which included making the 2004 title contest.

He began his coaching career at Troy, where he served as a student assistant for three years (1994-96) working with the offensive line coach.  The Trojans compiled a 31-7 (81.6%) mark in that span, advancing to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs each of those seasons.  Troy finished 8-4 his first year, then improved to 11-1 the next fall — that was the first undefeated regular season in the school’s history.  In Dunn’s final season as a student assistant, the Trojans posted a 12-2 overall record, won the Southland Football League championship with a 5-1 mark and advanced to the semifinals of the I-AA playoffs with victories over Florida A&M and Murray State.

Upon his graduation from Troy, Dunn moved just down the road from the Trojan campus to Charles Henderson High School.  While at CHHS (1997-99), Dunn served as an assistant coach responsible for the defensive backs.

After three seasons in the prep ranks, Dunn returned to the college profession when he served as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater beginning in 2000.  Working with the Trojans under head coach Larry Blakeney, Dunn led the program’s strongside linebackers for two years — the 2001 campaign was the season in which Troy made the jump to the NCAA Division I-A level.  His efforts helped the school go 17-6 (73.9%) during that stretch, as the program went 7-0 to claim the SFL title and qualified for the NCAA I-AA playoffs his first year back.

Upon the completion of his graduate assistantship, Dunn joined the Prattville staff and coach Clark in June 2002.

Dunn is a 1997 graduate of Troy, earning his bachelor’s degree in physical education and social work while minoring in sports recreation.  He and his wife Wini has a one-year-old son, Gardner.

Mitch Rodrigue 
Offensive Line (Tackles-Tight Ends) Coach
Mitch Rodrigue, who will work with South Alabama’s offensive tackles and tight ends, was added to the Jaguar staff in July 2008.  In total, he brings 21 years coaching at the collegiate level to USA.

Prior to his arrival a South Alabama, Rodrigue spent the previous nine seasons at Southern Miss, where he coached the offensive line (2003-07), tight ends (2000-02) and running backs (1999).  During his tenure, he was a valuable member of the staff, not only on the field, but also as a recruiter, as he was named one of Rivals.com Top 10 recruiters from a non-BCS conference in 2006. That same season, Rodrigue’s offensive line allowed just 10 sacks all season, ranking 18th nationally, while the Golden Eagles rush for an average of 169.9 yards a game, which ranked first in Conference USA and 25th nationally. The unit also collected its first two All-Americans since the 1950s, with the naming of George Batiste and Travis Cooley to different squads, and led the Golden Eagles to a school-record 4,635 yards of total offense, over 2,000 yards rushing for the first time since 1987, and the school’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2002.

In 2005, Rodrigue guided the offensive line to another strong season, as the offense finished with 4,288 yards of total offense, the sixth-best performance in school history. The offensive line, led by all-Conference USA performers Batiste and Cooley, only allowed nine sacks that season, ranking 12th in the nation, and did not allow a sack in six games on the year.

In 2004, the offensive line, led by linemen Jeremy Parquet (second-team all-Conference USA) and Chris Clark (C-USA All-Freshman Team) was just as strong, surrendering only seven sacks for the season.  Parquet was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL Draft.

During his first season leading the USM offensive line (2003), Rodrigue helped the Golden Eagles win their fourth Conference USA title and earn an invitation to the Liberty Bowl despite working with a unit that had lost three starters to the National Football League from the previous year.  All Rodrigue did was have three players garner all-league honors, Parquet (first-team), Jim Hicks (second-team) and Chris White (third-team).  Cooley was also named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team in 2002.

Before taking over as the offensive line coach in 2003, Rodrigue coached the running backs in 1999 and the tight ends from 2000-02. He also assisted with the offensive line during his initial stint at Southern Miss, serving as the program’s graduate assistant in 1989 and 1990 under former head coach Curley Hallman.  During his 11 seasons at USM, the Golden Eagles made eight bowl trips — participating in the GMAC Bowl (2000, ’06), the New Orleans Bowl (2004, ’05), the AXA Liberty Bowl (1999, 2003), the Papajohns.comBowl (2007), the Houston Bowl (2002) and the All-American Bowl (1990).

A native of Thibodaux, La., Rodrigue also coached several seasons at Nicholls State (1993-98), serving as tight ends, offensive line coach and offensive coordinator during his time at his alma mater.  While at NSU, Rodrigue helped the Colonels lead the Southland Conference in passing.  In addition to his time as the Colonels’ offensive coordinator, he also served at various times as recruiting coordinator and, after the resignation of Rick Rhoades in 1995, interim head coach.  As offensive line coach, Rodrigue’s linemen blocked for the school’s first 1,000-yard rusher in 1996.  Rodrigue was also a student assistant coach 1987-88.

Prior to his coaching stint at Nicholls State, Rodrigue worked for two seasons as an assistant coach at Pearl River Community College (1991-92) where he served as offensive line coach, as well as strength and conditioning coach.

Rodrigue played at Nicholls State and helped the Colonels reach the second round of the NCAA Division I -AA playoffs in 1986, as well as win the 1984 Gulf Star Conference title.  He also played one season at Copiah-Lincoln Community College prior to his career at Nicholls State, and was an all-district performer at Thibodaux High School.

Rodrigue and his wife, Deidi, have three children, Maci (18), Madden (14), and Mallori (12).

Brian Turner 
Recruiting Coordinator/Defensive Staff Coach
Brian Turner was the last coach hired in March 2008 to coordinate South Alabama’s recruiting efforts as well as work with the program’s defensive line.

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 season, posting a 28-8 (77.8%) mark in that span including a 13-1 (92.9%) mark 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 joins 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, while their sister, Kristin, was a Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleader for five 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 (1).

John Turner 
Offensive Line (Guards - Centers) Coach
Former Tennessee-Chattanooga offensive line coach John Turner joined the South Alabama coaching staff in March 2008, where he will continue to work with interior offensive linemen.

A native of Fort Meade, Fla., Turner served as offensive line coach at UTC since 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. Their sister, Kristin, is a former Pro Bowl cheerleader for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While at Auburn, Turner earned his master’s degree in physical education in 1998.  He and his wife Kim have one son, Walker Wilson (1).

Duwan Walker 
Defensive Backs Coach
Duwan Walker became the second coach from Prattville High School to join the South Alabama staff when he was named defensive backs coach in March 2008.  He rejoined his former boss, Bill Clark, who serves as the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator.

Walker spent nine years as an assistant for the Lions, working two years as defensive backs coach before being elevated to defensive coordinator in 2001.  During that time, he helped PHS 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 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 (18), Christian (6) and Caden (3).

Greg Gregory 
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks 

Greg Gregory, who has 15 seasons experience as an offensive coordinator at four schools, including a pair at South Florida after guiding the Bulls’ unit the last two years, was named South Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in February.  He has been a head coach for two years as well since entering the profession as a graduate assistant in 1980.

Under Gregory’s tutelage, USF quarterback Matt Grothe ranked among the top 30 in the nation in total offense in each of the last two seasons.  Mike Ford and Ben Williams collected a combined total of 18 touchdowns in 2007, more than any duo in school history, and the Bulls produced record numbers in total offense yards (5,383) and yards per game (414.1) that fall while scoring an average of 34.7 points per outing.

The Bulls went 8-5 a year ago, picking up a win in the inaugural St. Petersburg Bowl, while recording a 9-4 finish to go along with a berth in the Brut Sun Bowl in his first season running the offense.  USF also advanced to the Meineke Car Care Bowl as well as the Papajohns.com Bowl during Gregory’s tenure with the program, winning 32 contests during that stretch.  He worked with tight ends his first two seasons with the program.

Prior to arriving at South Florida, Gregory was the offensive coordinator at Ohio from 2001-03.  His efforts in 2002 helped the Bobcats average 32 points per outing in Mid-American Conference action, the school’s highest figure in 25 years.  In 2000, he was an offensive coordinator at Richmond -- the Spiders won the Atlantic 10 championship with a 7-1 record, going 10-3 overall after defeating Youngstown State in the opening round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

Gregory was the head coach at Missouri Southern in 1998 and ’99, guiding the Lions to a two-win improvement in his second season after inheriting a program that forfeited all its victories the year prior to his appointment.

He served as an assistant in several capacities at Army, beginning in 1982 when he was hired to work with Cadet receivers.  Gregory moved to guide tight ends and was the junior varsity coach in 1984, beginning a two-season stint leading the program’s running backs the next fall.  In 1987, Gregory was shifted to quarterbacks coach, becoming offensive coordinator in 1989 before being promoted to associate head coach in ’91.

During his 16 seasons at Army, the Cadets advanced to four bowl games -- still the only ones in the program’s 109-year history  -- while winning 93 contests.  The USMA defeated Michigan State in the Cherry Bowl to wrap up an 8-3-1 record in 1984, his third season on the staff, following up a year later by going 9-3 after defeating Illinois in the Peach Bowl.  Army put together another 9-3 campaign in 1988 that ended with a berth in the John Hancock Sun Bowl, while a 10-2 finish in 1996 after reaching the Poulan/Weed Eater Independence Bowl provided the most wins in program history.

His efforts also helped the Cadets claim 10 of 16 match-ups against Navy during that stretch.

Army led the nation in rushing four times while he was with the program.  He coached Ron McAda  -- the only Cadet quarterback to be selected In the National Football League Draft  -- as well as running back Mike Mayweather, who would go on to rush for more than 4,000 yards in his career.

While coaching at Army, Gregory was a commissioned officer with the rank of captain from 1982-85 as well.

Gregory earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Richmond in 1980, lettering three times as a quarterback for the Spiders.  He would go on to earn 24 credit hours in sports psychology graduate studies at Virginia, where he served as a graduate assistant on the Cavalier staff in 1980 and ’81.

He and his wife Judy have two sons, Tate (25) and Grant (22), and a daughter, Layne (18).

Tommy Perry 
Running Backs/Special Teams Coordinator 

Tommy Perry was hired in February to lead South Alabama’s running backs, and he will also serve as the program’s special teams coordinator.

Perry spent the last three seasons 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, 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.

Ron Antoine
Wide Receivers Coach

Ron Antoine joined the South Alabama football coaching staff on the day before the program began spring practice in February.  Antoine, who has been at Arkansas the last two seasons in multiple capacities, will work with wide receivers.

Last season, the Razorbacks 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 their 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 on the Bobcat staff 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 the recruiting coordinator for the women's basketball program at Arkansas.  The couple's twin sons, Zachary and Zavier, turned one last month.

Brendt Bedsole
Director of Operations

Brendt Bedsole was hired during the 2008-09 academic year as a member of the South Alabama staff as the director of football operations.

Bedsole comes to the program after working the last 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 spend 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 assisting with tight ends, outside linebackers, free safeties, defensive ends and special teams units.  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 as an assistant — also serving as head junior varsity coach — 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  4-year-old daughter, Sarah Catherine.