University of Memphis Athletics
Huff Announces Football Staff for 2026 Season
Jan 01, 2026 | Football
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Head football coach Charles Huff has announced his staff for the upcoming 2026 season.
Kevin Decker – Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks
Kevin Decker comes to Memphis as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after three seasons at Old Dominion.
During the 2025 season, Decker helped coach the Monarchs to a 10-3 overall record and a 24-10 victory over South Florida in the StaffDNA Cure Bowl. ODU continued to improve its offensive numbers, finishing the regular season fifth in the country in passing yards per completion (14.92), seventh in rushing offense (236.9) and in the top 35 in FBS in first downs offense (272).
Putting up over 32 points per game and ranked as the 32nd best offense in Division I during the season, the Monarchs put up 30 or more points in six games this season and 24 or more points in 12 of their 13 contests. Their average of over 460 yards of offense put them 15th in country and second in the Sun Belt in total offense.
Decker helped coach quarterback Colton Joseph, the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the year while being named to the second team. Jospeh went on to throw for 2,624 yards and 21 touchdowns while adding in 1,007 yards on the ground and scoring 13 touchdowns of his own. He ranked sixth in the country with his 34 total touchdowns and second with 15.2 yards per completions
Offensive lineman Zach Barlev was named to the first team after starting all 12 regular season games at left tackle for the Monarchs while helping to allow the fewest sacks in the Sun Belt.
Offensive lineman Ryan Joyce and wide receiver Tre Brown both earned second and third team honors, respectively. Stephon Dubose-Bourne (OL) and Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding (WR) also earned honorable mention nods from the conference.
In his second season as ODU's offensive coordinator, Decker's offensive numbers improved nearly across the board, as the Monarchs led the Sun Belt in rushing yards and in red zone offense. ODU led the country in red zone offense, going 38-for-40 and scoring at a 95 percent rate.
ODU scored 28 points per game in 2024, nearly five points per game more than in 2023 and rushed for 2,517 yards, 523 yards more than in 2023. The 2,517 rushing yards was the second most in ODU program history. The Monarchs finished sixth in the Sun Belt in total yards per game at 402, averaging more than 50 yards per game more than in 2023.
Decker helped redshirt freshman quarterback Colton Joseph earn Sun Belt honorable mention honors as Joseph passed for 1,627 yards and 11 touchdowns and also rushed for 647 yards and 11 scores. Decker also helped guide wide receiver Isiah Paige and tight end Pat Conroy to third-team All-Sun Belt honors. Paige led the team in receptions and yards, while Conroy was second on the squad in receptions and yards and led the team in touchdowns. Offensive lineman Zach Barlev earned All-Sun Belt third-team honors.
ODU broke the team single-game rushing record with 406 yards in the season finale finale win at Arkansas State. Quarterback Quinn Henicle rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns, including a school record 92-yard run.
In his first season as offensive coordinator at Old Dominion, Decker's offense was one of the youngest in the country and showed improvement throughout the season. ODU improved in the Sun Belt rankings to eighth in rushing offense and 11th in total offense and scored nearly 100 points than the season before, all with a first time starting quarterback, running backs and several new wide receivers.
Fordham transfer Grant Wilson started for the first time in his career and improved throughout the season, throwing for 2,149 yards and 17 touchdowns. After getting pulled against Texas A&M Commerce when he threw three first half interceptions, Wilson went 115-consecutive passes without an interception.
Running Backs Keshawn Wicks and Kadarius Calloway combined for 1,212 yards and eight touchdowns. The duo had less than 200 yards combined coming into the year and led ODU's rushing attack. Calloway had three rushing touchdowns of 60+ yards at Marshall and had a pair of 100-yard rushing games. Wicks notched his first career 100-yard game and Wilson rushed for 126 yards in the Famous Toastery Bowl against WKU.
Explosive plays were key to the offenses success, as ODU tied for the nation's lead in touchdown drives of one minute or less with 12 (UNLV). ODU registered 105 big plays (12+ run, 15+ pass) on the year for an average of eight per game and had 10 plays of 50 yards or more.
Prior to joining ODU, Decker spent the previous four seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Fordham. In 2022, Fordham led the FCS and had the second-best offense in FCS history with 609 yards per game and ranked second in the country with 49.5 points per game. The Rams also led FCS in first downs and passing offense. Fordham quarterback Tim DeMorat led the country in touchdown passes, total touchdowns, passing yards and total offense.
DeMorat was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year for the third time in his career and along with wide receiver Fotis Kokosioulis, are finalists for the Walter Payton Award.
In 2019 Decker took over a Fordham offense that ranked No. 119-of-124 teams and has led the Patriot League in scoring offense and total offense each of the last four seasons.
Prior to joining Fordham, Decker spent three seasons at Brown, including the 2018 season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. His first two seasons at Brown he coached the tight ends.
Decker began his collegiate coaching career in 2015 as an offensive intern at Montana State. He helped the Bobcats lead the FCS in yards per play, touchdowns per game and red zone touchdown percentage.
Decker began coaching in 2013 and for two years was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the Brunswick School in Connecticut.
A 2012 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Decker played quarterback for the Wildcats where he was the CAA Player of the Year and a finalist for the Walter Payton Award in 2011. He threw for 3,272 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior, while rushing for 429 yards and nine touchdowns.
Tim Conner - Special Teams Coordinator
Tim Conner joins the Memphis Tigers after three seasons as the assistant special team's coach at Cincinnati.
Conner helped coach a Bearcats team that allowed just over 17 kickoff return yards per game in 2025 – the third best average in the Big 12. Senior kicker Stephen Rusnak was automatic for Cincinnati going a perfect 46-of-46 for PATs while leading the team with 85 total points scored.
Long snapper Eli Stein earned PFF All-Big 12 postseason honors after he helped Cincinnati to a 42.03 net punting figure, which ranked 17th nationally.
Conner served in a similar role under Scott Satterfield at Louisville in 2022, where he helped coach Cardinals' punter Mark Vassett to a 44.6 punting average, which ranked 17th nationally. Additionally, the Cardinals were sixth nationally in kick of return average (24.73) and No. 12 in field goal percentage (90.9%).
Conner served as a special teams analyst for three seasons at Georgia Tech from 2019-21 where he helped assist in the development of 2020 Ray Guy Award winner Pressley Harvin III, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021. The Yellow Jackets led the nation in gross punting average and ranked second in net punting average in 2020.
Before Georgia Tech, Conner spent two seasons from 2017-18 as an offensive and special teams analyst at Temple. In 2018, Temple led the nation with six special teams touchdowns.
Prior to joining Collins' staff at Temple, Conner spent two seasons as at Huntingdon College, first as running backs/H-backs coach in 2015 before transitioning to the wide receivers coach in 2016. He played a key role in Huntingdon winning back-to-back USA South Atlantic Conference titles in 2015 and 2016, in addition to setting a program record with 2,936 rushing yards and tying a program record with 33 rushing touchdowns in 2015. He coached two all-conference selections with the Hawks.
His coaching career also includes stints at Marietta (Ohio) College (running backs/fullbacks in 2013, receivers and assistant recruiting coordinator in 2014) and Centre (Ky.) College (running backs/fullbacks in 2012). He also served as the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator at Tavares (Fla.) H.S. in 2012.
Conner played quarterback at Maryville (Tenn.) College, where he was a team captain as a senior and ranked among the school's all-time top six in six different passing categories at the end of his career. He graduated from Maryville with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 2011.
Telly Lockette - Assistant Head Coach / Running Backs
Telly Lockette joins Memphis after one season at Southern Miss as the running backs coach.
Helping to turn a 1-11 Golden Eagle team into a 7-5 bowl eligible team, Lockette saw his running back room put up an average of 137.4 yards per game during the 2025 season. Southern Miss put up 150+ rushing yards in four games while racking up a season-best 225 yards on the ground in its 42-25 win over Jacksonville State.
Jeffery Pittman led the charge for the Golden Eagles with eight scores on the ground – good for ninth best in the Sun Belt – and 65.0 rushing yards per game – the seventh best in the conference.
Lockette came to Southern Miss after working four years on the Marshall staff serving as the run game coordinator and running backs coach.
In 2024, Lockette helped lead a Herd rushing attack that registered 201.7 yards per game, which ranked No. 19 nationally.
He mentored running back Khalan Laborn in 2023, who had been away from the game for nearly 18 months. Laborn returned with a vengeance under Lockette's teachings, finishing the season in the top 10 in FBS in rushing yards (1,513, 10th) and rushing TDs (16, 10th) – both of which led the Sun Belt Conference.
Lockette also coached running back Rasheen Ali, who battled back to become a major contributor late in 2022 after missing the first eight games of the season due to injury, and currently plays for the Baltimore Ravens.
Under Lockette's guidance, Ali led all FBS running backs in rushing touchdowns (23) in 2021 while amassing 1,401 yards on the ground.
Lockette came to Marshall in 2021 as part of the first staff for head coach Charles Huff after serving as the offensive senior quality control analyst for the Miami Hurricanes in 2020.
He spent the previous two years (2018-19) as tight ends coach at Florida State. Prior to his time in Tallahassee, Lockette spent the previous three seasons coaching running backs at Oregon State after serving in the same capacity at USF in 2013 and 2014.
In 2016 at Oregon State, Lockette directed a rushing attack that broke the school's single-season record with an average of 5.2 yards per carry. That season, the Beavers ranked fourth in the Pac-12 and 28th in the country in yards per rush.
While in Corvallis, Lockette oversaw the development of Ryan Nall, who had the 10th-highest rushing average in the Pac-12 in 2017 and in 2016 totaled 1,165 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns. Lockette also coached Artavis Pierce to Pac-12 All-Freshman honors in 2016. Nall, Pierce and Damien Haskins all earned Pac-12 Academic Team recognition while under Lockette's tutelage.
At South Florida, Lockette tutored Marlon Mack, the 2014 AAC Freshman of the Year and first-team all-conference selection who led the conference in rushing while becoming South Florida's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2005. Mack would go on to earn first-team all-conference honors in each of his three seasons and break 14 school records before being picked in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
Lockette coached two of Miami's most successful high school programs as the head coach at Miami Central (mentoring former Thundering Herd players Rakeem Cato and Tommy Shuler) and was the offensive coordinator at Miami Northwestern, his alma mater.
At Miami Central, Lockette earned a 60-10 overall record and won two 6A state championships. The Rockets were ranked as the No. 1 high school team in the nation following their 2012 state title and were the country's No. 2 high school team after a state championship in 2010. Lockette, who also guided Miami Central to the 2011 state championship game, was the first coach in South Florida history to coach a team to three straight state title game appearances.
In addition to his state titles, Lockette had an undefeated record against teams in Dade and Broward Counties for a state-record three straight years. He also was tapped to coach in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl twice and was an assistant coach on the USA National Football Team. He was recognized as the Prep Coach of the Year by Nike, the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Herald and earned the Nike Sportsmanship Award.
His final season at Miami Northwestern featured an offense that averaged 43.3 points per game during a 15-0 season that culminated in the 6A state crown, the school's first since 1998. His explosive offense re-wrote the state record book, including breaking the record for points per game in a season. During his time as a high school coach, Lockette worked with more than 70 players who earned college scholarship offers.
Lockette was a standout linebacker at Idaho State during his collegiate playing days. He was a two-time All-American for the Bengals and was inducted into the Idaho State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013. Lockette earned a bachelor's degree in education from Idaho State in 1998.
David Weeks - Co-Offensive Coordinator / Tight Ends
David Weeks comes to Memphis after two seasons at Old Dominion as the tight ends coach. He will serve as the co-offensive coordinator as well as the tight ends coach for the Tigers.
In his second season with the Monarchs, Weeks helped lead ODU to a 10-3 overall record and a 24-10 victory over South Florida in the StaffDNA Cure Bowl.
During the 2025 season, tight end Dawson Johnson led the group, making appearances in all 13 games while recording two starts. The true freshman made 10 catches for 99 yards with one score coming against James Madison. Jailen Butler also played in all 13 games while making 11 starts. His first career touchdown came against Georgia Southern in route to his best game of the season with two catches for 25 yards.
In his first season at ODU in 2024, Weeks helped Pat Conroy solidify himself as one of the top tight ends in the Sun Belt Conference and a reliable option for ODU quarterbacks. Conroy earned third-team all-conference honors, catching 37 passes for 523 yards and a team-best five touchdowns. He was the only tight end in the country to have multiple 75-yard touchdown receptions. Conroy's blocking also helped ODU lead the Sun Belt in rushing yards per game.
Weeks spent the 2023 season as an offensive analyst at Tennessee, helping the Volunteers to a 9-4 record and 35-0 win over Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.
Prior to joining Tennessee, Weeks spent three seasons at Fordham, coaching the tight ends in 2021 and 2022. In 2022, Fordham led the FCS with 609 yards per game and was second in the country with 49.5 points per game.
Weeks joined Fordham after serving in various capacities at Central Florida from 2013-2019. In 2018-2019, he served as a student assistant quarterbacks coach, working with the offense directly under head coach Josh Heupel and quarterbacks coach Jeff Lebby.
In the fall of 2017, Weeks served as a student assistant tight ends coach for the Knights where he worked with the offense under head coach Scott Frost and specifically with the tight ends directly under tight ends coach Sean Beckton. He was a member of the 2017 UCF team that won the AAC title and defeated Auburn, 34-27, in the 2018 Peach Bowl to cap a perfect 12-0 season.
He began his tenure at Central Florida as an equipment manager from 2013-2016. In his final year as equipment manager, he also worked with the wide receivers during individual periods assisting offensive coordinator Troy Walters.
Weeks is a 2018 graduate of Seminole State College in Orlando.
Andy Kwon - Offensive Line
Andy Kwon comes to Memphis after spending last season at UCLA as the offensive line coach
Kwon's offensive line unit helped UCLA rush for 150-plus yards in six contests and twice for over 200 yards against Penn State (269) and Michigan State (238) in 2025. In total, UCLA averaged 319.9 yards of total offense (180.3 passing, 139.7 rushing). The Bruins' O-Line was anchored by consistent play from redshirt senior Garrett DiGiorgio, who started at three different positions, and redshirt freshman left guard Eugene Brooks.
Kwon arrived at UCLA after leading the offensive line unit for three seasons at Arkansas State, where he guided a pair of Red Wolves to All-Sun Belt Conference honors in each of his past two years with the program. Center Jacob Bayer was named to the first team in 2023 and the second team, in 2024 in addition to being graded as a top-10 center in FBS both seasons according to rankings by Pro Football Focus. Linemen Mekhi Butler and Makilan Thomas each earned second-team acclaim in 2024 and 2023, respectively. Jalen Cunningham (2024) and Jordan Rhodes (2023) were signed by the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints, respectively, as undrafted free agents.
The Red Wolves have averaged more than 150 rushing yards per game across each of the past two seasons with Kwon on staff. In Kwon's second year working with the offensive line in 2023, Arkansas State's rushing attack more than doubled its output from the previous season, jumping from 88.2 yards per game to 162.1. After finding the end zone just four times via the ground game in 2021, the Red Wolves have scored 16, 19 and 16 rushing touchdowns in each of the past three seasons since Kwon took over responsibilities.
Kwon's first year in Jonesboro, Ark. in 2021 was spent working with the tight ends group. He helped guide Manny Stevenson Jr. to All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention acclaim, ending his true-freshman season with 22 receptions for 193 yards and a pair of scores. Four tight ends contributed in the passing game for Arkansas State that season by recording a combined 37 receptions for 325 yards and three scores.
Prior to Arkansas State, Kwon spent three seasons as an offensive line graduate assistant at Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide post an 11-0 record and No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings in 2020. His first two seasons with the program in 2018 and 2019 saw Alabama compile a combined 25-3 record. The 2018 team played in the CFP national championship game, while the 2019 squad capped off the year with a 35-16 win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl to finish ranked No. 8 in the final AP Top 25 poll.
Kwon earned his first coaching experience as an offensive graduate assistant at Akron in 2017. That year, the program soared to first place in the MAC East with huge victories over Ohio and Kent State to claim the division title and a spot in the MAC Championship game for the second time in program history and first time since 2005. Akron also advanced to an FBS bowl for the second time in three years, another program first.
A two-year team captain and two-time All-Sun Belt selection as an offensive lineman at Georgia Southern, Kwon participated in an undrafted free agent tryout for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals following his collegiate playing career. He was also a member of the Rimington Trophy Watch List during his time with Georgia Southern.
Kwon earned his bachelor's degree in sports management in 2017 from Georgia Southern before going on to receive his master's of science in human environmental sciences from Alabama in 2020.
Aaron Dobson - Wide Receivers
Aaron Dobson, a former NFL standout, joins the Memphis staff after spending one season at Southern Miss.
A 2025 FootballScoop Coach of the Year finalist, Dobson coached Elijah Metcalf and Micah Davis to All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention performances in 2025.
Metcalf ranked first on the team in catches (52) and receiving yards (677). He went on to record back-to-back 100-yard receiving games against Arkansas State (143) and Texas State (116) while also finding himself in the end zone in both contests.
Davis posted 28 catches for 393 yards and five touchdowns through the air in route to Southern Miss' longest catch in school history – 98 yards – with a touchdown at Louisiana. The receiver also returned 12 punts for 241 yards, including a long of 31 and added three punt returns for 42 yards and a long of 33 yards. His combined kick return yards of 283 ranks No. 69 nationally.
Dobson's receiver room clocked a 65.3 completion percentage during the 2025 season while ranking as the 25th best passing offense in the country (266.8). The rooms 26 receiving touchdowns ranked 18th in Division I seventh best in the Group of Five.
Dobson spent the previous two seasons working at Marshall prior to his arrival at Southern Miss. He served as offensive analyst in 2023, before his promotion to overseeing wide receivers in 2024. He was a standout player at Marshall from 2009-12, leading the team in receiving in both the 2010 and 2011 seasons. The Charleston, W. Va. native ranks tied for No. 7 all-time in Marshall receiving history in touchdown receptions with 24 and is No. 10 all-time in receiving yards with 2,398.
Following his playing days with the Herd, Dobson was selected in the 2nd round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots where he spent three of his five NFL seasons. In 24 career games in the NFL, Dobson caught 53 passes for 698 yards and four touchdowns, all with the Patriots. He was also a member of the Detroit Lions in 2016 and the Arizona Cardinals in 2017.
Eric Mathies - Defensive Line
Eric Mathies comes to Memphis after spending the 2025 season as the defensive line coach at Southern Miss.
Helping the Golden Eagles to a 7-5 regular season and bowl eligibility, Mathies coached a defensive line that held opponents to under 150 yards on the ground per game during the 2025 season – good for third best in the Sun Belt. The Southern Miss defense ranked as one of the best in the country with a red zone defense that ranked 10th in the country.
In route to helping turn the program around completely, Mathies' defensive line room saw Brodarius Lewis earn Sun Belt honorable mention postseason honors.
Lewis tallied 53 tackles (15 solos), which also entailed two tackles for loss, four pass breakups and four quarterback hurries. He notched at least two tackles in 11 games during the year, including a season-high 11 at South Alabama. Lewis finished second on the Golden Eagles defensive line in tackles.
Prior to Hattiesburg, Mathies spent the 2024 season as defensive line coach and run game coordinator at Eastern Kentucky.
Prior to his stint at EKU, Mathies worked at Long Island University where he spent four seasons as the assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator. At LIU, he helped transform the program from a Division II program into a formidable FCS program in the Northeastern Conference.
In his first season there, he coached and developed the NEC Freshman of the Year, Eric O'Niel, who was also named an FCS Freshman All-American and a Jerry Rice Award Finalist after recording 21 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. In 2023, Mathies helped improve the Sharks' defense in all statistical categories while coaching O'Niel to becoming the NEC's Defensive Player of the Year and AP All-American with 23.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
Prior to LIU, Mathies spent one season as the defensive line coach at North Texas, helping the Mean Green reach the Myrtle Beach Bowl while developing First Team All-Conference USA nose guard Dion Novil.
Mathies also worked six years in Florida as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at South Florida and then Florida Atlantic. With the FAU Owls through the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Mathies coached a defensive front to cracking the top 10 nationally in sacks, a 57-spot improvement from the 2016 season. The defensive prowess in 2017 helped FAU to an 11-3 record and its first-ever Conference USA championship. In the two seasons in Boca Raton, Mathies also led recruiting efforts that resulted in the No. 1 recruiting class in the conference.
At USF, Mathies joined the Bulls in 2013 and guided the defensive line to a No. 12 rank in the FBS in tackles for loss per game while nearly tripling the forced turnovers from nine to 25 in his first season. Mathies also helped guide USF's defensive end Eric Lee to Second Team All-American Athletic Conference honors in 2015, as Lee led the Bulls with 12.0 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks. USF ranked No. 13 nationally in tackles for loss (7.5 per game), led the AAC while ranking No. 26 nationally in sacks (2.62 per game), and was third in the conference and No. 31 nationally against the run (141.4 per game). His efforts continued in 2016, producing All-conference defensive linemen Deadrin Senet and Bruce Hector.
Mathies also enjoyed a stop at WKU from 2005 through 2012, as the defensive line coach and later recruiting coordinator. As recruiting coordinator, Mathies helped produce the top recruiting class in the Sun Belt Conference in both 2010 and 2011, and the league's second-ranked class in 2012, according to Rivals.com. Rivals and Scout.com also recognized Mathies as the Sun Belt Conference Recruiter of the Year, while Rivals.com named him one of the top recruiters in the nation following the 2010 season.
While coaching the defensive line, Mathies mentored Quanterus Smith, who earned All-America honors from both SI.com and Phil Steele after the 2012 season. Smith was named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year after totaling 12.5 sacks, which ranked third nationally. As a whole, the WKU defense led the conference in sacks, TFL, total defense, rushing defense, and pass efficiency defense in 2012.
Mathies got his start in college football as a four-year letter winner in football at Murray State, helping the Racers to a pair of Ohio Valley Conference championships as MSU qualified for the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs in both 1995 and 1996.
Dominique Bowman – Defensive Backs / Safeties
Bowman joins Memphis after helping Southern Miss to a 7-5 bowl eligible season where he served as the defensive backs coach.
Helping to turn the program around in just one season, Bowman's defensive backs made a name for themselves. The team's 21 interceptions ranked first in the country while the 378 interception return yards was the most by any program in Division I in 2025. The Golden Eagles 184 passing yards allowed this season put them as the 23rd best defense in the country.
Bowman coached defensive backs Josh Moten and Ian Foster to Sun Belt postseason honors.
Moten tied for the SBC lead in interceptions with five, which also ranks No. 3 nationally. His interception per game total was No. 6 in the FBS. Three of his interceptions came at Arkansas State, where the Golden Eagles captured a road victory and earned him Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week honors. He ended the regular season with 56 tackles (35 solo) with 10 pass breakups.
Foster recorded 71 tackles (27 solo) to go along with 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, three interceptions – two returned for touchdowns – seven pass breakups, two QB hurries and a fumble recovery. He returned one interception 99 yards for a score against App State and another 49 yards against Jacksonville State. Foster was named SBC Defensive Player of the Week once during the year.
Prior to Southern Miss, Bowman spent two seasons on the Temple Football staff as the cornerbacks coach. In 2024 he added the responsibilities of safeties and became defensive backs coach.
Prior to Temple, Bowman was on the Arkansas coaching staff in 2022 coaching the Razorbacks' cornerbacks, working alongside defensive coordinator Barry Odom, who was hired as the head coach at UNLV.
Bowman spent the 2021 season at Marshall, where he helped the Thundering Herd's pass defense rank 28th overall in the FBS and second in Conference USA allowing just 204.6 yards per game. In one year under Bowman, Marshall DBs Steven Gilmore and Micah Abraham both earned second-team All-Conference USA honors. Gilmore picked off a team-best three passes and broke up eight more while Abraham broke up a league-high 14 passes to rank fourth nationally.
Bowman brings a wealth of defensive knowledge to Broad Street, having served as a defensive coordinator at Austin Peay and UT Martin. With Austin Peay in 2019-20 as the team's co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach, Bowman helped lead the Governors to the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference title – the school's first conference title since 1977 – and a pair of wins in the FCS Playoffs to reach the semifinals. Bowman's secondary was tops in the OVC allowing just 203.5 yards per game with the Govs' 15 interceptions also leading the league. His defense ranked among the best at the FCS level in defensive touchdowns (11th), total defense (12th), turnovers gained (13th), passing efficiency defense (14th), scoring defense (15th) and interceptions (16th).
His effort at Austin Peay earned him a spot with the prestigious American Football Coaches Association's 2020 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute, a program aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession.
Prior to joining the Govs, Bowman worked at UT Martin during the 2017-18 seasons. After coordinating one of the best defenses in the FCS in 2017 he was promoted to assistant head coach for the Skyhawks. His 2017 defense ranked among the best in FCS, leading the country in red zone defense (60.6%). The Skyhawks finished fourth in scoring defense (14.3 ppg) and first downs allowed (168), sixth in total defense (273.8 ypg) and third down conversion percentage (28.7%), eighth in fourth down conversion percentage (28.6%) and team passing efficiency defense (104.3), ninth in passing yards allowed (159.9 ypg) and 20th in rushing defense (113.9 ypg) nationally.
Bowman's first college coaching job was at Arkansas-Monticello in 2016 as the Boll Weevils defensive backs coach. The Weevils broke up 34 passes that year, including 11 interceptions.
The Memphis native started his coaching career in the Memphis high school ranks. His final two years at the high school level were at Cordova High School – a suburb of Memphis – where he led one of the best defenses in the state of Tennessee.
Bowman played college football at NAIA level Lambuth University for Hugh Freeze. Bowman earned all-conference honors as a defensive back for the Eagles as a junior and senior. He graduated from Lambuth in 2008 with a bachelor's degree.
Ben Ashford – Director of Football Athletic Performance
Ashford began his first season as Memphis' Director of Football Athletic Performance after four years at Marshall.
Ashford comes to Huntington from Samford, where he served as director of football strength and conditioning for six years.
Ashford developed and implemented year-round training protocols for Samford's football student-athletes, and he oversaw the football strength and conditioning and nutrition staff. He planned and managed budgets for football strength and conditioning and performance nutrition.
Additionally, Ashford worked with athletic training to implement alternative strength programs for injured athletes. He also designed, implemented and led an ongoing drug and alcohol monitoring and recovery program.
Prior to coming to Samford, Ashford worked as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Alabama from 2013 to 2015, serving as the strength and conditioning coach for baseball and men's tennis. He was a strength and conditioning intern at Alabama from 2012 to 2013.
Ashford earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Auburn University in 2004. He then earned a master's in human performance from Alabama in 2013.
Sharrod Everett – Chief of Staff / Chief Operating Officer
Sharrod Everett joins Memphis as the Football Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer after one season at Southern Miss.
Everett was named Southern Mississippi Football's Chief of Staff on December 19, 2024. He joined the Golden Eagles after serving as Assistant Athletic Director / Football Chief of Staff at Marshall University for the four previous seasons, culminating with a 2024 Sun Belt Conference Championship.
Everett, a veteran football administrator, begins his twentieth year in football administration ahead of the 2026 season. He has worked on every level of Division I football and has been a part of teams that have appeared in twelve bowl games.
In addition to his role with the Golden Eagles, Everett was selected for national leadership duties. Everett currently serves as President of the National Football Operations Organization (NFOO) where he currently represents college football administrators and operations personnel on the national level. He served as Vice President of the organization in 2024. He was also appointed to the College Football Playoff (CFP) Expansion Football Sport Administrators Focus Group. This designated group of administrators assisted the CFP staff in preparation for playoff expansion this past season.
At Marshall University, Everett was named Football Chief of Staff in 2021. In addition to his football responsibilities, on July 1, 2022, Everett was promoted to the athletics department senior staff as an Assistant Athletic Director. He provided direct oversight for the day-to-day administration of the entire football program. He was also responsible for ensuring that the overall philosophy and program directives were met by everyone in the organization. On the field, in 2022, Everett was part of one of the biggest wins in school history, beating then eighth ranked Notre Dame. In 2024, Marshall registered its first league championship in a decade winning the Sun Belt Conference Championship 31-3 over Louisiana. It would mark the Thundering Herd's first 10-win season since 2015. Marshall also captured bowl eligibility in each of his four seasons.
Before Marshall, he spent the 2020 season in a football support role at Vanderbilt University. Prior to that Everett served as Assistant Athletic Director for Football at Florida State University for two seasons (2018-2019). There he was responsible for the administration and operation of the football program. His role included direct oversight of the program's budget, team travel, player development, scholarships, housing, camps/clinics, preseason training camp, post season bowl logistics, touchdown club and special projects/events. He was a member of the athletic director's senior staff as well as oversaw a myriad of other administrative duties. Everett also supervised and managed the support staff units that included recruiting, operations, nutrition, player development, video, strength and conditioning, facilities, sports medicine and academics as it related to the football program. In addition, Everett served as the point person in football for the initial pre-planning and development of a multi-million-dollar stand-alone football facility. Upon construction, the facility will consist of brand-new state of the art coaches offices, meeting rooms, locker rooms, players lounge, recruiting lounge, weight room and a sports medicine treatment center.
Prior to Florida State, Everett served as the Associate Athletic Director for Football at the University of Oregon for one season (2017). There he oversaw the day-to-day administration of the football program. He also held the position of football's primary sport administrator under the direction of Oregon Athletic Director Rob Mullens. Everett was also a part of Mullen's senior staff as well.
Everett oversaw the daily operations of the University at the South Florida program after beginning a four-year stint in 2013. While at USF, he oversaw a football renovation project that included upgrades to football offices, meeting rooms and locker rooms. The project was complete with new graphics, embroidered seating and new software and hardware technologies for these spaces. The program also saw unprecedented strides in recruiting, finishing the 2014 and 2015 cycles with two top-40 recruiting classes. The team also saw a top ranked recruiting class in the American Athletic Conference in the same years. The on-field success quickly followed in 2016 as the Bulls finished the season with an 11-2 record and a top 25 ranking in the final regular season poll. This would be a program record for most wins in a regular season and only the second time since 2011 that the program had ended the season ranked.
In 2010, Everett was named director of football operations at Western Kentucky University. In the previous year, Western Kentucky was coming off a twenty game plus losing streak. Two years later the team made program history by becoming the school's first ever bowl team since transiting from Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
Everett served as the associate director of football operations at Northwestern University from2008-2010. At Northwestern, he coordinated the operations of the Wildcats recruiting office while also assisting with the daily administration of the football program.
In 2007, Everett was named the director of football operations at Tennessee State University. Prior to that, he spent one season as a championships assistant at the Big Ten Conference office, helping with the overall administration and management of 23 conference championships and tournaments. Everett began his career at Xavier University, where he was the assistant coordinator of operations for Olympic sports.
Everett has been named a finalist for the Football Scoop National Director of Football Operations of the Year for three consecutive seasons (2022, 2023 and 2024).
Everett played collegiate football and was a member of the track and field team at Campbellsville University. On the gridiron, he was a two-year starter at defensive back and a team captain. He earned his bachelor's degree in exercise science/sports medicine from Campbellsville in 2004. He went on to complete his masters degree in sports administration from Xavier University (Ohio) in 2006.
Mat Rumshock – Director of Football Technology
Rumshock comes to Memphis as the Director of Football Technology after four seasons at Marshall.
Rumshock joined the Thundering Herd program in August of 2021. He came to Huntington from Alabama where he was a Video Operations Assistant for the Crimson Tide for the past three years.
The Greensburg, Pa. native graduated from West Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in 2017, where he was a member of the Mountaineers' video staff throughout his collegiate career.
Corey Phillips – General Manager
Phillips, a Nashville native, joins the Memphis Tigers as the General Manager after three seasons at Colorado.
Phillips was instrumental in Colorado's roster construction during Deion Sanders' first three years as head coach. He played a significant role in recruiting multiple top-30 classes and several five-star talents, including Jordan Seaton, Julian Lewis and Cormani McClain.
Before arriving in Boulder, Phillips served as associate director of player personnel at LSU, where he demonstrated his recruiting prowess in the SEC. He also previously worked at Vanderbilt.
Corey Phillips serves as an assistant recruiting coordinator in the Vanderbilt player personnel department.
A native of Nashville, Phillips joined the Commodores after enjoying a successful coaching tenure for nearly a decade in the Nashville area. Most recently, he served as defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Brentwood (Tenn.) High School in 2015.
Prior to joining Brentwood, Phillips served at Father Ryan H.S. in several capacities under veteran Head Coach Bruce Lussier from 2007-14, including varsity defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator, varsity assistant coach, and freshman team defensive coordinator. He mentored seven All-State recipients, seven All-Midstate honorees and 14 Division II All-Region selections at Father Ryan.
Phillips was a collegiate standout at Austin Peay (Tenn.) State University and a prep star at Father Ryan. At Austin Peay, he was a four-year starter at defensive back, earning Newcomer of the Year honors as a freshman and First Team All-Conference honors as a senior. Phillips, who registered 13 career interceptions, set a Governor single-season record with 16 defensed passes.
At Father Ryan, Phillips was a standout on the Irish's 1997 state championship squad and earned All-State and All-Midstate recognition.
Drew White – Asst. Director of Athletic Performance
Kate Roll – Director of Football Administration
Aaron Estes – Head Football Athletic Trainer
Reed Grable - Assistant General Manager
Jack Jacoby - Director of Player Personnel
Baker Parrish - Assistant Director of Player Personnel
Akiliyah Sumlin - Director of Recruiting
Kevin Decker – Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks
Kevin Decker comes to Memphis as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after three seasons at Old Dominion.
During the 2025 season, Decker helped coach the Monarchs to a 10-3 overall record and a 24-10 victory over South Florida in the StaffDNA Cure Bowl. ODU continued to improve its offensive numbers, finishing the regular season fifth in the country in passing yards per completion (14.92), seventh in rushing offense (236.9) and in the top 35 in FBS in first downs offense (272).
Putting up over 32 points per game and ranked as the 32nd best offense in Division I during the season, the Monarchs put up 30 or more points in six games this season and 24 or more points in 12 of their 13 contests. Their average of over 460 yards of offense put them 15th in country and second in the Sun Belt in total offense.
Decker helped coach quarterback Colton Joseph, the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the year while being named to the second team. Jospeh went on to throw for 2,624 yards and 21 touchdowns while adding in 1,007 yards on the ground and scoring 13 touchdowns of his own. He ranked sixth in the country with his 34 total touchdowns and second with 15.2 yards per completions
Offensive lineman Zach Barlev was named to the first team after starting all 12 regular season games at left tackle for the Monarchs while helping to allow the fewest sacks in the Sun Belt.
Offensive lineman Ryan Joyce and wide receiver Tre Brown both earned second and third team honors, respectively. Stephon Dubose-Bourne (OL) and Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding (WR) also earned honorable mention nods from the conference.
In his second season as ODU's offensive coordinator, Decker's offensive numbers improved nearly across the board, as the Monarchs led the Sun Belt in rushing yards and in red zone offense. ODU led the country in red zone offense, going 38-for-40 and scoring at a 95 percent rate.
ODU scored 28 points per game in 2024, nearly five points per game more than in 2023 and rushed for 2,517 yards, 523 yards more than in 2023. The 2,517 rushing yards was the second most in ODU program history. The Monarchs finished sixth in the Sun Belt in total yards per game at 402, averaging more than 50 yards per game more than in 2023.
Decker helped redshirt freshman quarterback Colton Joseph earn Sun Belt honorable mention honors as Joseph passed for 1,627 yards and 11 touchdowns and also rushed for 647 yards and 11 scores. Decker also helped guide wide receiver Isiah Paige and tight end Pat Conroy to third-team All-Sun Belt honors. Paige led the team in receptions and yards, while Conroy was second on the squad in receptions and yards and led the team in touchdowns. Offensive lineman Zach Barlev earned All-Sun Belt third-team honors.
ODU broke the team single-game rushing record with 406 yards in the season finale finale win at Arkansas State. Quarterback Quinn Henicle rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns, including a school record 92-yard run.
In his first season as offensive coordinator at Old Dominion, Decker's offense was one of the youngest in the country and showed improvement throughout the season. ODU improved in the Sun Belt rankings to eighth in rushing offense and 11th in total offense and scored nearly 100 points than the season before, all with a first time starting quarterback, running backs and several new wide receivers.
Fordham transfer Grant Wilson started for the first time in his career and improved throughout the season, throwing for 2,149 yards and 17 touchdowns. After getting pulled against Texas A&M Commerce when he threw three first half interceptions, Wilson went 115-consecutive passes without an interception.
Running Backs Keshawn Wicks and Kadarius Calloway combined for 1,212 yards and eight touchdowns. The duo had less than 200 yards combined coming into the year and led ODU's rushing attack. Calloway had three rushing touchdowns of 60+ yards at Marshall and had a pair of 100-yard rushing games. Wicks notched his first career 100-yard game and Wilson rushed for 126 yards in the Famous Toastery Bowl against WKU.
Explosive plays were key to the offenses success, as ODU tied for the nation's lead in touchdown drives of one minute or less with 12 (UNLV). ODU registered 105 big plays (12+ run, 15+ pass) on the year for an average of eight per game and had 10 plays of 50 yards or more.
Prior to joining ODU, Decker spent the previous four seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Fordham. In 2022, Fordham led the FCS and had the second-best offense in FCS history with 609 yards per game and ranked second in the country with 49.5 points per game. The Rams also led FCS in first downs and passing offense. Fordham quarterback Tim DeMorat led the country in touchdown passes, total touchdowns, passing yards and total offense.
DeMorat was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year for the third time in his career and along with wide receiver Fotis Kokosioulis, are finalists for the Walter Payton Award.
In 2019 Decker took over a Fordham offense that ranked No. 119-of-124 teams and has led the Patriot League in scoring offense and total offense each of the last four seasons.
Prior to joining Fordham, Decker spent three seasons at Brown, including the 2018 season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. His first two seasons at Brown he coached the tight ends.
Decker began his collegiate coaching career in 2015 as an offensive intern at Montana State. He helped the Bobcats lead the FCS in yards per play, touchdowns per game and red zone touchdown percentage.
Decker began coaching in 2013 and for two years was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the Brunswick School in Connecticut.
A 2012 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Decker played quarterback for the Wildcats where he was the CAA Player of the Year and a finalist for the Walter Payton Award in 2011. He threw for 3,272 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior, while rushing for 429 yards and nine touchdowns.
Tim Conner - Special Teams Coordinator
Tim Conner joins the Memphis Tigers after three seasons as the assistant special team's coach at Cincinnati.
Conner helped coach a Bearcats team that allowed just over 17 kickoff return yards per game in 2025 – the third best average in the Big 12. Senior kicker Stephen Rusnak was automatic for Cincinnati going a perfect 46-of-46 for PATs while leading the team with 85 total points scored.
Long snapper Eli Stein earned PFF All-Big 12 postseason honors after he helped Cincinnati to a 42.03 net punting figure, which ranked 17th nationally.
Conner served in a similar role under Scott Satterfield at Louisville in 2022, where he helped coach Cardinals' punter Mark Vassett to a 44.6 punting average, which ranked 17th nationally. Additionally, the Cardinals were sixth nationally in kick of return average (24.73) and No. 12 in field goal percentage (90.9%).
Conner served as a special teams analyst for three seasons at Georgia Tech from 2019-21 where he helped assist in the development of 2020 Ray Guy Award winner Pressley Harvin III, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021. The Yellow Jackets led the nation in gross punting average and ranked second in net punting average in 2020.
Before Georgia Tech, Conner spent two seasons from 2017-18 as an offensive and special teams analyst at Temple. In 2018, Temple led the nation with six special teams touchdowns.
Prior to joining Collins' staff at Temple, Conner spent two seasons as at Huntingdon College, first as running backs/H-backs coach in 2015 before transitioning to the wide receivers coach in 2016. He played a key role in Huntingdon winning back-to-back USA South Atlantic Conference titles in 2015 and 2016, in addition to setting a program record with 2,936 rushing yards and tying a program record with 33 rushing touchdowns in 2015. He coached two all-conference selections with the Hawks.
His coaching career also includes stints at Marietta (Ohio) College (running backs/fullbacks in 2013, receivers and assistant recruiting coordinator in 2014) and Centre (Ky.) College (running backs/fullbacks in 2012). He also served as the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator at Tavares (Fla.) H.S. in 2012.
Conner played quarterback at Maryville (Tenn.) College, where he was a team captain as a senior and ranked among the school's all-time top six in six different passing categories at the end of his career. He graduated from Maryville with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 2011.
Telly Lockette - Assistant Head Coach / Running Backs
Telly Lockette joins Memphis after one season at Southern Miss as the running backs coach.
Helping to turn a 1-11 Golden Eagle team into a 7-5 bowl eligible team, Lockette saw his running back room put up an average of 137.4 yards per game during the 2025 season. Southern Miss put up 150+ rushing yards in four games while racking up a season-best 225 yards on the ground in its 42-25 win over Jacksonville State.
Jeffery Pittman led the charge for the Golden Eagles with eight scores on the ground – good for ninth best in the Sun Belt – and 65.0 rushing yards per game – the seventh best in the conference.
Lockette came to Southern Miss after working four years on the Marshall staff serving as the run game coordinator and running backs coach.
In 2024, Lockette helped lead a Herd rushing attack that registered 201.7 yards per game, which ranked No. 19 nationally.
He mentored running back Khalan Laborn in 2023, who had been away from the game for nearly 18 months. Laborn returned with a vengeance under Lockette's teachings, finishing the season in the top 10 in FBS in rushing yards (1,513, 10th) and rushing TDs (16, 10th) – both of which led the Sun Belt Conference.
Lockette also coached running back Rasheen Ali, who battled back to become a major contributor late in 2022 after missing the first eight games of the season due to injury, and currently plays for the Baltimore Ravens.
Under Lockette's guidance, Ali led all FBS running backs in rushing touchdowns (23) in 2021 while amassing 1,401 yards on the ground.
Lockette came to Marshall in 2021 as part of the first staff for head coach Charles Huff after serving as the offensive senior quality control analyst for the Miami Hurricanes in 2020.
He spent the previous two years (2018-19) as tight ends coach at Florida State. Prior to his time in Tallahassee, Lockette spent the previous three seasons coaching running backs at Oregon State after serving in the same capacity at USF in 2013 and 2014.
In 2016 at Oregon State, Lockette directed a rushing attack that broke the school's single-season record with an average of 5.2 yards per carry. That season, the Beavers ranked fourth in the Pac-12 and 28th in the country in yards per rush.
While in Corvallis, Lockette oversaw the development of Ryan Nall, who had the 10th-highest rushing average in the Pac-12 in 2017 and in 2016 totaled 1,165 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns. Lockette also coached Artavis Pierce to Pac-12 All-Freshman honors in 2016. Nall, Pierce and Damien Haskins all earned Pac-12 Academic Team recognition while under Lockette's tutelage.
At South Florida, Lockette tutored Marlon Mack, the 2014 AAC Freshman of the Year and first-team all-conference selection who led the conference in rushing while becoming South Florida's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2005. Mack would go on to earn first-team all-conference honors in each of his three seasons and break 14 school records before being picked in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
Lockette coached two of Miami's most successful high school programs as the head coach at Miami Central (mentoring former Thundering Herd players Rakeem Cato and Tommy Shuler) and was the offensive coordinator at Miami Northwestern, his alma mater.
At Miami Central, Lockette earned a 60-10 overall record and won two 6A state championships. The Rockets were ranked as the No. 1 high school team in the nation following their 2012 state title and were the country's No. 2 high school team after a state championship in 2010. Lockette, who also guided Miami Central to the 2011 state championship game, was the first coach in South Florida history to coach a team to three straight state title game appearances.
In addition to his state titles, Lockette had an undefeated record against teams in Dade and Broward Counties for a state-record three straight years. He also was tapped to coach in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl twice and was an assistant coach on the USA National Football Team. He was recognized as the Prep Coach of the Year by Nike, the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Herald and earned the Nike Sportsmanship Award.
His final season at Miami Northwestern featured an offense that averaged 43.3 points per game during a 15-0 season that culminated in the 6A state crown, the school's first since 1998. His explosive offense re-wrote the state record book, including breaking the record for points per game in a season. During his time as a high school coach, Lockette worked with more than 70 players who earned college scholarship offers.
Lockette was a standout linebacker at Idaho State during his collegiate playing days. He was a two-time All-American for the Bengals and was inducted into the Idaho State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013. Lockette earned a bachelor's degree in education from Idaho State in 1998.
David Weeks - Co-Offensive Coordinator / Tight Ends
David Weeks comes to Memphis after two seasons at Old Dominion as the tight ends coach. He will serve as the co-offensive coordinator as well as the tight ends coach for the Tigers.
In his second season with the Monarchs, Weeks helped lead ODU to a 10-3 overall record and a 24-10 victory over South Florida in the StaffDNA Cure Bowl.
During the 2025 season, tight end Dawson Johnson led the group, making appearances in all 13 games while recording two starts. The true freshman made 10 catches for 99 yards with one score coming against James Madison. Jailen Butler also played in all 13 games while making 11 starts. His first career touchdown came against Georgia Southern in route to his best game of the season with two catches for 25 yards.
In his first season at ODU in 2024, Weeks helped Pat Conroy solidify himself as one of the top tight ends in the Sun Belt Conference and a reliable option for ODU quarterbacks. Conroy earned third-team all-conference honors, catching 37 passes for 523 yards and a team-best five touchdowns. He was the only tight end in the country to have multiple 75-yard touchdown receptions. Conroy's blocking also helped ODU lead the Sun Belt in rushing yards per game.
Weeks spent the 2023 season as an offensive analyst at Tennessee, helping the Volunteers to a 9-4 record and 35-0 win over Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.
Prior to joining Tennessee, Weeks spent three seasons at Fordham, coaching the tight ends in 2021 and 2022. In 2022, Fordham led the FCS with 609 yards per game and was second in the country with 49.5 points per game.
Weeks joined Fordham after serving in various capacities at Central Florida from 2013-2019. In 2018-2019, he served as a student assistant quarterbacks coach, working with the offense directly under head coach Josh Heupel and quarterbacks coach Jeff Lebby.
In the fall of 2017, Weeks served as a student assistant tight ends coach for the Knights where he worked with the offense under head coach Scott Frost and specifically with the tight ends directly under tight ends coach Sean Beckton. He was a member of the 2017 UCF team that won the AAC title and defeated Auburn, 34-27, in the 2018 Peach Bowl to cap a perfect 12-0 season.
He began his tenure at Central Florida as an equipment manager from 2013-2016. In his final year as equipment manager, he also worked with the wide receivers during individual periods assisting offensive coordinator Troy Walters.
Weeks is a 2018 graduate of Seminole State College in Orlando.
Andy Kwon - Offensive Line
Andy Kwon comes to Memphis after spending last season at UCLA as the offensive line coach
Kwon's offensive line unit helped UCLA rush for 150-plus yards in six contests and twice for over 200 yards against Penn State (269) and Michigan State (238) in 2025. In total, UCLA averaged 319.9 yards of total offense (180.3 passing, 139.7 rushing). The Bruins' O-Line was anchored by consistent play from redshirt senior Garrett DiGiorgio, who started at three different positions, and redshirt freshman left guard Eugene Brooks.
Kwon arrived at UCLA after leading the offensive line unit for three seasons at Arkansas State, where he guided a pair of Red Wolves to All-Sun Belt Conference honors in each of his past two years with the program. Center Jacob Bayer was named to the first team in 2023 and the second team, in 2024 in addition to being graded as a top-10 center in FBS both seasons according to rankings by Pro Football Focus. Linemen Mekhi Butler and Makilan Thomas each earned second-team acclaim in 2024 and 2023, respectively. Jalen Cunningham (2024) and Jordan Rhodes (2023) were signed by the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints, respectively, as undrafted free agents.
The Red Wolves have averaged more than 150 rushing yards per game across each of the past two seasons with Kwon on staff. In Kwon's second year working with the offensive line in 2023, Arkansas State's rushing attack more than doubled its output from the previous season, jumping from 88.2 yards per game to 162.1. After finding the end zone just four times via the ground game in 2021, the Red Wolves have scored 16, 19 and 16 rushing touchdowns in each of the past three seasons since Kwon took over responsibilities.
Kwon's first year in Jonesboro, Ark. in 2021 was spent working with the tight ends group. He helped guide Manny Stevenson Jr. to All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention acclaim, ending his true-freshman season with 22 receptions for 193 yards and a pair of scores. Four tight ends contributed in the passing game for Arkansas State that season by recording a combined 37 receptions for 325 yards and three scores.
Prior to Arkansas State, Kwon spent three seasons as an offensive line graduate assistant at Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide post an 11-0 record and No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings in 2020. His first two seasons with the program in 2018 and 2019 saw Alabama compile a combined 25-3 record. The 2018 team played in the CFP national championship game, while the 2019 squad capped off the year with a 35-16 win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl to finish ranked No. 8 in the final AP Top 25 poll.
Kwon earned his first coaching experience as an offensive graduate assistant at Akron in 2017. That year, the program soared to first place in the MAC East with huge victories over Ohio and Kent State to claim the division title and a spot in the MAC Championship game for the second time in program history and first time since 2005. Akron also advanced to an FBS bowl for the second time in three years, another program first.
A two-year team captain and two-time All-Sun Belt selection as an offensive lineman at Georgia Southern, Kwon participated in an undrafted free agent tryout for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals following his collegiate playing career. He was also a member of the Rimington Trophy Watch List during his time with Georgia Southern.
Kwon earned his bachelor's degree in sports management in 2017 from Georgia Southern before going on to receive his master's of science in human environmental sciences from Alabama in 2020.
Aaron Dobson - Wide Receivers
Aaron Dobson, a former NFL standout, joins the Memphis staff after spending one season at Southern Miss.
A 2025 FootballScoop Coach of the Year finalist, Dobson coached Elijah Metcalf and Micah Davis to All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention performances in 2025.
Metcalf ranked first on the team in catches (52) and receiving yards (677). He went on to record back-to-back 100-yard receiving games against Arkansas State (143) and Texas State (116) while also finding himself in the end zone in both contests.
Davis posted 28 catches for 393 yards and five touchdowns through the air in route to Southern Miss' longest catch in school history – 98 yards – with a touchdown at Louisiana. The receiver also returned 12 punts for 241 yards, including a long of 31 and added three punt returns for 42 yards and a long of 33 yards. His combined kick return yards of 283 ranks No. 69 nationally.
Dobson's receiver room clocked a 65.3 completion percentage during the 2025 season while ranking as the 25th best passing offense in the country (266.8). The rooms 26 receiving touchdowns ranked 18th in Division I seventh best in the Group of Five.
Dobson spent the previous two seasons working at Marshall prior to his arrival at Southern Miss. He served as offensive analyst in 2023, before his promotion to overseeing wide receivers in 2024. He was a standout player at Marshall from 2009-12, leading the team in receiving in both the 2010 and 2011 seasons. The Charleston, W. Va. native ranks tied for No. 7 all-time in Marshall receiving history in touchdown receptions with 24 and is No. 10 all-time in receiving yards with 2,398.
Following his playing days with the Herd, Dobson was selected in the 2nd round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots where he spent three of his five NFL seasons. In 24 career games in the NFL, Dobson caught 53 passes for 698 yards and four touchdowns, all with the Patriots. He was also a member of the Detroit Lions in 2016 and the Arizona Cardinals in 2017.
Eric Mathies - Defensive Line
Eric Mathies comes to Memphis after spending the 2025 season as the defensive line coach at Southern Miss.
Helping the Golden Eagles to a 7-5 regular season and bowl eligibility, Mathies coached a defensive line that held opponents to under 150 yards on the ground per game during the 2025 season – good for third best in the Sun Belt. The Southern Miss defense ranked as one of the best in the country with a red zone defense that ranked 10th in the country.
In route to helping turn the program around completely, Mathies' defensive line room saw Brodarius Lewis earn Sun Belt honorable mention postseason honors.
Lewis tallied 53 tackles (15 solos), which also entailed two tackles for loss, four pass breakups and four quarterback hurries. He notched at least two tackles in 11 games during the year, including a season-high 11 at South Alabama. Lewis finished second on the Golden Eagles defensive line in tackles.
Prior to Hattiesburg, Mathies spent the 2024 season as defensive line coach and run game coordinator at Eastern Kentucky.
Prior to his stint at EKU, Mathies worked at Long Island University where he spent four seasons as the assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator. At LIU, he helped transform the program from a Division II program into a formidable FCS program in the Northeastern Conference.
In his first season there, he coached and developed the NEC Freshman of the Year, Eric O'Niel, who was also named an FCS Freshman All-American and a Jerry Rice Award Finalist after recording 21 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. In 2023, Mathies helped improve the Sharks' defense in all statistical categories while coaching O'Niel to becoming the NEC's Defensive Player of the Year and AP All-American with 23.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
Prior to LIU, Mathies spent one season as the defensive line coach at North Texas, helping the Mean Green reach the Myrtle Beach Bowl while developing First Team All-Conference USA nose guard Dion Novil.
Mathies also worked six years in Florida as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at South Florida and then Florida Atlantic. With the FAU Owls through the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Mathies coached a defensive front to cracking the top 10 nationally in sacks, a 57-spot improvement from the 2016 season. The defensive prowess in 2017 helped FAU to an 11-3 record and its first-ever Conference USA championship. In the two seasons in Boca Raton, Mathies also led recruiting efforts that resulted in the No. 1 recruiting class in the conference.
At USF, Mathies joined the Bulls in 2013 and guided the defensive line to a No. 12 rank in the FBS in tackles for loss per game while nearly tripling the forced turnovers from nine to 25 in his first season. Mathies also helped guide USF's defensive end Eric Lee to Second Team All-American Athletic Conference honors in 2015, as Lee led the Bulls with 12.0 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks. USF ranked No. 13 nationally in tackles for loss (7.5 per game), led the AAC while ranking No. 26 nationally in sacks (2.62 per game), and was third in the conference and No. 31 nationally against the run (141.4 per game). His efforts continued in 2016, producing All-conference defensive linemen Deadrin Senet and Bruce Hector.
Mathies also enjoyed a stop at WKU from 2005 through 2012, as the defensive line coach and later recruiting coordinator. As recruiting coordinator, Mathies helped produce the top recruiting class in the Sun Belt Conference in both 2010 and 2011, and the league's second-ranked class in 2012, according to Rivals.com. Rivals and Scout.com also recognized Mathies as the Sun Belt Conference Recruiter of the Year, while Rivals.com named him one of the top recruiters in the nation following the 2010 season.
While coaching the defensive line, Mathies mentored Quanterus Smith, who earned All-America honors from both SI.com and Phil Steele after the 2012 season. Smith was named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year after totaling 12.5 sacks, which ranked third nationally. As a whole, the WKU defense led the conference in sacks, TFL, total defense, rushing defense, and pass efficiency defense in 2012.
Mathies got his start in college football as a four-year letter winner in football at Murray State, helping the Racers to a pair of Ohio Valley Conference championships as MSU qualified for the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs in both 1995 and 1996.
Dominique Bowman – Defensive Backs / Safeties
Bowman joins Memphis after helping Southern Miss to a 7-5 bowl eligible season where he served as the defensive backs coach.
Helping to turn the program around in just one season, Bowman's defensive backs made a name for themselves. The team's 21 interceptions ranked first in the country while the 378 interception return yards was the most by any program in Division I in 2025. The Golden Eagles 184 passing yards allowed this season put them as the 23rd best defense in the country.
Bowman coached defensive backs Josh Moten and Ian Foster to Sun Belt postseason honors.
Moten tied for the SBC lead in interceptions with five, which also ranks No. 3 nationally. His interception per game total was No. 6 in the FBS. Three of his interceptions came at Arkansas State, where the Golden Eagles captured a road victory and earned him Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week honors. He ended the regular season with 56 tackles (35 solo) with 10 pass breakups.
Foster recorded 71 tackles (27 solo) to go along with 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, three interceptions – two returned for touchdowns – seven pass breakups, two QB hurries and a fumble recovery. He returned one interception 99 yards for a score against App State and another 49 yards against Jacksonville State. Foster was named SBC Defensive Player of the Week once during the year.
Prior to Southern Miss, Bowman spent two seasons on the Temple Football staff as the cornerbacks coach. In 2024 he added the responsibilities of safeties and became defensive backs coach.
Prior to Temple, Bowman was on the Arkansas coaching staff in 2022 coaching the Razorbacks' cornerbacks, working alongside defensive coordinator Barry Odom, who was hired as the head coach at UNLV.
Bowman spent the 2021 season at Marshall, where he helped the Thundering Herd's pass defense rank 28th overall in the FBS and second in Conference USA allowing just 204.6 yards per game. In one year under Bowman, Marshall DBs Steven Gilmore and Micah Abraham both earned second-team All-Conference USA honors. Gilmore picked off a team-best three passes and broke up eight more while Abraham broke up a league-high 14 passes to rank fourth nationally.
Bowman brings a wealth of defensive knowledge to Broad Street, having served as a defensive coordinator at Austin Peay and UT Martin. With Austin Peay in 2019-20 as the team's co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach, Bowman helped lead the Governors to the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference title – the school's first conference title since 1977 – and a pair of wins in the FCS Playoffs to reach the semifinals. Bowman's secondary was tops in the OVC allowing just 203.5 yards per game with the Govs' 15 interceptions also leading the league. His defense ranked among the best at the FCS level in defensive touchdowns (11th), total defense (12th), turnovers gained (13th), passing efficiency defense (14th), scoring defense (15th) and interceptions (16th).
His effort at Austin Peay earned him a spot with the prestigious American Football Coaches Association's 2020 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute, a program aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession.
Prior to joining the Govs, Bowman worked at UT Martin during the 2017-18 seasons. After coordinating one of the best defenses in the FCS in 2017 he was promoted to assistant head coach for the Skyhawks. His 2017 defense ranked among the best in FCS, leading the country in red zone defense (60.6%). The Skyhawks finished fourth in scoring defense (14.3 ppg) and first downs allowed (168), sixth in total defense (273.8 ypg) and third down conversion percentage (28.7%), eighth in fourth down conversion percentage (28.6%) and team passing efficiency defense (104.3), ninth in passing yards allowed (159.9 ypg) and 20th in rushing defense (113.9 ypg) nationally.
Bowman's first college coaching job was at Arkansas-Monticello in 2016 as the Boll Weevils defensive backs coach. The Weevils broke up 34 passes that year, including 11 interceptions.
The Memphis native started his coaching career in the Memphis high school ranks. His final two years at the high school level were at Cordova High School – a suburb of Memphis – where he led one of the best defenses in the state of Tennessee.
Bowman played college football at NAIA level Lambuth University for Hugh Freeze. Bowman earned all-conference honors as a defensive back for the Eagles as a junior and senior. He graduated from Lambuth in 2008 with a bachelor's degree.
Ben Ashford – Director of Football Athletic Performance
Ashford began his first season as Memphis' Director of Football Athletic Performance after four years at Marshall.
Ashford comes to Huntington from Samford, where he served as director of football strength and conditioning for six years.
Ashford developed and implemented year-round training protocols for Samford's football student-athletes, and he oversaw the football strength and conditioning and nutrition staff. He planned and managed budgets for football strength and conditioning and performance nutrition.
Additionally, Ashford worked with athletic training to implement alternative strength programs for injured athletes. He also designed, implemented and led an ongoing drug and alcohol monitoring and recovery program.
Prior to coming to Samford, Ashford worked as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Alabama from 2013 to 2015, serving as the strength and conditioning coach for baseball and men's tennis. He was a strength and conditioning intern at Alabama from 2012 to 2013.
Ashford earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Auburn University in 2004. He then earned a master's in human performance from Alabama in 2013.
Sharrod Everett – Chief of Staff / Chief Operating Officer
Sharrod Everett joins Memphis as the Football Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer after one season at Southern Miss.
Everett was named Southern Mississippi Football's Chief of Staff on December 19, 2024. He joined the Golden Eagles after serving as Assistant Athletic Director / Football Chief of Staff at Marshall University for the four previous seasons, culminating with a 2024 Sun Belt Conference Championship.
Everett, a veteran football administrator, begins his twentieth year in football administration ahead of the 2026 season. He has worked on every level of Division I football and has been a part of teams that have appeared in twelve bowl games.
In addition to his role with the Golden Eagles, Everett was selected for national leadership duties. Everett currently serves as President of the National Football Operations Organization (NFOO) where he currently represents college football administrators and operations personnel on the national level. He served as Vice President of the organization in 2024. He was also appointed to the College Football Playoff (CFP) Expansion Football Sport Administrators Focus Group. This designated group of administrators assisted the CFP staff in preparation for playoff expansion this past season.
At Marshall University, Everett was named Football Chief of Staff in 2021. In addition to his football responsibilities, on July 1, 2022, Everett was promoted to the athletics department senior staff as an Assistant Athletic Director. He provided direct oversight for the day-to-day administration of the entire football program. He was also responsible for ensuring that the overall philosophy and program directives were met by everyone in the organization. On the field, in 2022, Everett was part of one of the biggest wins in school history, beating then eighth ranked Notre Dame. In 2024, Marshall registered its first league championship in a decade winning the Sun Belt Conference Championship 31-3 over Louisiana. It would mark the Thundering Herd's first 10-win season since 2015. Marshall also captured bowl eligibility in each of his four seasons.
Before Marshall, he spent the 2020 season in a football support role at Vanderbilt University. Prior to that Everett served as Assistant Athletic Director for Football at Florida State University for two seasons (2018-2019). There he was responsible for the administration and operation of the football program. His role included direct oversight of the program's budget, team travel, player development, scholarships, housing, camps/clinics, preseason training camp, post season bowl logistics, touchdown club and special projects/events. He was a member of the athletic director's senior staff as well as oversaw a myriad of other administrative duties. Everett also supervised and managed the support staff units that included recruiting, operations, nutrition, player development, video, strength and conditioning, facilities, sports medicine and academics as it related to the football program. In addition, Everett served as the point person in football for the initial pre-planning and development of a multi-million-dollar stand-alone football facility. Upon construction, the facility will consist of brand-new state of the art coaches offices, meeting rooms, locker rooms, players lounge, recruiting lounge, weight room and a sports medicine treatment center.
Prior to Florida State, Everett served as the Associate Athletic Director for Football at the University of Oregon for one season (2017). There he oversaw the day-to-day administration of the football program. He also held the position of football's primary sport administrator under the direction of Oregon Athletic Director Rob Mullens. Everett was also a part of Mullen's senior staff as well.
Everett oversaw the daily operations of the University at the South Florida program after beginning a four-year stint in 2013. While at USF, he oversaw a football renovation project that included upgrades to football offices, meeting rooms and locker rooms. The project was complete with new graphics, embroidered seating and new software and hardware technologies for these spaces. The program also saw unprecedented strides in recruiting, finishing the 2014 and 2015 cycles with two top-40 recruiting classes. The team also saw a top ranked recruiting class in the American Athletic Conference in the same years. The on-field success quickly followed in 2016 as the Bulls finished the season with an 11-2 record and a top 25 ranking in the final regular season poll. This would be a program record for most wins in a regular season and only the second time since 2011 that the program had ended the season ranked.
In 2010, Everett was named director of football operations at Western Kentucky University. In the previous year, Western Kentucky was coming off a twenty game plus losing streak. Two years later the team made program history by becoming the school's first ever bowl team since transiting from Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
Everett served as the associate director of football operations at Northwestern University from2008-2010. At Northwestern, he coordinated the operations of the Wildcats recruiting office while also assisting with the daily administration of the football program.
In 2007, Everett was named the director of football operations at Tennessee State University. Prior to that, he spent one season as a championships assistant at the Big Ten Conference office, helping with the overall administration and management of 23 conference championships and tournaments. Everett began his career at Xavier University, where he was the assistant coordinator of operations for Olympic sports.
Everett has been named a finalist for the Football Scoop National Director of Football Operations of the Year for three consecutive seasons (2022, 2023 and 2024).
Everett played collegiate football and was a member of the track and field team at Campbellsville University. On the gridiron, he was a two-year starter at defensive back and a team captain. He earned his bachelor's degree in exercise science/sports medicine from Campbellsville in 2004. He went on to complete his masters degree in sports administration from Xavier University (Ohio) in 2006.
Mat Rumshock – Director of Football Technology
Rumshock comes to Memphis as the Director of Football Technology after four seasons at Marshall.
Rumshock joined the Thundering Herd program in August of 2021. He came to Huntington from Alabama where he was a Video Operations Assistant for the Crimson Tide for the past three years.
The Greensburg, Pa. native graduated from West Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in 2017, where he was a member of the Mountaineers' video staff throughout his collegiate career.
Corey Phillips – General Manager
Phillips, a Nashville native, joins the Memphis Tigers as the General Manager after three seasons at Colorado.
Phillips was instrumental in Colorado's roster construction during Deion Sanders' first three years as head coach. He played a significant role in recruiting multiple top-30 classes and several five-star talents, including Jordan Seaton, Julian Lewis and Cormani McClain.
Before arriving in Boulder, Phillips served as associate director of player personnel at LSU, where he demonstrated his recruiting prowess in the SEC. He also previously worked at Vanderbilt.
Corey Phillips serves as an assistant recruiting coordinator in the Vanderbilt player personnel department.
A native of Nashville, Phillips joined the Commodores after enjoying a successful coaching tenure for nearly a decade in the Nashville area. Most recently, he served as defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Brentwood (Tenn.) High School in 2015.
Prior to joining Brentwood, Phillips served at Father Ryan H.S. in several capacities under veteran Head Coach Bruce Lussier from 2007-14, including varsity defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator, varsity assistant coach, and freshman team defensive coordinator. He mentored seven All-State recipients, seven All-Midstate honorees and 14 Division II All-Region selections at Father Ryan.
Phillips was a collegiate standout at Austin Peay (Tenn.) State University and a prep star at Father Ryan. At Austin Peay, he was a four-year starter at defensive back, earning Newcomer of the Year honors as a freshman and First Team All-Conference honors as a senior. Phillips, who registered 13 career interceptions, set a Governor single-season record with 16 defensed passes.
At Father Ryan, Phillips was a standout on the Irish's 1997 state championship squad and earned All-State and All-Midstate recognition.
Phillips earned a bachelor's degree in administration from Austin Peay in 2005. He completed a master's degree in education from Belmont University in 2007.
Drew White – Asst. Director of Athletic Performance
Kate Roll – Director of Football Administration
Aaron Estes – Head Football Athletic Trainer
Reed Grable - Assistant General Manager
Jack Jacoby - Director of Player Personnel
Baker Parrish - Assistant Director of Player Personnel
Akiliyah Sumlin - Director of Recruiting
Football Charles: Huff Press Conference-March 31, 2026
Tuesday, March 31
Football: Marcus Stokes Press Conference-March 28, 2026
Saturday, March 28
Football: Jordan Bell Press Conference-March 28, 2026
Saturday, March 28
Football: Ian Foster Press Conference-March 28, 2026
Saturday, March 28