VALDOSTA — The large Division I coaching tree of former Valdosta State assistants and players is growing and changing. Several past assistant coaches and players for the Blazers will be in new places in 2013.
Here is a look at guys that will be at new schools this upcoming season:
A trio of former Valdosta State coaches have joined the new coaching staff at Northwestern State in Louisiana. Former VSU offensive coordinator/QB coach Robby Brown, and two former Blazer graduate assistants, Derrick Foster and Will Weaver, have also joined the Demons staff.
Brown will serve as the offensive coordinator at quarterbacks coach, while Foster will serve as the wide receivers coach. It is unclear of what position Weaver will serve with the program, after spending the past few seasons at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and Southern Mississippi.
Russ Callaway, a former Blazer quarterback that was last with VSU in 2011, was hired as the wide receivers coach at Murray State on Monday. Callaway has spent the past two seasons as a graduate assistant at the University of Alabama and joins the staff at Murray State that is under the direction of former Valdosta State head coach Chris Hatcher.
At VSU, Callaway was a two-time captain but had his career get cut short after tearing his ACL just prior to the start of his senior season, a year that he was set to be the starter for head coach David Dean.
Hal Mumme, a Valdosta State head coach in the 1990’s that went on to coach at the University of Kentucky, is no longer the head coach McMurry, a Division III university in Abilene, Texas. In 2013, Mumme will serve as the offensive coordinator at Division I Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas.
Sam Umberg, a student assistant for Valdosta State in 2012, is returning to the high school ranks and will serve as the wide receivers coach at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, his alma mater.
Along with coaches on the move, here is a list of former VSU coaches that will be remaining at schools in 2013: Will Muschamp (head coach, Florida), Dana Holgersen (head coach, West Virginia), Mike Leach (head coach, Washington State), Kirby Smart (defensive coordinator, Alabama), Chris Hatcher (head coach, Murray State), Buster Faulkner (Offensive coordinator/QB coach, Middle Tennessee State), Joe Cauthen (Special teams, Middle Tennessee State).
VSU is expected to name is new quarterback coach, Brown's replacement, is expected to be named today.
— Follow me on Twitter at @Ed_Hooper.
This story did not publish in the print edition and is only available online through the Blazers Blog.
