DURHAM, North Carolina -- North Carolina Central University football head coach Jerry Mack has assembled his first coaching staff, the recently appointed head coach announced Friday (Jan. 10).
Mack was revealed as the Eagles' gridiron leader on Dec. 19 and officially took the reins on Jan. 6.
The head coach has retained the services of Mike Mendenhall (special teams coordinator/linebackers) and Andre George (cornerbacks) from the prior staff, and welcomes the return of former NCCU assistant coach and standout defensive back Adrian Jones (running backs).
Mack's new staff hires include Granville Eastman (defensive coordinator/safeties), Chris Buckner (recruiting coordinator/wide receivers), T.C. Taylor (quarterbacks), Jason Onyebuagu (offensive line), Mike McCarthy (tight ends), and Jon Bradley (assistant defensive line).
Jashell Mitchell has also been added to the staff as director of football operations.
In his first season on the job, Mack will serve as offensive coordinator, stating that he will be responsible for installing the offense and calling offensive plays on game day. Mack added that he will reevaluate that role at the end of the year.
In the near future, Mack plans to finalize his staff with the addition of one more position coach.
Mendenhall joined the NCCU coaching staff in 2011 to work with linebackers and serve as a special teams assistant. In the past two seasons with Mendenhall as special teams coordinator, the Eagles have been one of the nation's top kick return units with 12 kick return touchdowns. Before moving to Durham, he coached at the University of New Mexico for two seasons. Mendenhall was a four-year starter at Temple University from 2002-05, earning first team all-Big East honors as a defensive end.
George, a four-year starter in the NCCU secondary (2002-03, 2005-06), has been with the Eagles' coaching staff since the 2010 campaign, working with defensive backs. Prior to the return to his alma-mater, he spent three seasons (2007-09) coaching defensive backs and assisting with outside linebackers at Southern High School (Durham, N.C.), helping the Spartans to three straight PAC-6 titles. As a student-athlete at NCCU, George amassed 150 tackles and 10 interceptions, including seven picks during his senior season in 2006, when he earned first team all-CIAA and first team all-region honors.
Jones, who roamed the Eagles' defensive backfield from 1994-97 and served as an assistant coach at NCCU from 2003-06, returns to his college alma-mater after leading his high school alma-mater to the NCHSAA 3-AA state championship title. In his seventh season as the head coach at Southern High School (Durham, N.C.), Jones led the Spartans to the state title in the program's seventh straight playoff appearance under his supervision. As a student-athlete at NCCU, Jones earned first team all-conference and second team all-region honors twice and remains among the school's career leaders in in passes defended (41) and interceptions (10). As an assistant coach at NCCU, he was a part of two CIAA championship teams (2005 and 2006), including the 2006 black college national championship squad. Jones played in the Arena Football League for four seasons (2000-03) with the Carolina Cobras, Augusta Stallions and Greensboro Prowlers. He also worked as the defensive coordinator for the South Georgia Wildcats of the AFL2 in 2006.
Eastman boasts 20 years of collegiate coaching experience, including the last nine seasons as the defensive coordinator at Austin Peay State University in Clarkesville, Tenn. He has interned with five NFL teams since 2002, lending his services to the Detroit Lions (2002), Arizona Cardinals (2004), Tennessee Titans (2006), Indianapolis Colts (2011) and Minnesota Vikings (2012). During his 11 seasons at APSU, he coached defensive backs and linebackers, and also served as special teams coordinator (2003-04) and interim head coach (winter 2013). Eastman was also defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator for three seasons at Tiffin (Ohio) University. A native of Toronto, Canada, Eastman secured his first coaching position at York University in his hometown, where he spent two seasons (1994-95) working with defensive backs. He then served as a defensive graduate assistant for three seasons (1996-98) at Arkansas State University, earning a master's degree in sociology in 1999. Eastman played defensive back at St. Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, from 1989-92.
Buckner comes to NCCU after serving as co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Savannah State University during the 2013 campaign. He spent two seasons (2011-12) as the wide receivers/tight ends coach at Jackson State University, after working as a graduate assistant coach at JSU in 2010. In 2011, Jackson State boasted the most prolific offense in the nation, topping the NCAA Division I-FCS ranks with an average of 490 yards of total offense per game, including 348 yards through the air. A native of Arlington, Texas, Buckner played both wide receiver (2006-07) and defensive back (2008-09) at New Mexico State University. In May 2010, he went through OTAs with the Dallas Cowboys.
Taylor has nine years of college coaching to his credit, including the past two seasons at Texas Southern University as wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator. He spent seven seasons (2005-11) at Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale, Miss., serving as offensive coordinator in the final six years after a year as the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach. A native of McComb, Miss., Taylor played quarterback and wide receiver at Jackson State University from 1998-2001. As a senior, he broke the JSU single-season record with 84 receptions, earned FCS and black college all-America honors, and was the runner-up for the 2001 Conerly Trophy, presented to Mississippi's top college football player, behind Eli Manning. Taylor signed as a rookie free agent with the New England Patriots in 2002, played wide receiver for the NFL Europe World Bowl XI champion Frankfurt Galaxy in 2003, and participated in the 2003 NFL preseason with the Detroit Lions before a nagging injury ended his playing career.
Onyebuagu (pronounced On-yay, booah-gah) spent the previous three seasons on coaching staffs at Syracuse University (2013) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2011-12) as an assistant offensive line coach and offensive graduate assistant. His Syracuse stint ended with a win in the Texas Bowl, while the Tar Heels played in the 2011 Independence Bowl during his first year at North Carolina. He started his coaching career in 2010 as an assistant offensive line coach at his alma-mater Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, Ind. Onyebuagu was a standout offensive lineman at Northern Illinois University, where he played in all 51 games during his career (2006-09), including three bowl game appearances. As a senior captain in 2009, he earned first team all-Mid-American Conference honors. In 2010, he was invited to training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars and played for the Milwaukee Mustangs of the Arena Football League in 2011.
McCarthy joins NCCU after spending the past two seasons at Tulane University as an offensive graduate assistant. He also served as an offensive graduate assistant at Western Michigan University during the 2010-11 campaigns. McCarthy made one-year stops at the College of New Jersey as offensive line coach (2009), the New York Jets as scouting and coaching intern (2008), and Rutgers University as a video assistant (2007). He played outside linebacker and long snapper at Widener University in Chester, Pa.
Bradley, who played four seasons in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions, spent the last two seasons on the Arkansas State University coaching staff as an assistant with the defensive and offensive lines. During his two years with ASU, the Red Wolves captured back-to-back Sun Belt Conference titles and posted consecutive GoDaddy.com Bowl victories. A three-time all-conference defensive lineman at Arkansas State, Bradley garnered first team all-Sun Belt honors during his final two seasons after recording eight sacks in 2002 and a team-high four sacks in 2003. A native of West Helena, Ark., he played running back, fullback and defensive line in the NFL, spending three seasons with the Buccaneers (2004-06) and one season with the Lions (2007).
Prior to accepting the role as director of football operations at NCCU, Mitchell spent the past three years at the University of Memphis, working two seasons (2010-11) as the executive assistant to the head football coach and last year as administrative assistant to the deputy athletics director. She successfully completed her master's degree from Memphis in August 2013. From 2008-10, Mitchell served as academic coordinator for athletics and life skills director at her alma-mater Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Fla. During her undergraduate career at B-CU, she was a three-year letterwinner in women's basketball and an administrative assistant for football (2003-04) and men's basketball (2004-05). From 2006-08, Mitchell was the coordinator of women's basketball operations at the University of Arizona.
For more information about NCCU football, visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com or download the NCCU Sports Network mobile app for iOS and Android devices.
COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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