Arkansas State University fills final open spot on offensive coaching staff

Arkansas State University’s offensive coaching staff is complete.

The Red Wolves named Rashad Jackson as running backs coach Thursday, filling the final open offensive job on a coaching staff that has needed to replace seven of 10 total assistant coaches from the 2018 staff in the past 10 days.

Jackson will replace former running backs coach and special teams coordinator Norval McKenzie, who took the same job at the University of Louisville and was one of four ASU assistant coaches to accept a job elsewhere since Monday morning.

“I know he was absolutely the guy [new ASU offensive coordinator Keith Heckendorf] stood on the table for from day one,” said ASU Coach Blake Anderson on Thursday. “He wanted to add him to his room and felt like he’d bring a lot to us.”

Jackson, a Pauls Valley, Okla. native, spent the 2018 season as an offensive coordinator at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas.

Prior to his stop at Trinity, Jackson spent nine seasons as an offensive coordinator at East Central University, a Division II program in the Great American Conference located in Ada, Okla. Jackson also served as director of player development in 2007-08 at Kansas State University.

A longtime coach in and around the midwest — a recruiting hotbed for Arkansas State, specifically the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference — will help replace the void left behind when defensive line coach Brian Early accepted the same job at the University of Houston on Monday.

One of Early's primary recruiting trails at ASU was the KJCCC. A number of ASU’s star players from the 2018 season were products of the KJCCC: Sun Belt Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, quarterback Justice Hansen (Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan.) and defensive end Ronheen Bingham (Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kan.).

All-Sun Belt First Team offensive tackle Lanard Bonner was found at Highland Community College in Highland, Kan. All-Sun Belt Second Team wide receiver Justin McInnis was a product of Dodge City Community College in Dodge City, Kan.

“The footprint that [Jackson] recruits is going to fill a big hole that Brian Early left in terms of northeast Texas, Oklahoma and into Kansas,” Anderson said. “So he fits us in a lot of different areas.”

ASU names special teams coordinator(s)

Arkansas State will promote a special teams coordinator — or coordinators — from within.

The Red Wolves are jointly adding the title to inside wide receivers coach Kyle Cefalo and outside linebackers coach Nick Paremski, Anderson said.

Cefalo will begin his third season at Arkansas State in 2019, which will also be Paremski’s second year.

Cefalo, Paremski and defensive backs coach Allen Johnson are the only three assistant coaches to remain on Anderson’s staff from the 2018 season.

ASU to name DT coach within week

New Arkansas State defensive coordinator David Duggan, who was hired Tuesday, and Anderson plan to meet this weekend with respective candidate lists prior to hiring a defensive tackles coach, the final open job on ASU’s defensive staff.

ASU promoted defensive graduate assistant Brandon Joiner to defensive ends coach Monday. Joiner and the defensive tackles coach — two new titles to ASU’s coaching staff — will replace Early as a coaching duo on the defensive line.

Arkansas State coaching staff movement since the Arizona Bowl:

Offensive coordinator

2018: Buster Faulkner - fired

2019: Keith Heckendorf - hired Jan. 9

Defensive coordinator

2018: Joe Cauthen - hired by Houston, left ASU

2019: David Duggan - hired Jan. 15

Assistant head coach

2018: Trooper Taylor - hired by Duke

2019: TBA

Defensive line coach

2018: Brian Early - hired by Houston

2019: Brandon Joiner (DE coach) - hired Jan. 15; DT coach TBA

Offensive line coach

2018: Allen Rudolph - fired

2019: Sean Coughlin - hired Jan. 9

Outside wide receivers coach

2018: Chris Buckner - fired

2019: Malcolm Kelly - hired Jan. 9

Running backs

2018: Norval McKenzie - hired by Louisville

2019: Rashad Jackson - hired Jan. 17

Defensive backs

2018: Trooper Taylor (cornerbacks) and Allen Johnson (safeties)

2019: Allen Johnson becomes defensive backs coach (cornerbacks, safeties) Jan. 15

Special teams coordinator

2018: Norval McKenzie - hired by Louisville

2019: Kyle Cefalo and Nick Paremski - added title Jan. 17

Strength and conditioning

2018: Pat Ivey - left school Jan. 2019

2019: Jake Miller - hired Jan. 9

Read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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