58 minute read
Football Staff
by Joe Swan
Coleman Barnes is the lead administrator for the football program with emphasis on the external affairs. He joined the Mountaineer football staff as the associate athletics director for football external affairs in February 2019. At West Virginia, Barnes collaborates with the athletics administration and external units to further the West Virginia football brand and its effectiveness and efficiency. He promotes new ideas, development and growth to help position the football program for championship-level
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success.
Barnes is the program’s liaison with marketing, tickets, Mountaineer Athletic Club, athletics communications and digital media. He is the liaison between the football program and Learfield IMG College and oversees the coordination of speaking engagements for the football program.
Barnes is responsible for all program operations associated with recruiting, including hiring personnel, maintaining the budget and establishing branding and messaging. He also markets, promotes and brands the program to recruits, high school coaches, alumni and fans, including overseeing the digital and creative content, graphic design and social media platforms to promote the football brand.
Barnes came to West Virginia from Utah State where he served since July 2017, first as the assistant vice president and deputy director of athletics for external affairs and most recently as the associate vice president and deputy director of athletics. Under the direction of the vice president and director of athletics, he was responsible for the overall administration, management and supervision of all department areas that engaged with external constituents.
He led USU’s athletic development staff and also oversaw athletics’ external departments, which included marketing and promotions, media relations and video. He also served as the liaison for ticket operations and sales and Aggie Sports Properties.
Prior to Utah State, Barnes spent four years at Miami University, where he served as the associate athletics director/senior director of development for threeand-a-half years, before being promoted to executive associate athletics director/ senior director of development his last year.
During his time at Miami, Barnes served as a co-manager for the Graduating Champions Campaign, raising more than $65 million toward the $80 million goal. In 2015, Barnes’ team raised a then-record $28.3 million in gifts and pledges, including $5.02 million in cash.
Barnes also boosted Miami’s Red & White Club membership to more than 2,000 members, a 27-percent increase since his arrival in 2013 and increased revenue by 24 percent, up to $880,000 per year.
Prior to Miami, Barnes spent two years at UAB, as the associate athletics director for development. He oversaw Blazer Boosters, the fundraising unit for UAB Athletics, increasing the annual fund membership by 54 percent through a 16-month initiative.
Prior to UAB, Barnes served from 2008-11 at Fresno State as the executive director of The Bulldog Foundation and associate athletics director for development. As an executive administrator, he oversaw all components of the development office that raised approximately $6 million annually. He also managed a development team that successfully secured funding for a $6 million sports medicine center and a $1.2 million turf project.
From 2005-08, Barnes served as the assistant director for the UMAA Foundation, the fundraising unit for Ole Miss Athletics, playing an integral role in raising nearly $13 million annually
Prior to Ole Miss, Barnes was a development associate for the Hurricane Club at the University of Miami (2004-05) and an intern in Harvard’s Athletics Ticket Office (2003-04).
Barnes graduated from Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in education in 2002 with a major in kinesiology and a minor in business. He was a three-year letterwinner on the Wildcats’ football team as the team’s long snapper. In 2004, he earned his master’s degree from Kentucky in kinesiology with an emphasis in sport management and completed his Ph.D. in higher education from Ole Miss in 2017.
A native of Bardstown, Kentucky, Barnes, and his wife, Mary Beth, have two children, Caroline and William.
Assistant Athletics Director Football Operations
Patrick Johnston oversees the internal operations of the football program as the assistant athletics director for football operations. He joined the WVU football staff in January 2019 as the director of football operations. He came to West Virginia with head coach Neal Brown after serving as the director of campus recruiting and assistant director of football operations at Troy for two years. At WVU, Johnston plays a key role in future capital projects. He works closely with external entities and internal parties surrounding facility improvements and branding. Johnston leads all planning and scheduling on behalf of the football program, including team travel, game day operations, preseason training camp and in-season practices. Johnston also serves as a lead bowl game management administrator. He organizes the team leadership council and handle all event management for the football program.
Johnston spent two years (2017-18) as Troy’s director of campus recruiting and assistant director of football operations after he served as Troy’s recruiting analyst during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Prior to that, he spent one semester working with the Troy equipment department.
The Montgomery, Alabama, native spent five years as the director of member services for Wynlakes Golf and Country Club before coming to Troy in July 2015. Johnston earned his master’s degree from Troy in sport management in 2017.
DAVID FAULKNER
Special Assistant to the Head Coach
David Faulkner assists the head coach, assistant athletics director for football operations and the football staff with internal matters pertaining to the day-to-day operations of the football program. He joined the Mountaineer football staff in 2021 after serving as the offensive coordinator at Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia. Prior to that, he was the director of player personnel and high school relations at Troy University for two years (201921). He joined the Troy staff following seven years as the head coach at Enterprise High School, where he led the Wildcats to four playoff appearances at the highest level of Alabama high school football. Faulkner was named the Alabama 7A Coach of the Year following a 10-2 run in 2016.
Prior to taking over at Enterprise, Faulkner led Fairhope (Ala.) High School to a 28-9 record over three seasons culminating with an 10-3 record in 2011. The Pirates made three straight postseason appearances and won four playoff games. Fairhope had won just three playoff games over the previous 20 years combined.
Fairhope set a school record for points in 2011, and Faulkner guided the Pirates to a No. 4 ranking in the Alabama 6A polls during his first season in 2009.
He spent two seasons (2007-08) as the offensive coordinator at Foley (Ala.) High School under current Alabama special assistant to the head coach Todd Watson. The Lions posted a combined 22-3 record and won a region title during his tenure.
Faulkner preceded his stint at Foley with four seasons (2003-06) at powerhouse Hoover (Ala.) High School where he spent one season coaching the defensive backs before coaching the quarterbacks coach and play caller for one year before taking over as the offensive coordinator for the final two years. The Buccaneers won three Alabama 6A state titles and played in the championship game all four seasons. He, and current Mountaineer assistant head coach/ offensive line coach Matt Moore, worked together during the 2003-04 seasons.
Faulkner began his coaching career at Clarke County (Ala.) High School (199899) in Grove Hill. After two seasons, he moved to the newly formed Alma Bryant (Ala.) High School, where he served as offensive coordinator (2000) and eventually head coach for one season (2001). He spent one season at Prattville in 2002, helping the Lions to a 12-2 record and a spot in the semifinals.
Faulkner earned his bachelor’s degree from Troy in physical education in 1996. He is married to the former Christie Garrett and the couple has three children, Garrett, Grayson and Caroline.
Director of Player Relations
Freddie E. Little III is the player development liaison with the football student-athletes, giving attention to their offthe-field activities. He joined the WVU football program in January 2021 as the director of player relations. Little III assists the head coach with leadership groups and activities, assigning mentors to at-risk student-athletes, leading the Big Brother program, managing the offseason accountability teams and cultivating relationships with former Mountaineer players. He also is the program’s liaison to the athletics department’s sports psychologist, the counseling center, campus/city law enforcement and student service/conduct.
A former West Virginia State Police trooper, Little III also served a year as a police officer for the West Virginia University Police Department.
Little III also has a commitment to community outreach, having volunteered time with the Boys and Girls Club, Salvation Praise Ministry in addition to assisting with occupational therapy for HealthSouth MountainView Regional Rehabilitation Hospital.
Little III was a running back at Ferrum College for three years, before finishing his career at WVU from 2003-05. He earned the most valuable player, most improved player and the yards after contact awards while at Ferrum in 2002. As a running back with the Mountaineers in 2004, he was awarded the student-athlete of the week for his performance on and off the field.
A native of Riviera Beach, Florida, Little III earned two degrees from WVU, a bachelor of arts degree in multidisciplinary studies in 2013 and a master’s degree in athletic coaching education in 2020.
PAIGE DIGGS
Director of 5th Quarter Prograrm
Paige Diggs organizes and executes the educational programming of the 5th Quarter program, with its purpose being to position the student-athletes for off-the-field success for life beyond graduation. The five pillars for the 5th Quarter program are character development, leadership development, real life, social responsibility and career development. She oversees the development of content and topics for each pillar, produces individual and team plans and schedules and organizes the speaker series. Diggs also oversees the freshman bridge program to prepare freshmen for the college experience and organize the senior transition bridge program to prepare outgoing seniors to navigate life.
Diggs came to WVU after serving as the strategic initiative specialist for the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity at Cal State Fullerton. She oversaw and managed the strategic plan for the diversity, inclusion and equity programs for the entire campus and assisted in the implementation of the framework within each division.
She served on campus committees to create and implement changes based on campus climate survey, maintained and assisted in the creation of the faculty of color learning community and was the lead of a three-person team that created the first campus management onboarding programming. She created and assisted in the development of programming and services to increase retention of staff of color and assisted in the coordination of evaluation and assessment efforts of programming provided by the office of diversity, inclusion and equity programs.
Diggs also served as a confidential support agent for the Office of Labor and Employee Relations at Cal State Fullerton, an athletics coordinator for the Office of Enrollment Management at LSU and a compliance intern at West Virginia. She served as a graduate research assistant for the WVU College of Law and also was a clerk at the Taylor County.
Diggs served on various committees at her stops and has a list of higher education trainings, facilitations and panel discussions in which she participated, detailing a variety of multicultural, diversity, human resources, equality and inclusion forums and issues.
A native of Amarillo, Texas, Diggs has a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and journalism from Fresno State, a master’s degree in business administration from WVU and her juris doctorate, also from WVU. While a studentathlete at Fresno State, she was a four-year member of the women’s basketball team, serving as a team captain as a senior.
Osman Kamara assists in the organization and execution of the 5th Quarter Program and oversees the studentathletes’ transition as they enter the program and as they leave the program after their career has ended. A former Mountaineer football student-athlete, he was an intern and a graduate assistant with the 5th Quarter Program following the end of his playing career. He provided resources and programing to the student-athletes on “reallife” skills needed to be successful in their lives after football.
Kamara oversaw the launching of the football program’s job networking system and conducted programing to aid student-athletes in establishing their personal brand. He provided mentorship to student-athletes in the development of their leadership skills as they engage with the athletics department, campus and Morgantown community.
He also assisted with the scheduling of speakers, program planning and securing resources for the student-athletes’ professional development in the 5th Quarter Program. He also built relationships with local business owners to provide micro-internship opportunities for the student-athletes.
Kamara served as an intern with the WVU Athletics Marketing Department, helping executive game-day activities and promoting athletics teams on social media platforms.
Kamara was a member of the Mountaineer Football Program, playing in the defensive backfield and excelled on special teams. He was awarded the Tom Nickolich Award, given to the outstanding walk-on in the program and earned a scholarship. He also was named the program’s special teams most outstanding player in 2020.
A native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Kamara earned his bachelor’s degree from West Virginia in sport management in 2020 and his master’s degree in business administration in 2021.
SCOTT GASPER
Director of Recruiting
Scott Gasper oversees the identification, development, strategy and execution of recruiting for the Mountaineer football program. He develops letter-writing campaigns and assists in the recruiting mailouts. He filters all offensive prospects related to position and coach, develops an academic profile for each prospect and helps plan and organize official and unofficial visits. He works with the video coordinator to compile profiles in a video library on each of the offensive recruits, manages football recruiting accounts and monitors evaluations and submit profiles for evaluation.
Gasper came to West Virginia after serving as the director of player personnel at Indiana from 2015-18. He oversaw roster management, handled initial transcript evaluation, all official and unofficial visits and scheduled all of the recruiting travel for the coaching staff. He updated and maintained the recruiting database, handled the NFL scouts on their visits to campus and employed 15 student interns and delegated their daily tasks.
Prior to Indiana, he served as the quarterbacks coach at East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) from 2012-14. He coached an All-American in each of his seasons at EMCC and East Mississippi won back-to-back national championships in 2013 and 2014.
Gasper also made coaching stops at Laurel High (Maryland-2011-OC-QB-WR), Knoxville Catholic High (Tennessee-2008-10-OC-QB-WR), Seton Hill (Pennsylvania2003-07)-passing game coordinator-QB-recruiting coordinator), Bethany College (West Virginia-2003-passing game coordinator-punters), Gatesburg High (Illinois-2002-ST), St. Joseph’s College (Indiana-2001-QB), West Virginia Wesleyan (1999-2000-WR-QB) and was the wide receivers and punters coach for the Swedish National team in 1998.
While at Knoxville Catholic, he tutored two dozen all-district performers, including seven all-state players and two Mr. Football Award winners. He helped lead Seton Hill to the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2007.
Gasper was a four-year starting quarterback at West Virginia Wesleyan from 1995-98, finishing No. 7 all-time in NCAA Division II in quarterback passing rating and holding nine school passing records. He also was the Bobcats’ starting punter for two years and the kicker for a year. He played in the Arena Football League for the Norfolk Nighthawks and Rochester Brigade for two years and one year for the Orebro Black Knights in Sweden.
He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a minor in political science from West Virginia Wesleyan in 1998 and earned his master’s degree in business administration from Seton Hill in 2006. He, and his wife, Laurin, have a son, Maddox.
Associate Director of Recruiting
Trey Neyer assists with the identification, development, strategy and execution of the recruiting plan for the Mountaineer football program. Neyer develops letter-writing campaigns and assists with the recruiting mailouts. He filters all defensive prospects related to position and coach, develops an academic profile for each prospect and helps plan and organize official and unofficial visits. He works with the video coordinator to compile profiles in a library on each of the defensive recruits, manages football recruiting accounts and monitors evaluations and submits profiles for evaluation.
Neyer came to West Virginia in 2020 after serving as the director of player personnel at Miami University (Ohio) since June 2018. He supervised the recruiting efforts for the RedHawks’ football program, oversaw the roster management and planning duties, managed all recruiting evaluations, and maintained and populated the program’s database. He coordinated the assistant coaches recruiting areas and assigned responsibilities and assisted with all recruiting aspects for the head coach. Prior to that, Neyer was an offensive graduate assistant intern at Miami, working with the running backs and overseeing the team’s kickoff return responsibilities. He worked with the running backs during individual meetings and practice.
Neyer ran the defensive scout team meetings and coordinated the scout team secondary during practice. He assisted with opponent breakdowns, opponent kickoff return breakdown and assisted in assembling scouting report. Neyer had gameday communication of coverages and opponent kickoff return. He also recorded offensive play calls and defensive information.
While an undergraduate student at Alabama, Neyer was a student manager for the Crimson Tide football program. The North Bend, Ohio, native graduated with his bachelor’s degree in communication and information sciences in 2017.
KATIE GIUSTO
Associate Director of Football Operations/ On-Campus Recruiting Coordinator
Katie Giusto assists with the day-to-day administration of recruiting student-athletes and the operations of the football program. She joined the Mountaineer football staff as the on-campus recruiting coordinator in April 2019, added the additional responsibility of assistant director of football operations in March 2020 and become associate director in July 2021. She helps coordinate in-person recruiting visits, assists in the maintenance of scholarship offers, recruiting targets and commitments and updates the staff on recruiting matters, eligibility and admission status of prospective student-athletes. She serves as a liaison with the University admissions office and the athletics compliance office and manages planning for on-campus official and unofficial recruiting visits by prospective student-athletes. She assists with securing and maintaining transcripts of prospective student-athletes, analyzes transcripts to ensure prospects meet entrance requirements and assists with maintaining and securing prospects’ NCAA eligibility center records. Giusto assists with the organization and assemblage of coaching recruiting checklists, calendars, internet research, recruiting boards, prospects and coaches telephone directories and updates databases and prospective student-athlete video libraries.
She assists the football coaching staff and video coordinators in assembling and cataloging video for potential student-athletes and maintain and manage correspondence with prospects during contact periods. Giusto came to West Virginia in 2019 after a year serving as the events assistant with the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Giusto managed volunteer sign-up and assisted with the recruitment, training and organization of 250 volunteers for the Kickoff Game prior to the season and 600 volunteers for the Peach Bowl. Giusto served as the primary contact for event sponsors and vendors for activation logistics, coordinated board of director meeting logistics and travel schedules and worked with the title sponsor to organize sponsor fulfillment for the Kickoff Game. She also organized sponsor fulfillment for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. She planned activities and organized volunteers for the Children’s Holiday Party, and organized team hospital visits, arranging volunteers and coordinated with the hospital staff for each hospital visit. She also assisted in the organization of the assistant coaches’ dinner and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Parade. Prior to her tenure with the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Giusto spent a year as a graduate intern in football operations at Virginia, assisting with the supervision of summer camps, organizing registration, scheduling staff and managing payroll. She assisted with team travel, helping organize rooming lists, meal planning, bus itineraries, staff tickets and ticket distribution.
She also assisted with event planning and added administrative support for UVA’s NFL Pro Day, managed the Alumni and Military Flag Bearer game day program and helped coordinate the alumni mentoring program. Giusto also served as a student worker in the football recruiting office at Virginia for two years, assisting with day-to-day operations. She helped with oncampus official and unofficial visits and assisted with creating prospect recruiting files, organizing the video library and managing the social media accounts for the recruiting office. She earned two degrees from Virginia, a bachelor’s degree in media studies and American studies in 2017 and a master’s degree in higher education with a concentration in intercollegiate athletics administration in 2018.
CLAY BOLLINGER
Associate Director of Recruiting Strategy
Clay Bollinger works with the recruiting and creative staffs to maximize opportunities and implement the best strategy to promote the head coach and the football program to recruits and the fan base. He also establishes social media strategies for the head coach to market the program to top recruits and fans. Bollinger works in conjunction with the creative staff to produce collateral materials to be used by the coaching staff and recruiting staff. He constructs presentations and digital content for the head coach to be utilized for program enhancement and recruiting.
Bollinger came to West Virginia in 2021 after serving as the director of recruiting content for Tennessee’s football program from 2018-21. He developed social media and recruiting creative communication strategy for the program in coordination with the media relations, marketing, broadcasting, photography, compliance, recruiting, creative department and the coaching staff. He created engaging social media content designed to reach top recruits in the nation. Prior to Tennessee, Bollinger was a graduate assistant in Clemson’s athletic communications department in 2017-18. He assisted with the social media video production and operations. He was a designated publisher for @ClemsonFB, the nation’s most followed college football account at the time. He was part of the department’s team that developed and implemented strategy and digital content for the varsity sport’s social media accounts. While he was attending Kentucky as an undergraduate, he worked as a football student assistant with the Wildcat program. He created digital content for @ UKStoopsTroops, the team recruiting account and @UKFootball, the team’s main account. He designed recruiting materials and assisted in recruiting on-campus events and operations. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Bollinger earned his bachelor’s degree in integrated strategic communications/creative path from Kentucky in 2017. He graduated with his master’s degree in parks, recreation and tourism management from Clemson in 2020.
Associate Director of Creative Design
Teddy Hughes oversees the area of graphic design for the promotion of the football program, including a heavy emphasis on recruiting. He produces content and materials that highlight and communicate information about the program on a variety of platforms, including print, web, social media and internal team distribution. Hughes works with the associate director of recruiting strategy and the recruiting and social media teams to produce creative and innovative content for prospective student-athletes. He creates graphics, develops conceptual ideas/designs and various visual materials for promotional/marketing purposes such as brochures, posters, flyers, web pages and media. Hughes assists with the media, marketing and motivational strategy for the football program. He also assists in determining creative direction for projects, social media, and promotional material. At USA Football, he helped develop unique and engaging content-based graphics to help drive fan engagement on its social media platforms and web site. He collaborated with the marketing and creative departments to foster ideas and execute projects to conceptualize ideas and strategy to support sponsor initiatives, including presentation decks and asset mockups. Prior to that, Hughes served as the creative director for football at Walsh University and as a graphic designer for three years for the athletics department. He oversaw the creative direction of the football program, including identity and developing creative assets. He coordinated photography and content creating for social media platforms. A native of Akron, Ohio, Hughes earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and one in graphic design from Walsh University in 2020.
CONNOR PYRC
Associate Director of Creative Video
Conner Pyrc provides comprehensive, advanced-level video and digital media production by developing the concepts, planning, directing, editing and posting of multimedia projects for the Mountaineer football program. Pyrc writes, produces and directs major video projects, ranging from recruiting materials, promotional campaigns, web features and hype videos. He assists with the oversight, production and management of content for the football program’s social media platforms and digital information strategies. He creatively works to develop innovative digital and social media strategies to increase engagement with fans. Pyrc came to West Virginia after serving as the associate producer for MSU Spartanvision at Michigan State. He created content for MSU Athletics and its television show, “Spartans All Access”, which aired on Fox Sports Detroit. He was responsible for filming, editing and directing television segments, creating content for social media platforms, managing social media campaigns, organizing footage and shooting live sports for television and social media content. From 2017-20, Pyrc was a creative intern with the Ferris State Athletics Department. He oversaw all video production for 17 sports, shooting and editing, created social media graphics and videos, personal branding for student-athletes, managed social media accounts, wrote web content and was a color commentator for the hockey team, which competed at the NCAA Division I level. Pyrc also was the schools admissions team leader. He oversaw 15 student employees, managed email campaigns and trained new employees. A native of Montrose, Michigan, Pyrc earned his bachelor’s degree from Ferris State in sports communications with a minor in multimedia journalism in May 2020. He and his wife, Alisia, were married in July 2021.
Associate Director of Coaches Video
Shawn Walker is responsible for coordinating all aspects of the Mountaineer football program’s video efforts. He handles the day-to-day video operations for practices and games, maintaining the in-house DVSport network, film breakdown and exchange and the instant replay system, as well as assisting in the production of highlight films. He also provides specialized videos for each position coach to use and produces teaching videos for the coaches’ clinics. He has been a member of the Mountaineer Football staff since 2015, first as the assistant video coordinator, then video coordinator in 2019 before assuming his current role in July 2021.
Walker trains and supports the coaching staff with its analysis software and manages, creates and produces statistical data for team scouting analysis. He organizes, stores and archives video and videotapes of practice, game, opponent and self-scout for the football program. He also handles the exchange of opponents’ video, the conference office’s and supervisor of officials’ video and serves as the liaison to the Big 12 Conference on matters related to video exchange. Walker served as a student video manager for Akron (2011-14), a game-day intern for the Akron RubberDucks (2014) and a minor league video intern for the Columbus Clippers (2015). Walker, a native of Garrettsville, Ohio, earned his bachelor’s degree in sport management from Akron in 2014.
ALEX LEVEILLE
Assistant Director of Coaches Video
Alex LeVeille assists with the videotaping of all practices and games and the assigning of videographers for practices and games. He edits and processes opponent and self-scout videotape using analysis software for practices, games, offseason opponent preparation and recruiting material. He also assists with the shooting and editing of specialized videos for each position coach to use and produces teaching videos for the coaches’ clinics. LeVeille joined the Mountaineer football staff as the assistant video coordinator in June 2019 before assuming his current role in July 2021. He came to West Virginia after serving as a graduate assistant video coordinator at Southern Miss. At Southern Miss, Leveille was responsible for facilitating the filming of coaches’ video for practices and games. He imported and edited all opponent and position video and produced video for scouting and evaluation. He also produced highlight, motivational and instruction video content for the football program. While earning his undergraduate degree at Central Michigan, LeVeille served as an intern and as a student assistant, assisting the video coordinator with editing, organizing and preparing game, LeVeille graduated from Central Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in applied arts in 2017, majoring in sport management and minoring in business administration. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree in sport management from Southern Miss.
Equipment Manager
Dan Nehlen has been a member of the West Virginia football staff since 1981, first as a student manager, then the assistant equipment manager in 1986 and the head equipment manager in 1988. The son of Hall of Fame and former Mountaineer coach Don Nehlen, he is responsible for maintaining and procuring all equipment and uniforms for the football program as well as overseeing the football student managers. Nehlen also coordinates the extensive movement of equipment when West Virginia takes to the road. A native of Canton, Ohio, Nehlen received a bachelor’s degree in physical education and safety in 1985 from West Virginia. He and his wife, Janie, have two children, Ryan and Danielle. Ryan serves as the Mountaineers’ offensive analyst.
AARON MALIK
Assistant Equipment Manager
Aaron Malik has served on the Mountaineer football staff since 2009, first as an equipment graduate assistant for a year before being promoted to his current position. Malik coordinates the maintenance and repair of athletic equipment, uniforms and facilities. He also inspects the equipment for defects and assists in the purchase, issuance, storage and accountability of all Nike athletic equipment, footwear and apparel. Malik spent two years as an equipment intern with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was responsible for daily operations of the equipment room, locker room and practice fields. He also monitored proper usage of NFL Rules in regards to on-field apparel, logos, colors and NFL trademarks. He served as a student equipment manager for football at WVU from 200307, including serving as head manager for two years. He was a ball boy for the Steelers from 2000-02, assisting with practices and various game day duties. Malik earned his bachelor’s degree in sport management with minors in communications and sport and exercise psychology from West Virginia in 2007. Malik, and his wife, Leanne, have a son, Brooks.
HALEY BISHOP
Director of Sports Nutruition
Haley Bishop develops and oversees the nutritional needs for the football student-athletes. She counsels individuals and groups on daily nutrition for performance and health. She researches the most recent scientific evidence and turns it into practical sports nutrition recommendations and tracks and documents the outcomes of nutrition services. She serves as a food and nutrition resource for the program, providing education and maintaining professional competency and skills required for practice. Bishop develops and counsels in hydration protocols, addresses nutritional challenges to performance, evaluates nutritional supplements, develops all menus and oversees fueling and refueling stations. A native of Taylorsville, Georgia, Bishop came to West Virginia after spending more than two years as the director of sports nutrition at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. She provided teams with education and conducted one-on-one consultations with student-athletes, while collaborating with coaches, sports medicine staff and sports performance staff. She managed the fueling station, assisted with travel nutrition, developed educational material and individual meal plans tailored for their health needs. She collaborated with the sports medicine staff on creating injury nutrition protocols and was the designee for the nutritional supplement evaluation to stay in compliance with NCAA policies. Prior to that she served internships at Arkansas (2018), St. Vincent’s Performance Center (2016-17), UAB (2015-16) and Samford (2013-15) and was a sports nutrition graduate assistant at Samford (2016-17). She worked with the men’s basketball team at Arkansas, the football team at Samford, the women’s basketball team at UAB and worked the NFL Pre-Combine training camp in 2016 at St. Vincent’s Sports Performance Center. Bishop is a registered dietitian and is a board certified specialist in sports dietetics by the commission on dietetic registration and has maintained her registered dietitian status for more than two years since her certification. She is ServSafe Food protection manager certified by the National Restaurant Association and is certified in CPR, AED, first aid and blood pathogen certified by the American Heart Association. She holds professional affiliations with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association and is a member of the Women Leaders in Collegiate Sports.
Bishop graduated from Samford with a bachelor of science degree in nutrition and dietetics in 2016 and her master’s degree in nutrition in 2017. She studied abroad in Costa Rica and has registered more than 1,300 hours of clinical, food service, public health and sports performance experience during her dietetic internship at Samford with emphasis on sports at St. Vincent’s. In 2016, Bishop was selected for the outstanding research award with her abstract being published in the International Society of Sports Nutrition and was the recipient of the outstanding campus and community service award at Samford.
CHRIS ALLEN
Chris Allen returned to WVU in April 2021 rejoining the Mountaineer strength and conditioning staff as the Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning/Director of Speed Development. WVU, Allen assists with the design and implementation of strength and conditioning programs for football studentathletes that will facilitate maximum benefits, including individualized, comprehensive and year-round programs. He helps with the supervision and instruction of the football athletes and coaches in all aspects of weight training, conditioning and nutrition. He assists the director with the coaches and athletic training staff on the overall conditioning, rehabilitation and welfare of the student-athletes.
Allen returned to West Virginia after spending the past year as the athletic performance coach for football at Indiana. He helped design, develop, coordinate, oversee and implement the strength and conditioning program for the football team. Prior to that he was the assistant football strength and conditioning coach at Kansas State (2018-20), associate athletics director for strength and conditioning at Arizona (2012-18), where he oversaw 17 of the department’s programs and associate director of strength and conditioning/director of skill development at Michigan (2008-11).
After graduating from West Virginia, he began his career as a strength and conditioning coach at WVU in 2003, where he served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach until 2007, before working until 2008 as the coordinator of strength and conditioning and director of skill development. A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Allen was a sprinter on the WVU track team from 1996-2000. Allen graduated from WVU in 2000 with degrees in accounting and management information systems and earned his master’s degree in athletic coaching education from West Virginia in 2005. Allen holds certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the National Academy of Sports Medicine PES & CES, the National Association of Speed and Explosion, USA Weightlifting Level I Sports and the American Red Cross.
Strength and Conditioning Coach
Chad Snodgrass has been a member of West Virginia’s strength and conditioning staff since 2014, working with the Mountaineer football program. Prior to that, he worked with the women’s soccer, track and field, cross country and golf programs. Snodgrass spent two years as a graduate assistant with the WVU strength and conditioning program, where he worked directly with the football team. Additionally, he assisted in program design and implementation for women’s soccer. Snodgrass also assisted on the NFL combine preparation training of WVU alumni. Prior to his time as a graduate assistant, Snodgrass served as an intern with the WVU strength and conditioning program. In addition to primarily assisting with the football program, he also worked with the baseball, wrestling, men’s soccer, track and field and cross country teams. Snodgrass is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC). A three-year varsity letterman for the WVU football team (2009-11), Snodgrass earned two program awards in 2011 – the “Hammer Award,” given to the team’s most dedicated and hardest working individual, and the “Iron Mountaineer Award,” given to the hardest working member of the football team and voted upon by the strength and conditioning staff and members of the squad. A Cross Lanes, West Virginia, native, Snodgrass received his bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies from WVU in 2011 and his master’s in athletic coaching education from WVU in 2014. He and his wife, the former Jennifer Leto, have two children, Maximus and Scarlett.
ALEX MITCHELL
Strength and Conditioning Coach
Alex Mitchell has been a member of West Virginia’s strength and conditioning staff since 2016, working with the Mountaineer football program. Mitchell came to West Virginia after serving as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant coach at Ohio University for the two years. He assisted with the yearround speed and strength and conditioning program for the football program, and worked with the offensive and defensive linemen on developing their hand placement and fighting technique. He also implemented and oversaw the strength and conditioning programs for the swimming and diving, men’s and women’s golf, cheerleading and club ice hockey teams. He assisted with the implementation of the strength and conditioning plans for the wrestling, field hockey, women’s basketball and women’s soccer teams.
Mitchell served as a student assistant coach and intern with the Ohio football program for a semester before becoming a graduate assistant. He assisted the offensive line coach with position techniques and schemes, assisted with program operations and with the implementation of the football strength and conditioning program. Mitchell, a certified National Strength Coaches’ Association strength and conditioning coach, graduated from Ohio with a bachelor’s degree in communications in 2012 and earned his master’s degree in recreation and sport science in 2014. He was a two-year letterman on the offensive line for coach Frank Solich at OU, helping lead the Bobcats to two straight bowl appearances. Prior to OU, he played for coach Dave Hoover at Victory Valley College in southern California.
Strength and Conditioning Coach
Nick Meadows is a strength and conditioning coach on the Mountaineer Football coaching staff. He assists the strength and conditioning staff with the design and implementation of the strength and conditioning plans for the football student-athletes to help improve their strength, performance, conditioning and injury prevention. Prior to that, Meadows served as a graduate assistant and intern on the strength and conditioning staff, working directly with football. He assisted with the implementation of individual workout plans for the student-athletes and helped oversee team activities and functions as a member of the staff. Meadows completed the requirements for Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) in 2018. Meadows was a member of the Mountaineer Football program from 2013-17 and was the starting long snapper handling all the field goal, punting and extra point snapping duties during the 2016-17 seasons. He was a two-time Academic All-Big 12 team member, including first team selection as a senior and was a member of the Big 12 Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll. The 2017 Tommy Nickolich Award winner, signifying the program’s top walkon, Meadows graduated from West Virginia with his bachelor’s degree in sport and exercise psychology in 2017 and his master’s degree in sport and coaching education with an emphasis in performance coaching in 2018.
BRITTNEY O’DELL
As WVU’s Associate Athletics Director for StudentAthlete Development, Brittney O’Dell administers the operation of the student-athlete development division. The academic support unit is comprised of 13 full-time staff members, eight part-time employees, 18 varsity sports and approximately 500 student-athletes. Her duties include assuring a commitment to academic excellence, while supporting the educational and personal growth of all student-athletes. At WVU, O’Dell also is responsible for providing operational oversight for the Sports Psychology and Mental Health Counseling division of the department, which employs a director of clinical and sports psychology, a clinical and sports behavioral health therapist and a graduate assistant. She collaborates with WVU’s Carruth Center for Psychological and Psychiatric Services to ensure the athletics department is facilitating services to student-athletes in support of their mental health and sport performance. O’Dell serves as the primary liaison to many academic units and colleges across the University. She has regular communication with the Provost’s office, Admissions office, Registrar’s office, Accessibility Services office and various other campus departments to ensure the best services and resources are provided for student-athletes through effective collaboration O’Dell also is responsible for assisting the chief operating officer/deputy athletics director/senior woman administrator on matters surrounding gender equity and Title IX, as well as the Office of Student Conduct. She serves as a liaison to involved parties across the University and collaborates with the Athletics Compliance Office and the Office of the Provost to compile and submit relevant annual reports. O’Dell has been a member of the Mountaineer student-athlete development staff since 2015. She arrived in Morgantown as the assistant director, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the football academic support unit. After a year in that role, she was promoted to associate director, where she served for two years before assuming the assistant athletics director of student-athlete development duties in 2018 where she has been until her recent promotion in July 2021. O’Dell is still involved in the academic operations of football, a role she previously served in for the past six years. Under her charge, the football team has graduated 100% of its players over the last three years, earned a program high single-year APR score of 990 in 2019-2020, and achieved a record high GPA in any regular term of 3.11 in the Spring 2021 semester. She is passionate about education and providing intentional programing to student-athletes to ensure their success well beyond their years at WVU.
O’Dell came to West Virginia after serving as a coordinator of academic advising services at the University of Central Florida for four years (2011-15) and was a graduate assistant there for two years prior (2009-2011). She had direct oversight of academic advising, monitoring player progress, creating individualized academic plans, coordinating tutoring needs and ensuring academic success for the UCF defensive football players and the women’s golf team. Her responsibilities also included overseeing the academic mentoring program, where she was responsible for hiring graduate level academic mentors to help student-athletes develop time management and organizational skills, while also monitoring and tracking their academic progress. She also served as a learning specialist with at-risk student-athletes during a portion of her time at UCF and was the liaison with the Office of Student Accessibility Services, where she coordinated full-battery testing, attended intake appointments, and helped to facilitate the accommodation process for registered student-athletes. O’Dell also worked with women’s basketball, women’s soccer, softball, and rowing during her time at UCF. She served on multiple campus committees within the student development and enrollment services department and developed an academic mentoring program and training database for student-athletes. O’Dell was also an adjunct professor in the College of Education where she taught a freshman seminar course that focused on developing strategies for success in college. O’Dell is a member of the National Association of Academic and StudentAthlete Development Professionals. She is nationally certified, served on the 2014 regional planning committee, and also presented at the organization’s national conference in June 2011 for winning the model practice program award at UCF. Additionally, she regularly attends NCAA’s Regional Rules along with the Big 12 summer workshop seminars to stay well-informed of all national and conference legislation updates. A native of Orlando, Florida, O’Dell graduated with a bachelor’s degree in family and child sciences with a concentration in psychology and counseling from Florida State University (FSU) in 2008. She earned her master’s degree in educational leadership from UCF in 2011.
ZACH SEGER
Assistant Director Student-Athlete Development
Zach Seger has been of a member of West Virginia’s Student-Athlete Development Department, working with the Mountaineer football program since 2016. He started as an assistant academic coordinator for football before becoming an academic counselor in 2017. In 2019, Seger was promoted to his current role of Assistant Director for Student-Athlete Development. Seger oversees the day to day operations of the football academic unit. He provides academic support and guidance to football student-athletes, to help them succeed in the classroom, maintain eligibility and ultimately help them earn their degree. As part of the student-athlete development unit, he maintains accurate records and knowledge of student-athlete academic schedules to notify coaches regarding classes, tests, grades, and study sessions. He also maintains constant communications with professors, advisors, and other on-campus units to ensure the success of our football student athletes. Prior to being named Assistant-Director, Seger was responsible for coordinating all tutoring and textbook distribution at the Reynolds Family Academic Center. He organized and implemented academic programs that ensures their growth in the classroom, in the community and on an individual level. Serving as the assistant academic coordinator for football at WVU, he assisted with the organization and implementation of academic support programs and advised student-athletes in selecting area of study and organizing their individual schedules. He worked with at-risk student athletes, facilitated daily tutor schedules and monitored study hall. The Windber, Pennsylvania, native graduated cum laude from West Virginia University in 2014 with a degree in sport management. He earned his master’s degree in Higher Education Management from Pitt in 2016.
Learning Specialist
Blake Barnes joined the student-athlete development unit in January 2020, working with the football program. He started as an assistant learning specialist before being promoted to his current role as learning specialist in July 2021. Barnes works primarily with student-athletes who have a documented learning disability. He provides one-onone learning support to help ensure their success in the classroom. He also helps the student-athletes improve their reading comprehension and develop their writing skills. Barnes coordinates all individual psycho-educational testing for freshmen and transfer student-athletes, and then develops a plan specific to their academic needs. In addition, he monitors and documents the academic progress of the student-athletes and assists with course scheduling. Barnes also serves as the staff liaison with the office of accessibility services on campus, where he ensures the student-athletes have the proper assistance and accommodations necessary to be successful. In his former role, he was responsible for providing academic support for student-athletes, teaching and working with them to enhance their study skills, note taking, time management and test-taking strategies.
Barnes came to West Virginia after serving as a learning specialist intern at Minnesota (July-December 2019). He managed student-athletes from multiple varsity sports, monitored their academic coursework, grades and weekly progress and then communicated the results to their academic counselors. Prior to that, he worked at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs Athletics Department, first as a compliance intern (2017-18), before serving as a compliance and academic graduate assistant (2018-19). Barnes, a member of the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals, earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in business with a dual emphasis in business administration and finance in 2017, and his master’s degree in leadership, also from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in 2019.
PATTY HARMAN
Assistant Learning Specialist
Patty Harman has been a member of West Virginia’s Student-Athlete Development unit since 2010. She has been an assistant learning specialist with the Mountaineer Football program since 2012 and prior to that served as a student-athlete mentor for two years. In her current role, she is responsible for providing academic support for student-athletes in the areas of study skills, note taking, time management, test-taking strategies, personal and skill development and instruction in course work. She monitors and documents the academic progress of the student-athletes, assists the students with course schedules and selecting academic majors and assists student-athletes with learning disabilities to acquire and use accommodations. Harman received her bachelor’s degree from West Virginia in recreation and parks management in 1981 and her master’s degree in industrial relations in 1983. Since 2009, she has served as an instructor in the WVU Continuing and Professional Education Program. She has served as a visiting lecturer for the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, National Resources and Design for four years, a recreation specialist for one year and a park specialist for four years with the Fairfax County Park Authority in Fairfax, Virginia, a life enhancement coordinator for the Fauquier County Parks and Recreation Department in Warrenton, Virginia, for one year and a community recreation coordinator for the Kanawha County Parks and Recreation Coordinator in Charleston, West Virginia for a year. Since 2007, Harman has served as a volunteer with On Eagles’ Wings Therapeutic Horsemanship program as a riding instructor giving lessons to children and adults with disabilities. Harman, and her husband, Chuck, have two children, Charlie (wife, Paige) and daughter, Anne (husband, Lucas).
Medical Director/Head Team Physician
A.J. Monseau, M.D., WVU Medicine Emergency Medicine and Sports Medicine physician, has been the head team physician and medical director for WVU Athletics since 2017. Monseau endured a difficult year as the athletics department’s chief medical administrator. He, along with his staff, University administration, state medical officials, Big 12 Conference administrators and WVU athletics administration, navigated the athletics department through the COVID-19 pandemic, from its early stages through the current period. He spent countless hours overseeing and implementing a comprehensive testing program during the COVID-19 pandemic and the current vaccination period to ensure the safety of the coaches, staff, administrators and student-athletes during the onset of the pandemic and currently, while the pandemic is still active. In 2016, Dr. Monseau served as the team physician for WVU Men’s Basketball. He also served as team physician for USA Wrestling at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As head team physician and medical director for WVU Athletics, Monseau will lead the University’s staff of team physicians and will work in conjunction with the athletic training staff to provide healthcare to all student-athletes. This includes injury prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, education, and counseling. Originally from the Northern Panhandle, Monseau received his medical degree from and completed his residency training at the WVU School of Medicine. He then completed fellowship training in primary care sports medicine at the University of Michigan School of Medicine. He returned to his alma mater upon completion of his fellowship in 2011. Currently, Monseau is an associate professor in the WVU Department of Emergency Medicine. In addition to working as an attending physician in the J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital Emergency Department, he also sees sports medicine patients through WVU Medicine Orthopaedics. He is board certified in emergency medicine and primary care sports medicine. Athletics have always been a part of Monseau’s life. After completing a threesport career at Wheeling Park High School, he carried his love of sports through his undergraduate education, during which he competed on the West Liberty University (then West Liberty State College) Wrestling Team for his father, who is a National Wrestling Hall of Fame coach. Though he gave up competing when he began medical school, he made sure to choose a specialty that would allow him to remain connected to competitive sports.
VINCE BLANKENSHIP
Vince Blankenship, the assistant athletics director and head athletics trainer for football, provides oversight of the athletics medical unit for the football team, including the day-to-day operation of the training room. Last year, Blankenship was the lead football medical official to oversee the testing for all the coaches, staff and student-athletes, development and implementation of protocols and currently during the vaccination period. Blankenship has been a member of the West Virginia athletic training staff since 2014. He was promoted to his current role in March 2019. He started as an assistant athletic trainer and physical therapist, working primarily with the Mountaineer football and golf programs, before being named athletics rehabilitation specialist in the fall of 2016. He supervises the daily care, rehabilitation and prevention of athletic injuries for the football program as well as supervise the long-term rehabilitation with all other WVU sports on campus. He also serves as an instructor in the WVU athletic training education program. Prior to coming to WVU, he worked with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions and the University of Georgia football programs. While receiving his doctorate in physical therapy at Georgia Regents University, Blankenship worked as a part-time athletic trainer for University Hospital and Georgia Regents University, covering high school and collegiate sports. Blankenship earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science with an athletic training emphasis at Georgia in 2009, and his doctor of physical therapy at Georgia Regents University in 2013. Additionally, he is a Titleist Performance Institute Level II Medical Professional. He and his wife, Idania, have two sons, Noah, and Eli, who was born in July.
Assistant Athletic Trainer
Zach Foster assists with the day-to-day care, rehabilitation and prevention of athletic injuries for the football and golf programs. He also has duties as an instructor in the WVU athletics training education program. He came to West Virginia in 2019 after spending the 2018 NFL season as a seasonal athletic trainer with the New England Patriots. He performed orthopedic and general medical evaluations, provided medical coverage for practices, games and free-agent workouts, assisted with concussion testing, collaborated with team physical therapists on rehabilitation programming and on-field progressions, managed injury tracking, patient documentation and athlete participation with NFL Electronic Medical Records, assisted with hiring summer and seasonal athletic training interns, administered and analyzed Functional Movement Screening to develop corrective exercise programs, managed rehabilitation supply inventory among other duties. Additionally, he accompanied the Patriots to Super Bowl LIII. Prior to his stint in New England, Foster spent a year as part of the postprofessional residency program at The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado. In this role, he worked with orthopedic surgeons in a clinical and surgical practice with specialties that include Sports Medicine, Foot and Ankle, Spine, Wrist and Hand, Total Joint Replacement and Pain Management and assisted with on-site athletic training services for the U.S. Ski Team, Vail Mountain School Athletics, Vail Recreation District and Maverick Sports Promotions. A native of Roanoke, Virginia, Foster served as an athletic training intern for the Florida State football program (2016-17) and was a graduate assistant with the Pitt football program (2014-16). He earned his bachelor of science degree in athletics training from Alabama in 2014, before completing his master of science degree in health and rehabilitation sciences with a concentration in sports medicine from Pitt in 2016.
AJ GARCIA
Assistant Athletic Trainer
AJ Garcia has been on the Mountaineers Athletics training staff since 2020. His duties involve the care, rehabilitation and prevention of athletic injuries for the football program. He also assists in the supervision of the training room and provides clinical instruction in the athletics training program. Garcia came to West Virginia after serving for three years as the assistant athletic trainer for the football program at Toledo. A 2015 graduate of the University of Miami, Garcia interned at NFL training camps with Tampa Bay (2013) and Miami (2014). He was a graduate assistant with the University of South Carolina, where he earned his master’s degree in 2017. He also worked at MidCarolina High School in 2016-17. He is a member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA). Garcia was born in Edison, New Jersey, and grew up in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
Senior Analyst (Defense)
Jeff Casteel returns for his second year of his second stint on the Mountaineer coaching staff. He was hired in March 2020 as the defensive senior analyst but was needed on the field as the outside linebackers coach and moved into that role during the summer. The WVU defense had an outstanding year in 2020, leading the nation in pass defense and ranking No. 4 in in total defense (291.4), No. 21 in scoring defense (20.5), No. 23 in interceptions (11), No. 24 in pass efficiency defense (121.52) and No. 28 in rushing defense (131.8). Casteel has 34 years of defensive coaching experience, including 27 years as a defensive coordinator. He has helped guide teams to 14 conference championships and 15 bowl appearances and has coached numerous All-Americans and professional players. He was named the rivals defensive coordinator of the year in 2007, Big East Defensive Coordinator of the Year in 2008, a Broyles Award nominee (five times) and the Football Scoop Linebacker Coach of the Year in 2014. During his tenure at WVU, the Mountaineers experienced one of their greatest periods of success, including winning three BCS bowl wins, 2006 Sugar Bowl, 2008 Fiesta Bowl and the 2012 Orange Bowl.
Casteel returned to West Virginia after serving as the defensive coordinator and linebackers’ coach at Nevada for three years. In 2019, the Wolfpack finished 7-6 and earned a spot in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Defensive lineman Dom Peterson was ranked No. 24 nationally in tackles for loss and No. 25 in sacks and cornerback Daniel Brown finished No. 15 nationally in interceptions per game. In 2018, five of his starters earned All-Mountain West honors, including Malik Reed, who signed with the Denver Broncos following the NFL Draft. His defense was ranked No. 3 nationally in red zone defense, No. 8 in tackles for loss, No. 10 in third-down defense, No. 27 in sacks and No. 39 in rushing defense. From his first year to his second year, the Nevada defense improved from allowing 208.2 yards per game rushing to 142 and dropped the total defense from allowing 471.3 yards to 378.3 yards per game. Four of his players earned All-Mountain West Conference honors.
Prior to that, Casteel served as the defensive coordinator at Arizona from 2012-16. He helped lead the Wildcats to the 2014 Pac-12 South championship and four bowl game appearances, including the 2014 Fiesta Bowl. The defense aided in setting a school record for most wins over a four-year period. He coached one of the top players in school history, unanimous All-American Scooby Wright, who was the winner of the Bronko Nagurski Award, Rotary Lombardi Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Casteel coached at West Virginia from 2001-2011, spending his first year as the defensive line coach, second year as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers’ coach and then the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the next nine years. The defense helped the WVU football program win six Big East Conference championships and produced four All-Americans, three Academic All-Americans, nine all-conference honoree and 23 professional players. The Mountaineers finished No. 3 in the nation in total defense in 2010, No. 7 in 2007 and No. 15 in 2005.
He also spent time at UTEP as the defensive ends coach (2000) and at Shepherd University, first as the defensive line and strength coach from 1988-90 and as the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator from 1991-2000.
Casteel earned his bachelor’s (1984) and master’s degrees (1986) from California University of Pennsylvania. He started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater from 1984-86, before becoming the defensive coordinator at Palmetto High School in Miami, Florida, and was a training camp assistant with the Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League in 1989.
Casteel, and his wife, Rosemary, have two children, Jake, a graduate assistant football coach at WVU, and Sarah, who recently finished her graduate degree at WVU in May 2021.
Senior Analyst (Offense)
Kirk Ciarrocca joined the Mountaineer coaching staff as an offensive analyst in March 2021 after serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Penn State during the 2020 season. Prior to that, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Minnesota for three years. In 2019, the Golden Gophers posted a 10-win regular season for the first time since 1905. The offense finished No. 3 in school history in scoring offense and No. 2 in passing offense. He was a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, signifying the top assistant coach in the nation. The offense was No. 6 nationally in yards per completion (15.5) and passing efficiency (177.99), No. 8 in third-down offense (.484) and No. 16 in completion percentage (.656). Quarterback Tanner Morgan set Minnesota season records for passing yards, touchdown passes and consecutive games with a touchdown pass. He earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors. The Gophers also had 1,000-yard receivers in AllAmerican and Big Ten Receiver of the Year Rashod Bateman and All-Big Ten First-Team honoree Tyler Johnson.
Ciarrocca came to Minnesota after serving as the offensive coordinator at Western Michigan (2013-16). The Broncos thrived in 2016, averaging 41.6 points per game (ninth most in the nation) and set program records in points (582), total yards (6,737) and touchdowns (75). This came after setting records in the same categories in 2015.
Ciarrocca came to Minnesota after serving as the offensive coordinator at Western Michigan (2013-16). The Broncos thrived in 2016, averaging 41.6 points per game (ninth most in the nation) and set program records in points (582), total yards (6,737) and touchdowns (75). This came after setting records in the same categories in 2015.
Ciarrocca’s offense included MAC Offensive Player of the Year and NCAA Consensus All-American Corey Davis at wide receiver. Joining Davis as an All-MAC First Team selection were offensive linemen Taylor Moton and Chukwuma Okorafor. His offense also included All-MAC Second Team honorees quarterback Zach Terrell, running back Jarvion Franklin and offensive lineman John Keenoy. Tight end Donnie Ernsberger was a thirdteam selection.
Ciarrocca also coached the quarterbacks and mentored Terrell, who ended his career as the William V. Campbell Trophy winner after not having any Power Five program offers out of high school. In 2016, Terrell passed for 33 touchdowns and threw only four interceptions. In 2015, Terrell finished the season ranked seventh in the country and second in the MAC in quarterback efficiency with a mark of 162.3.
In 2015, he coached a dynamic running game led by Jamauri Bogan who was named the MAC Freshman of the Year and 2015 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl MVP after amassing 215 yards and four touchdowns. For the year, Bogan finished with 1,053 yards and two touchdowns. It was the first time since 2008-09 that Western Michigan had 1,000-yard rushers in back-to-back seasons after Jarvion Franklin totaled 1,551 yards in 2014.
Ciarrocca’s offense also featured the most prolific receiving duo in the country since 2002. The duo of Daniel Braverman and Davis were the first receiving duo since 2002 to catch more than 1,400 and 1,300 yards in the same year (Davis recorded 1,436 yards, while Braverman had 1,371).
Braverman and Davis were each named to the All-MAC team in 2015. Braverman finished second in the FBS nationally in receptions (108), eighth in receiving yards (1,371) and eighth in receiving touchdowns (12). Davis was fifth in the country in receiving yards (1,436) and receiving touchdowns (13), while finishing 12th in receptions (90). Adding in Bogan’s 1,051 yards, Western Michigan became the first FBS team since 2001 to have a duo of 1,400 and 1,300 yard receivers to go along with a 1,000 yard rusher.
While at Delaware (2002-07), he was instrumental in the development of Super Bowl winning quarterback Joe Flacco and was a member of the 2003 National Championship staff. Ciarrocca’s Blue Hen 2007 offense ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring, total offense, passing offense, third-down conversion and red-zone scoring.
Ciarrocca’s coaching career began at Temple, where he assisted the offensive staff and served as the on-campus recruiting coordinator from 1990-91. He worked with Western Connecticut State as the passing game coordinator in 1992, and at Delaware Valley College, as the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks and receivers coach in 1993. He returned to Western Connecticut as the offensive coordinator for two seasons before heading to coach in the Ivy League for seven seasons, first coaching the wide receivers at Princeton (1996-99) and then wide receivers at Penn (2000-02). The Quakers had the top ranked passing offense and claimed the 2000 Ivy League championship.
Ciarrocca was the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Rutgers (200810) and coached the quarterbacks at Richmond in 2011, before returning to Delaware to coach the running backs in 2012.
A native of Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, Ciarrocca earned his bachelor’s degree in sports administration from Temple in 1990. He, and his wife Kim, have a daughter, Colby, and a son, Cade.
Special Teams Analyst
Tony Thompson joined the Mountaineer coaching staff as the special teams analyst in June 2021. At West Virginia, Thompson organizes, implements and maintains all aspects of game analysis, including direct oversight of the game planning for special teams. He analyzes game film and formulates game plans to assist the coaching staff with game preparation. He came to WVU after serving as an assistant coach at Stony Brook since 2009, coaching the outside linebackers for five years (2007-08, 2011-12, 2020), defensive line for two years (2009-10) and the special teams coordinator (2013-20).
At Stony Brook, he created and implemented special teams game plans, including development of playbook, supervised assistant and coaching staff to implement game plan, collaborated with defensive staff and head coach to develop the defensive plan and was responsible for daily development of special teams personnel, outside linebackers and defensive linemen. He also was the academic liaison for the football program from 2009-20, including helping the student-athletes select their classes and have weekly academic preparedness meetings.
With Thompson on staff, the Seawolves won the Big South Conference from 2009-12 and completed in the NCAA FCS playoffs in 2011, 12, 17 and 18. Stony Brook was in the top nationally for blocked punts (2016, 17, 19, 21), kickoff coverage (2012, 15, 17), kick return average (2015), punt coverage (2012, 18), punt return defense (2018) and punt return touchdowns (2016, 17, 18).
The Seawolves led the Big South in total defense (2012), scoring defense (2009, 12), rushing defense (2009, 2011) and pass defense efficiency (2012). He recruited three NFL players, coached all-conference kicker (2011, 12), punter (2013), specialists (2018, ‘21) and special teams player of the year (2021). He coached All-American long snapper (2019) and the conference leader in field goal percentage (2019).
Prior to that, Thompson served as the linebackers coach and assisted the special teams coach at Hofstra (2006), served as the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach at Franklin and Marshall (2003-05) and was the outside linebackers coach and assistant special teams coordinator University of Pennsylvania (2001-02). He started his coaching career at Stony Brook, coaching the linebackers (1997-99) as a graduate/student assistant coach and the defensive line (2000).
As a linebacker and long snapper during his collegiate career, Thompson played for Stony Brook after transferring from Western Connecticut. He began coaching as a Stony Brook graduate assistant for outside linebackers in 1997, where he would stay as a full-time staff member until 2000 when he moved to defensive line coach.
Thompson graduated from Stony Brook with his bachelor’s degree in history in 1997 and earned his master’s degree in arts and liberal studies with an advanced coaching certificate in 2000.
MATT JANSEN
Assistant Director of Scouting
Matt Jansen is the assistant director of scouting and is in his third year on the Mountaineer coaching staff. He served as a player personnel and recruiting assistant his first year and coordinator of scouting last year. Jansen organizes, scouts and assists with all aspects of game analysis and game planning for the football program. In 2019, Jansen helped evaluate prospective studentathletes for recruiting. He assisted the coaching staff and recruiting department in organizing evaluation lists, database management, player cutups, recruit communication, visit logistics, camps and recruit strategies.
Prior to that, Jansen was the college scouting coordinator for the Houston Texans (2015-18). He assisted with the day-to-day operation of the college scouting department, while also managing in-house scouting assistants and serving as a cross checker for schools in 11 states. He conducted more than 30 school visits, game and pro days per year gathering background, evaluating college draft prospects and assigning a grade value to the players.
He also assisted the pro personnel staff with preseason scouting, practice squad evaluations, opponent advances, free agency and yearlong team evaluations. He also served as quality control of the scouting database to create a more simplified platform for the scouts.
He also served as a player personnel assistant with the Baltimore Ravens (201315) and a college scouting intern for the Houston Texans (2011-13).
Jansen graduated in 2011 with his bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport sciences from Texas Tech, where he was a student assistant football coach (2006-11).
Offensive Analyst
Former Mountaineer receiver Ryan Nehlen organizes, implements and maintains all aspects of game analysis for the offensive coaching staff. He analyzes game film and formulates game plans to assist the offensive coaching staff with game preparation. He returned to Morgantown after serving as a graduate assistant coach for two years at Michigan. He worked with the offensive staff during the 2016 season and the defensive staff during the 2017 season. The Wolverines won 10 games during the 2016 season. Prior to arriving in Ann Arbor, he had a short stint as an offensive graduate assistant at Marshall and was the receivers coach for Glenville State during the 2015 season. He worked as a graduate assistant coach at Akron during the 2014 season.
He was a two-year letterman at wide receiver for the West Virginia University. Nehlen contributed to a successful offense and a team that held a 10-3 record in 2011 and a 7-6 record in 2012. He was honored with All-Academic Team honors from the Big East (2011) and Big 12 (2012) during his career.
Nehlen earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology from WVU in 2012. He and his wife, Micah, are the proud parents of a daughter, Penelope. He is the son of WVU Football Equipment Manager Dan Nehlen and the grandson of Hall of Famer and WVU head coach Don Nehlen, the winningest football coach in Mountaineer history.
CASEY VANCE
Defensive Analyst
Casey Vance organizes, implements and maintains all aspects of game analysis for the defensive coaching staff since 2017. He analyzes game film and formulates game plans to assist the defensive coaching staff with game preparation. Prior to that, he served as a graduate assistant coach with the 2016 WVU defense. The unit finished No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 10 nationally in forced turnovers, No. 1 in Big 12 defensive pass efficiency, No. 2 in scoring defense and No. 3 in rush defense. He served as a defensive graduate assistant coach at Arizona for the 2013-14 seasons and at Kentucky for 2015. The 2013 Wildcat defense improved national ranking from No. 105 to No. 39 and in 2014, Vance coached Scooby Wright, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and the Bednarik, Nagurski and Lombardi Award winner.
Vance was a linebacker at WVU and was part of three Big East Conference championships and five bowl appearances. He was two-time Academic All-Big East and was named to the Hampshire Honor Society. Vance graduated from West Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in history in 2011 and a master’s degree in secondary education in 2013.
He, and his wife, Keba, live in Morgantown.
