Kragthorpe Completes 2009 Staff
February 09, 2009 | Football
Feb. 9, 2009
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- Head Coach Steve Kragthorpe
- Defensive Coordinator Brent Guy
- Secondary Coach Larry Slade
- Safeties Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Antonio Goss
- Tight Ends Coach Jay Johnson
- Wide Receivers Coach Jeff Lewis
- Quarterbacks Coach/Passing Game Coordinator Matt Wells
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - - University of Louisville head football coach Steve Kragthorpe has announced the completion of his staff for the 2009 season.
Kragthorpe hired Jeff Lewis to coach the wide receivers, while Matt Wells will tutor the quarterbacks and coordinate the passing game. Jay Johnson, who was hired last month will coach the tight ends. Brent Myers will continue to coach the offensive line and be the running game coordinator, while Greg Nord will move to coach the running backs. Nord was the running back coach at U of L from 2004-06.
Defensively, Brent Guy will serve as the defensive coordinator and coach the linebackers. Ken Delgado will begin his second season as the defensive line coach and Antonio Goss will be the special teams coordinator and coach the safeties. Larry Slade will be the secondary coach and coach the cornerbacks. Former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jeff Brohm has accepted another job in the collegiate ranks. Brohm coached for the Cardinals from 2003-08, serving as the quarterbacks coach from 2003-2007, before being elevated to offensive coordinator for the 2008 season.
Lewis was an administrative assistant with the Cardinals last season. Lewis played five seasons in the National Football League with Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers from 1996-2000.
Lewis has a long-standing relationship with Kragthorpe after spending three years together at Northern Arizona, where Lewis starred as a quarterback from 1992-95. A first-ever three-year captain at NAU, Lewis was a second team All-American as a junior after throwing for 3,355 yards and 26 touchdown passes, which still rank fourth all-time in school history.
As a senior, Lewis was a third-team All-American. He was nominated for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as a senior and a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given to the top college player in Division I-AA. He finished his career with 9,639 yards and 67 touchdown passes, which all rank fourth in the school annals.
Following his senior season, Lewis played in the Senior Bowl before he was a fourth-round selection and the 100th overall pick of the Denver Broncos. He was the back-up to John Elway and was a part of two Super Bowl teams in 1998 and 1999.
Wells joins the staff after spending two seasons as the wide receiver and recruiting coordinator at the University of New Mexico. Last season, Wells' wide receivers caught 130 passes for 1,294 yards. He also coordinated a kickoff return unit that finished sixth in the NCAA and second in the Mountain West Conference.
Wells tutored a pair of first team all-MWC receivers in 2007, Travis Brown and Marcus Smith. Smith led the MWC in receiving, setting a school record with 91 catches, for 1,125 yards and four touchdowns. Brown totaled 76 grabs for 1,031 yards and six touchdowns. It was the first time in school history that two receivers have reached 1,000 yards in the same season. Smith was a 4th-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2008.
Wells and Kragthorpe have a long history together after spending five seasons at Tulsa from 2002-06 as tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator, while Kragthorpe was the head coach. Tulsa tight ends were instrumental in the team's recent offensive success. Wells coached 2005 All-American Garrett Mills, who established an NCAA single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end with 1,235 yards.
Tulsa's tight ends caught the most passes in the nation in 2003 with 89 receptions for 855 yards and 12 touchdowns. They combined for 83 catches and 919 yards in 2004. The Golden Hurricane's 2004 recruiting class was
rated as the top-ranked unit in the Western Athletic Conference by PrepStar magazine and Rivals.com, while the 2005 class earned best in Conference USA by Rivals.com.
Wells came to Tulsa after spending five seasons (1997-01) as an assistant coach at the U.S. Naval Academy. He served as a service academy assistant coach for the varsity in 1997, assisting with coaching the quarterbacks and fullbacks. Wells mentored the varsity fullbacks for three seasons (1998-2000) and the wide receivers in 2001.
A three-year letterman at Utah State, Wells played quarterback for four years (1993-96), and was the starter as a sophomore. He played free safety as a senior. A three-time All-Big West academic selection, Wells was a member of Big West Conference championship teams in 1993 and 1996. Wells received his bachelor's degree in business marketing from Utah State in 1996.
