February 10, 2017
Tech football adds new coaches, new roles
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It’s been a busy couple of weeks for the Tennessee Tech football coaching staff, with signing day as well as getting set for spring practice, which begins on Tuesday. But the Golden Eagles have a couple of new coaches, as well as some returning coaches taking on new roles. Joining up with the staff are Frederick Walker to coach the wide receivers, while Andre Crenshaw will oversee the running backs.
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It's been a busy couple of weeks for the Tennessee Tech football coaching staff, with signing day as well as getting set for spring practice, which begins on Tuesday.
But the Golden Eagles have a couple of new coaches, as well as some returning coaches taking on new roles.
Joining up with the staff are Frederick Walker to coach the wide receivers, while Andre Crenshaw will oversee the running backs.
"We weren't looking for guys who were going to bring us a tremendous amount of X's and O's at first," said Tech head coach Marcus Satterfield. "We were looking for good guys that are going to live up to our standards with the same thoughts and philosophies that we have as a program and how they want their position group to act.
Satterfield continued, "We had over 290 applicants for two jobs, so that was a compliment to our football program. I'm really excited about the changes we've made here after year one and I think it's helped sew up some communication issues and it's going to be full-steam ahead moving forward."
Both new coaches come into Cookeville with impressive resumes.
Walker, who received his bachelor's degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in clinical exercise physiology at Mississippi State and a master's degree in Criminal Justice at Troy, will help shape Tech's wide receivers.
"We talked to a bunch of guys about Fred Walker," Satterfield said. "He actually drove down and met with us after the FCA convention and I really didn't talk any X's and O's with him. I knew if he was around Dan Mullen at Mississippi State and Neal Brown at Troy, then he's probably good enough for what we need at that position, X-and-O-wise.
"But the things he talked about his standards and what he believed about creating success in a college football program, he's been relentless. He has connections in Mississippi and Alabama and it's going to pay dividends for us down the road in those two states as we try to bring top-notch talent here to Tennessee Tech."
Walker added, "I'm excited. I've heard a lot about Coach Satterfield and his background of being relentless in his approach to preparation and developing young men, so I was excited to get the opportunity to join this staff and help out in that regard.
"To be a part of this rebuild process is exciting. At the last two places I was – Mississippi State and Troy – we didn't start off very good, but we built ourselves up to the top of the country. I left there and went to Troy. We were 4-8 the first year, then had the best season in school history last season. Now to have the opportunity to come here and help in the rebuilding effort is exciting."
In Starkville, Walker helped coach the Bulldogs' wide receivers from 2011 to 2012, then helped the offensive coordinator with the quarterbacks from 2012 to 2015. Also among his duties, he helped break down opponent film and develop scouting reports, was the offensive signal caller during games, and helped build the offensive playbook.
Among the players he helped develop there were All-SEC quarterback Tyler Russell and All-American and current Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
At Troy last season, he helped develop three All-Sun Belt selections in Brandon Silvers, Deondre Douglas and Emanuel Thompson as he assisted Trojans head coach Neal Brown with the quarterbacks.
Walker is active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and has also volunteered with United Way.
Crenshaw, who received a bachelor's degree in Sociology from Oregon and a master's in Educational Policy and Administration at Dakota Wesleyan, where he coached from 2013 to 2015, heads to Cookeville following a two-season stint as the running backs and specialist coach for Morehead State.
"We met him at the TSSAA BlueCross Bowl before we even had the job opening," Satterfield said. "We hung out with him for two days and really talked to him. It was good to have that opportunity before we had the job opening, because I really got to see the real guy and what he believed in. As soon as the job came open, I knew he was one of the first guys I wanted to apply."
With the Eagles, Crenshaw helped recruit student-athletes, monitored their academic performance, broke down game film and put together scouting reports, helped oversee training and developed game plans.
"He did a really nice job at Morehead State," Satterfield said, "and had a great reputation as a recruiter, an instructor. His guys were doing the right things off the field, which is what we want. He had an unbelievable understanding of the correlation between academics and football."
Crenshaw added, "I'm excited. It's a great opportunity for me to grow as a coach and learn, to expand my horizons. I'm excited about the running backs that I have in the room and to work with Ty (Foreman), Derek (Carr) and Coach Satterfield and Freddy. It's going to be a great opportunity.
"What more can you ask for in a program like this that's on the rise? The team finished 5-3 (in conference play last season) and there's so much more left in the tank. We're excited with where the program is going and our guys are ready to take that next step."
Prior to his tenure in Kentucky, Crenshaw was a GA, overseeing the running backs and specialists at Dakota Wesleyan in Mitchell, S.D., then was also the running backs and athletes coach at Riggs Football Academy in Sioux Falls, S.D.
At Dakota Wesleyan, he helped develop Francois Barnaud, who became the school's leading rusher in just two seasons – picking up 1,893 yards as a junior and 1,409 yards as a senior, the top two seasons in program history. He led the NAIA and Great Plains Athletic Conference in rushing as a junior, was a second-team All-American selection and twice named all-conference.
In addition to the two newcomers to the staff, several staff members have taken on new roles.
Tyree Foreman, who was previously the running backs coach, has been promoted to associate head coach, offensive coordinator and tight ends coach.
"My philosophy of offense has to be through my offensive coordinator and to be able to promote Tyree, who has been with me for so long at Temple and knows how we do things at tight end/offensive coordinator, it's a mirror image to me," Satterfield said.
Foreman added, "We've got some great coaches here to be in the office with and a great bunch of kids to work with. I'm ready to show what this offense is about and build on what we did last year."
Camden Wentz, who took over at offensive line at the end of the 2016 season, will officially gain the title of offensive line coach.
"Coach Wentz did a tremendous job taking over the offensive line with five games to go last season," Satterfield said. "You saw the improvement they made in every single game and the connection he made with his kids off the field and the standards he holds them to. That's great for us and our program."
Derek Carr, who was one of the top quarterbacks in UT Martin and Ohio Valley Conference history, will now oversee Tech's quarterbacks.
"Derek was a quarterback I recruited, a guy who saw how I coached quarterbacks at Temple and to get a guy who knows exactly how I wanted it done was crucial for us from terminology, to communication on game day," Satterfield said.
Justin Matheney, who served as the team's director of football operations last season, will take on a coaching role as he will be the assistant defensive backs coach and assistant recruiting coordinator, working with defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator Chris Polizzi.
"Justin was very instrumental upon our arrival at Tech," Satterfield said. "His knowledge and understanding of the university and the community paid great dividends for our program in its early stages. His extreme work ethic, loyalty and knowledge of defensive football was what made his promotion an easy one."
Photo by Thomas Corhern
