MOBILE, Ala. – Less than a week after being named head football coach at the University of South Alabama, Steve Campbell announced Monday the hiring of nine assistant coaches.

The group includes six members of his staff at Central Arkansas, where Campbell's program recorded a 24-3 Southland Conference mark over the last three years while going 33-15 overall with back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs during his four-year tenure at the school.

Greg Stewart will serve as the Jaguars defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, with other additions on that side of the ball including Harland Bower (defensive line), Larry Hart (outside linebackers), Josh Jones (cornerbacks) and Matt Kitchens (safeties/special teams coordinator).  New members of the Jag staff on offense include Mike Bangtson (offensive line), Pete Bennett (wide receivers/recruiting coordinator), Chad Huff (tight ends) and Larry Warner (running backs).

"These are all guys I have known and worked with, and had a great working relationship with over the years," Campbell said.  "They are great men of character, outstanding teachers and fundamentally sound football coaches, I know they will be great mentors for the young men who we bring to South.  We have a diverse range of recruiting expertise in this group, we have guys who are very familiar with Alabama, the Mississippi junior colleges, the Kansas junior colleges, guys who have recruited northwest Florida and Georgia; there will be a lot of familiarity with not only our state but where the talent is at.  These guys are great evaluators, and great developers and cultivators of talent."

Stewart has nearly 25 years of coaching experience, serving on the staff at Jacksonville State when the Gamecocks claimed the 1992 NCAA Division II national championship and returning to the school as defensive coordinator from 1999-10 during which time JSU made three NCAA FCS playoff appearances, had 33 individuals earn all-Ohio Valley Conference honors after joining the league in 2003 and 13 All-Americans.  Before going to UCA, Stewart was the defensive coordinator at Louisiana, where he helped the Ragin' Cajuns to consecutive victories in the R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

Bennett has worked with Campbell since joining his staff at Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. in 2008, coaching three National Junior College Athletic Association All-Americans in six years before having six all-Southland Conference selections over the last four seasons as UCA.  Huff also served at MGCCC under Campbell as the Bulldogs offensive coordinator for 10 years — including helping the program to the 2007 NJCAA national championship — as well as at Delta State, where their efforts led the Statesmen to the NCAA Division II national title during the 2000 campaign.  Huff went 26-14 as head coach at MGCCC the last four years.

Hart, Jones, Kitchens and Warner all joined the staff at UCA prior to this fall, with the trio helping the Bears go 10-2 — highlighted by a 9-0 mark on the way to the Southland championship — while earning the No. 4 seed in this year's NCAA FCS playoffs.  Under their guidance, Hart and Jones both had a first-team all-league selection while Kitchens and Warner each coached both second-team and honorable mention picks.

Bangtson and Bower come to Mobile after serving as graduate assistants this season for programs that have been ranked in the top 25 of the national polls and are slated to play in postseason bowl games in Orlando, Fla.  The former is an offensive assistant at Virginia Tech, aiding the Hokies in compiling a 9-3 mark en route to a date in the Camping World Bowl on Dec. 28, the latter a defensive assistant on a staff that has led Notre Dame to a 9-3 recorded while earning an invitation to the Jan. 1 Citrus Bowl.

"We have contacted all of our returning student-athletes, each position coach has reached out to everyone in their group," said Campbell.  "We need to evaluate our current roster and see where our positions of need are, and then hit the recruiting trail to try and get the best student-athletes to come in and help us not just for this upcoming year but in the future as we build the program."

Campbell was named the second-ever head coach of the Jaguar program on Thursday, bringing a career mark of 159-53 in 19 seasons to Mobile.

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