MOBILE, Ala. – With over 30 years of experience coaching at multiple collegiate levels, Corey Batoon has been named defensive coordinator at the University of South Alabama by new head coach Kane Wommack.

Wommack also announced on Monday that Batoon, who is slated to work with safeties for the Jaguars, will be joined on the staff by cornerbacks coach Dwike Wilson and linebackers coach Will Windham.

In his first season with the Flames, Batoon — who is in charge of the team's safeties — has helped LU rank among the top 25 in the country in total defense (301.2 ypg, sixth), passing yards allowed (171.6 ypg, 10th), third-down conversion defense (32.3%, 15th), red zone defense (74.1%, 17th), scoring defense (19.2 ppg, 18th) and interceptions (10, 21st).  Liberty has a 9-1 record this fall including victories at Virginia Tech and Syracuse, and is ranked in the top 25 of the most recent Associated Press and coaches' polls prior to its scheduled date against Coastal Carolina in the FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl.

Prior to joining the staff at LU, Batoon was the defensive coordinator and safeties coach for two years at Hawai'i.  In his first season with the program the Rainbow Warriors finished 8-6 after earning a bid to the Hawai'i Bowl, with UH improving to 10-5 in 2019 as the team won a share of the Mountain West Conference West Division title and earned a berth in the league championship game before going on to defeat BYU in the Sofi Hawai'i Bowl.

Batoon served as co-defensive coordinator — working with both safeties and special teams — at Florida Atlantic in 2017, helping engineer one of the biggest improvements in the nation after the Owls finished 11-3 following wins in the Conference USA championship game and the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl; that included beating Akron 50-3 in the latter contest.

He was on the staff at Ole Miss for five years prior to his year at FAU, first as Assistant AD for Recruiting Operations and a defensive assistant from 2012-14 before serving as an assistant coach working with safeties and special teams coordinator for two seasons.  Batoon worked with defensive backs and special teams at Arkansas State from 2009-11, where in his last season the Red Wolves posted their first-ever 10 win season after claiming the Sun Belt Conference title and earning a bid to the GoDaddy.com Bowl.

He began his career as an assistant coach at Pierce (Calif.) J.C. (1991-92), going on to coach at St. Mary's (1993-95) and Central Missouri State (1996) before making the move to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.  After a year at Montana (1997), Batoon was the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Northern Arizona from 1998-08, during which time the Lumberjacks qualified for the playoffs on three occasions — highlighted by a quarterfinal appearance during the 2003 campaign — and won two Big Sky Conference titles.

Batoon is a graduate of Long Beach State, where he played football for two seasons before earning his degree in political science in 1991.  He would go on to add a master's degree in health and physical education and recreation in 1996 from St. Mary's.
 
"Melissa, the boys and I are thrilled to welcome Corey, Stacy, Brandy and Summer to our football program," Wommack said.  "Corey is one of the brightest defensive minds in college football.  Having worked with him in the past, I have great trust in his knowledge of our SwarmD system.  Corey will provide our players with great situational awareness and teach elite fundamentals.  I'm excited to watch him create confusion and chaos for our opponents in Hancock Whitney Stadium."

Wilson has been on the staff with Wommack at Indiana the last two season, serving as the Hoosiers' director of player personnel and high school relations.  He arrived in Bloomington after three years at Jones County (Miss.) J.C., where he was defensive coordinator and secondary coach during the 2016 and '17 campaigns before being named assistant head coach and moved to linebackers while maintaining coordinator duties his final season with the Bobcats.

He filled multiple roles at Hinds (Miss.) C.C. from 2009-15, including spending one season as the Eagles' secondary coach, special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator, three as the team's defensive coordinator and three as a wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator.  Wilson also has served three seasons as the recruiting coordinator and quarterbacks coach at North Carolina A&T, one as recruiting coordinator and defensive backs coach at Murray State, as well as four seasons on the staff at Itawamba (Miss.) C.C.

Wilson played at Hinds C.C. — helping the Eagles win the state championship in 1997 — before going on to work as student assistant for two years at Ole Miss, where he would earn his bachelor's degree.

"Melissa, the boys and I are excited to welcome Dwike, Ann, Dwike Jr. and Daniel to our football program," said Wommack.  "Dwike has done fantastic work as my right hand in recruiting over the last two years at Indiana.  He is a relentless relationship builder and a great teacher of fundamentals.  Prior to joining us at Indiana, his success as a defensive coordinator in the Mississippi JuCo system was remarkable.  I look forward to having Dwike by my side as we work to develop game-changing defensive backs for the SwarmD."

Windham comes to South after working the last three seasons at Kent State, where he started as the program's inside linebackers coach before shifting to safeties.  His efforts helped the Golden Flashes to a five-win improvement in 2019 as they would end the campaign 7-6 after claiming the school's first-ever postseason bowl victory after defeating Utah State in the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl.  KSU posted another winning season in 2020 after going 3-1.

He was a defensive quality control coach at Georgia for two years prior to his arrival in Kent, where he was part of a staff that helped lead the Bulldogs to the 2017 Southeastern Conference title and a berth in the College Football Playoff national championship game.  His first season at UGA saw the Bulldogs win eight contests including the Liberty Bowl.

Windham began his coaching career at Saint Stanislaus Prep — where his efforts helped the Rocks win the 4a state championship in 2009 — before becoming a graduate assistant coach at Mississippi State.  He has also worked as a defensive quality control coach at Penn State and was the defensive line coach at Davidson during the 2015 season.  Windham received his bachelor's degree from Mississippi State in 2007 and his master's degree from the school in '12.

"Melissa, the boys and I are thrilled to welcome Will, Whitney, Tyler and Breckyn to our football program," Wommack said.  "Will has a fantastic background as he has worked with some of the best coaches and programs in college football.  He has a vast understanding of defensive schemes and is a relentless recruiter with great ties to our footprint in Mississippi.  As Will has coached almost every position in multiple elite defensive schemes, I look forward to the knowledge and awareness he will impart on our linebacking corps."

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