A breakdown of CMU football's updated coaching staff
Coach Bonamego speaks with fans, alumni, and supporters during the Meet and Greet at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort, Feb. 21.
The atmosphere of Kelly/Shorts Stadium is bound to be different in 2015. But the coaches’ room will have an essence of familiarity.
Four new coaches will be brought in, including defensive coordinator Greg Colby, head strength coach Jason Novak, safeties and special teams coordinator Mike Dietzel and an offensive line coach whose name couldn’t be revealed Saturday.
Still, six coaches from Dan Enos’ staff will remain with the team.
Kyle Nystrom, who was CMU’s linebackers and special teams coordinator as well as the interim head coach after Enos’ departure is the only Chippewa coach that hadn’t resigned to be left off Bonamego’s new staff.
“The important thing, beside from meeting all the players, was to start to assemble a staff,” Bonamego said at a meet-and-greet Saturday. “I want to introduce our staff. Many of them are familiar faces to you. I couldn’t be more excited with a group of men that I’m getting ready to go to work with.”
Without further ado, let’s meet the staff:
Greg Colby, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach
Colby replaces former defensive coordinator Joe Tumpkin, who took the position of safeties coach at Colorado Feb. 4.
“(Colby) is a veteran coach from the Big Ten Conference,” Bonamego said. “The experiences that he’s had can’t be manufactured. We are very, very fortunate to have him. I look forward for all of you to meet him.”
Colby was the defensive line coach at Illinois in 2013 and 2014, but was fired Jan. 8 after Illinois finished last in the Big Ten defending the run in both seasons.
Colby was the defensive coordinator at Northwestern from 2002-2007 and at Kent State from 1998-2001.
Colby was a three-year starter on the Illini football and baseball team.
Morris Watts, offensive coordinator and play-caller
Watts has been coaching since 1961. He became the offensive coordinator for the Chippewas in 2014 and worked with the passing game from 2011-2013.
“I had a conversation with Coach Deromedi,” Bonamego said. “He told me ‘If you can convince Coach Watts to stay, that’d be a real great thing for you. It’s a comforting thing for me as a first-time head coach to have that veteran presence on that side of the ball.”
Bonamego and Watts have plans to speed up the offense in 2015.
“We’re going to be more up-tempo,” Bonamego said. “We’re going to try to do maybe not as much, but what we do do we’re going to do better. We’re going to work very hard to get that offense very exciting, explosive, high-octane.”
Mike Dietzel, safeties and special teams coordinator
Dietzel has coaching experience along side Bonamego while both were assistants with Army. Dietzel also was the defensive coordinator with Kent State from 2001-2002 and was Western Kentucky’s defensive coordinator for three seasons.
Most recently, Dietzel was the safeties and co-special teams coordinator at the University at Buffalo over the past five seasons.
Jason Novak, head strength coach
Novak was the assistant to strength and conditioning coach with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans.
“(Novak’s) been the number two (at Tennessee) the last 11 years. But if you know anything about that organization and the person that he worked for, he was really the number one. He did all the work.”
Gino Guidugli, running back coach, recruiting coordinator
Guidugli will be brought back for his third season and stay in the same role in 2015.
“I think he’s a rising star in this profession,” Bonamego said. “He’s going to add a lot to our staff. He’s been a tremendous help to me already, at least on the recruiting front.”
Mose Rison, wide receivers, assistant head coach
Rison has worked with six NFL teams and numerous college teams since becoming a coach in 1981.
He was the receivers and special teams coach with CMU from 1981-1988 and returned in 2012 to work with receivers. Rison will still work with wide receivers in 2015, but was also promoted by Bonamego to an assistant head coach role.
Sherrone Moore, tight ends
Moore was with Louisville for five seasons before becoming CMU’s tight ends coach in 2014. He will keep his same position under Bonamego.
George Ricumstrict, defensive line
Ricumstrict and Bonamego were teammates on the football team during their time at CMU. Ricumstrict has been CMU’s defensive line coach since 2013.
“I’d like to say we played together,” Bonamego said. “But it’s probably more accurate for me to say I watched him play.”
Archie Collins, defensive backs
Collins became CMU’s defensive backs coach in 2013 and will remain in the position for 2015. Bonamego said he was able to work with Collins at different camps in Detroit and was encouraged by his abilities.
Offensive line coach, to be determined
With Butch Barry leaving to coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the offensive line position was one hole that needed to be filled with a new body. While CMU has hired somebody for the position in the past week, they couldn’t reveal the name Saturday.
“All I can tell you is we’ve reached an agreement with a coach that has been at the Division I level his last two stops,” Bonamego said. “He’s had a tremendous amount of success everywhere he’s been. I’ll be looking forward introducing him.”
