49ers football coach adds members to his staff

Charlotte 49ers head football coach Will Healy has announced the first members of his coaching staff since taking the helm of the team.

He has named Brandon Cooper, who was his defensive coordinator at Austin Peay, as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Longtime collegiate coach Max Thurmond has been named special teams coordinator and linebackers coach. Virginia State offensive coordinator Mark Carney has been named quarterbacks coach; Eddie Hicks, who coached with Healy at APSU before heading to his alma mater at Southern Miss, will be the cornerbacks coach; and Alex Atkins, an assistant head coach at Tulane, will be offensive coordinator/offensive line coach.

In addition, Healy named Carter Crutchfield as recruiting coordinator and Chris Laskowski as strength and conditioning coach. Both worked with Healy at Austin Peay.

Cooper has been on Healy’s staff for the last three years at Austin Peay. Originally brought on as co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach in 2016, Cooper was promoted to defensive coordinator for the 2018 season. Healy and Cooper were part of the most dramatic turnaround in college football history as the Govs went from a 1-45 team over four seasons to a 13-10 mark over their final two seasons that included a 13-6 record vs. FCS squads.

A four-year letter-winner at UT-Martin, Cooper joined APSU after a season at Murray State; he became acquainted with Healy during a two-year stint at Chattanooga in 2013-14.

Thurmond was linebackers coach and special teams coordinator for Healy at APSU in 2016-17. He served as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach this past season at Central Arkansas as the Bears went 6-5.

He spent two years at West Alabama in 2014-15, prior to heading to Austin Peay. He oversaw linebackers and special teams at West Alabama, where he coached current Kansas City Chief Tyreek Hill. He was an assistant coach for 11 years at his alma mater, Jacksonville State (2001-12), where he had been a three-year starter at cornerback. He was part of three Ohio Valley Conference championships and advanced to the playoffs in 2003, 2004 and 2010.

Carney, who was the quarterbacks coach during Healy’s playing career at Richmond, has been the offensive coordinator at Virginia State University for the past four years. In 2017, the Trojans went 10-1 and won the CIAA Championship with a perfect 7-0 league mark. The Trojans were 9-2 in 2016. In his four years, VSU was 29-12.

He coached quarterbacks and wide receivers at Richmond from 2004-2008, during Healy’s playing career. The Spiders advanced to the FCS playoffs three times during that stint, including the 2008 FCS National Championship season. The collegiate quarterback was a four-year letter-winner at Fordham and was an honorable mention FCS all-America in 2001.

Hicks, who coached with Healy for two years at Austin Peay, leaves his alma mater, Southern Miss, to become a part of Healy’s staff at Charlotte.

Hicks was cornerbacks coach for Southern Miss this past year. The Golden Eagles led C-USA in pass defense (177.5 passing yards allowed/game) and held opponents to C-USA lows of 5.8 yards per pass attempt and 14 passing touchdowns. USM’s 14 INT’s were tied for third in the league.

Hicks also served as cornerbacks coach at Austin Peay in 2016-17, as the Govs enjoyed their historic turnaround.

Atkins was assistant head coach and offensive line coach for the past three years at Tulane. This year, the Green Wave went 7-6 and defeated Louisiana-Lafayette, 41-24, in the AutoNation Cure Bowl. Last year, the Green Wave ranked 20th in the nation in rushing with 231.5 yards per game. In 2016, the rushing attacked ranked 26th in the nation.

Atkins spent two years at Georgia Southern in 2014 and 2015; GSU won the 2015 GoDaddy.com Bowl in the school’s first-ever FBS bowl appearance.

The UT-Martin alum coached alongside Healy in 2012 and 2013 at Chattanooga.

Crutchfield has been Healy’s recruiting coordinator and director of operations for the past three years and orchestrated Austin Peay’s top five recruiting classes in each of those years. He served similar duties with Chattanooga for three years and helped attract the FCS’ top recruiting class in 2013 and 2014.

“Carter was instrumental to all of our success at Austin Peay,” Healy said. “He is the brains behind the operations. He handles all the recruiting but more so, he is my right-hand man. Without a doubt, he was one of the first I wanted to bring on board.”

Laskowski, who was inducted into the Florida Atlantic Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009, was Austin Peay’s director of football performance for the past three years and served as the strength and conditioning coach and nutritional specialist. Healy credits Laskowski for much of the success in the Governors’ historic turnaround.

“Chris was the biggest reason for us being able to flip the program.” Healy said. “I can’t say enough about the importance of his role and the impact he has had on our program.”