01-14-2019, 10:42 PM
https://www.herald-dispatch.com/_recent_...07565.html
And then, it appears that getting West is pretty sweet, as well.... this, from the press release when he was hired at Charlotte...
And then, it appears that getting West is pretty sweet, as well.... this, from the press release when he was hired at Charlotte...
Quote:West, who has 20 years of college coaching experience including stints at Virginia, Old Dominion and James Madison, coached this past season at Howard University. He served as co-Defensive Coordinator, Cornerbacks Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for head coach Mike London as the Bison went 7-4 and held opponents to less than 25 points in seven of their final eight games (6-2). He spent six seasons at Virginia, where he was Cornerbacks Coach and Recruiting Coordinator.
"He brings a lot of experience in the secondary and with cornerback play," Lambert said. "He's been a successful recruiting coordinator who has familiarity with North Carolina and Virginia. He brings experience from the ACC and he was at ODU when they started that program. He comes highly recommended from coach London. We're excited about the leadership he'll bring to our corners. He's the kind of man we want leading our players not only from a football standpoint but from a character standpoint."
"I'm ecstatic about coming to the 49ers," West said. "It's a great opportunity. I'm grateful coach Lambert gave me the opportunity to become a member of the 49er family. I know North Carolina is the point of emphasis as far as recruiting and building a fence around the state. I also know Virginia has been a solid area in recruiting -- and my ties run deep. I've been blessed having success in recruiting the state of Virginia."
West joined Virginia's staff in 2010 as Cornerbacks Coach. In 2012, he took on assistant recruiting coordinator duties and at the end of the 2012 season became the Cavaliers Recruiting Coordinator while continuing to coach the cornerbacks. In 2013, he signed a top-30 class for Virginia. In February of 2014, Rivals.com and Scout.com named West its ACC Recruiter of the Year. He earned the same honor from 247Sports in 2011 and was a finalist for National Recruiter of the Year honors. While at Virginia, he coached two-time all-ACC first-teamer Chase Minnifield, who played in the NFL with the Washington Redskins, current Baltimore Raven Maurice Canaday and Ras-I Dowling, who was the first pick in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. The Cavaliers secondary also included Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles safety Rodney McLeod.
"As any coach, we will always work our fundamentals from A to Z," West said of his successful coaching style. "It's a matter of teaching young men and raising football IQs on the field. Ultimately the game comes down to getting off blocks, tackling and great coverage in the secondary -- and having a ball-hawking presence. I also want to be a staple in producing great young men who are productive in the community after leaving the university."
A 1993 graduate of Livingstone College who added his master's degree from West Virginia in 1999, West also coached at Old Dominion, James Madison, Fordham and Colgate after starting his coaching career as a graduate assistant at West Virginia in 1997-98.
He coached wide receivers at Colgate from 1999-2002 and helped the Raiders to the 1999 Patriot League title and the 2002 league co-championship. He was the defensive backs coach at Fordham in 2003 before heading to JMU, where he coached defensive backs from 2004-06. He helped the Dukes to the NCAA Division I-AA National title in 2004, alongside current 49ers' coach Ulrick Edmonds and strength coach Jim Durning. From 2007-09 he was an assistant head coach for head coach Bobby Wilder at Old Dominion while serving as Recruiting Coordinator and Defensive Backs coach.
A Hampton, Va., native, West and his wife, Patrice have five children: Zoe, David, Gwen, Justin and Jada. He earned his bachelor's degree in computer information systems from Livingstone College, and his master's in physical education from West Virginia while working as a graduate assistant coach. West played football at Kecoughtan High School and was a standout receiver at Livingstone.