By Cade Kennedy, Sports Editor
While spring may signify baseball and softball for some, football season is just around the corner.
The Northwestern football team has already started its practice schedule, as practices began in March.
While the players continued to improve for the next season, the coaching staff did as well. In his first season as the head coach at Northwestern, Ronnie Jones has already added several coaches to his staff.
Of the 10 coaches on Northwestern’s staff, only three remained from the regime of former Ranger head coach Matt Walter. Josh Koppelmann, Brandon Wilson and Damon Kepley give the coaching staff some familiar faces. While Wilson and Kepley kept their positions as the defensive line coach and assistant offensive line coach, Koppelmann made the switch from the running backs coach to the offensive line coach.
After the hiring of Jones and offensive coordinator Jason Medrano, the Rangers hired Gregg Hollins for the quarterbacks coach position in February. Hollins previously coached at Butler Community College in Butler, Kansas, for two years as the wide receivers coach. During his time there, Hollins helped develop four all-conference players and one NJCAA All-American. Hollins also coached at North Kansas City High School for five years as the offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator.
The Rangers made one of their first hires for the defensive side of the ball later that month. Jon Clark joined Northwestern as the defensive backs coach. Clark came to Northwestern after one season at Texas-Permian Basin in Odessa, Texas, where he was the secondary coach as well as the pass game coordinator.
Prior to his time in Odessa, Clark coached at Missouri Southern State and Independence Community College as both a cornerbacks coach and a running backs coach. Clark has experience coaching in the Sooner state, as he was the linebackers coach at the University of Central Oklahoma in 2021. During his time in Edmond, Clark took on the job of being an NFL liaison. He helped NFL scouts get a better look at his team.
The Rangers made other hires as well during the spring season. Eric Kurtz and Mike Harrison joined the Northwestern staff. Kurtz will be the running backs coach for the Rangers, while Harrison is the assistant defensive backs coach.
The spring season ends for the Rangers on April 22, when Northwestern has its spring game at 2:30 p.m. at Ranger Field.