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https://ucasports.com/news/2018/12/22/football-williams-promoted-to-defensive-coordinator.aspx

WILLIAMS PROMOTED TO DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

CONWAY, Ark. _ University of Central Arkansas football head coach Nathan Brown announced a pair of changes in his coaching staff on Saturday, with two coaches leaving the staff and two being promoted to new positions.

Defensive coordinator Max Thurmond is leaving to become linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at FBS UNC Charlotte. Mark Sheridan, UCA's outside linebackers/bandits coach this past year, is going back to his alma mater Albion College as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

Brown has elevated safeties and nickel backs coach Chad Williams to defensive coordinator and promoted graduate assistant Jacob Sisk to full-time status as the Bears' outside linebackers and bandits coach.

"First of all I would like to thank Max and Mark for all they did for the University of Central Arkansas and our football program,' said Brown. "They helped develop and make our players better not only on the field but off the field and in the classroom as well.

"Both of them had great opportunities to grow their coaching careers at their next destination. Mark is returning to where he graduated college to coach their linebackers and coordinate their defense. He is basically getting a chance to go home to coach football. Max is leaving for an up-and-coming FBS program with a head coach he had worked for previously in Will Healey. He and Gresha also get an opportunity to get closer to their family as well as grow in this profession. We are indebted to both men for their time here.'

Williams, a Southern Miss graduate and former All-Conference USA player for the Golden Eagles, has been a coordinator at two previous coaching stops, Valdosta State and Savannah State, along with stints at Jacksonville State, Middle Tennessee and West Georgia.

"I am excited to announce a couple promotions within our program,' said Brown. "It is always nice to have assistant coaches you can promote within your program. We have hired great coaches here that are going to continue to impress our Bear family. First off I am promoting our safeties/nickel coach Chad Williams to defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Chad has coordinated at the NCAA FCS level before he got here at Savannah State. He also coordinated at D-2 powerhouse Valdosta State for a couple years and had the opportunity to interview for their head coaching vacancy in 2016.

"Chad has a wealth of experience and really impressed me all year in his preparation and knowledge of defense. I think he can take us to another level and continue to push us to the top. Chad know what it looks like at the highest level. He played for eight years in the NFL and was a part of some of the best defenses in NFL history when he played for the Baltimore Ravens in the early 2000's.'

Sisk, from Colleyville, Texas, played safety/linebacker for the Bears for four years, finishing his playing career in 2017 and moving into coaching this past season.

"I am also excited to announce the promotion of Jacob Sisk to outside linebackers & bandits coach. He has been a stable in our program as a player and coach for the last five years. Jacob is truly a bright young defensive coach that Coach Williams felt we needed to find a way to keep.

"I am exited to watch Jacob grow as a young coach and continue to develop our great defensive play we are accustomed to having. Jacob knows the UCA way and is a graduate of our school. This place means the world to him and he is excited for this next step in his career.'

Brown will have one more hire to make on his second staff as head coach.

"We have one more spot we are looking to fill on defense and that is a safeties coach,' he said. "We have met with several highly qualified candidates and I look to fill that position sooner rather than later. The response has been tremendous. There are a lot of great coaches who want to be a part of this great athletic department and university.'

Good moves IMO. As porous as we were at times last year the new guys will probably do better.

Just one thing: WRAP UP---THEN STRIP THE BALL.
NOT: Strip the ball first then try to wrap up.

GO BEARS!!!

I am looking forward to the 2019 football season. The QB position will be interesting. New coaches and the incoming recruiting class. UCA football generates millions of dollars for the town of Conway. Paint the Town purple should be revived. The business people of Conway who supports UCA athletics, I say thank you very much. For those who don't, they need to get on board. The Bears are going to be better this coming season. They will have more experience and know the playbook better. Spring football is near and I will be there. Go Bears,

Papa

Yes PapaBear I totally agree. Bring back "paint the town purple" and someone needs to physically walk into every restaurant and small business in Conway and ask them to be a part of the team by hanging up a UCA banner and/or putting something in their windows. I will say Jonesboro/ASU does a much better job of this than Conway/UCA does. I hate admitting that.
If I could do the work I would.

Go Bears !!!!!!!!!!!

Sounds like a good addition...…………….

CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas football coaching staff is once again complete with the hiring of Chaz Scales as safeties coach, according to second-year head coach Nathan Brown.

Scales, a former player at Arkansas State University and native of Nashville, Tenn., comes to UCA from Tusculum University where he served as defensive backs coach.

"I am excited to announce Chaz Scales as our new safeties coach,' said Brown. "Chaz displayed a lot of the traits we look for here in an assistant coach. He has a great knowledge of the state of Arkansas after having a great playing career at Arkansas State in Jonesboro. He is also originally from the Nashville, TN area which is an area we have continued to grow in recruiting. I like that he has had a prior working relationship with (defensive coordinator) Coach (Chad) Williams at West Georgia and Valdosta State and also has coached in the Mississippi junior college system as well.'

At Tusculum in 2017, Scales coached All-South Atlantic Conference and All-Region cornerback Martez Thompkins. The Tusculum defense led the conference in fumbles recovered and turnover margin and also led the SAC in pass defense, allowing just 170 yards per game through the air. Scales began his coaching career in 2014 as a graduate assistant at West Georgia in the Gulf South Conference. The Wolves finished 12-3 and reached the NCAA Division II semifinals. That team finished the year ranked sixth in the nation.

Scales also served as a graduate assistant at fellow GSC university Valdosta State in 2015, helping the Blazers to a D-II playoff berth. In 2016, Scales served as running backs coach at Northeast Mississippi Community College.

As a player, Scales was part of back-to-back Sun Belt Conference championship teams during his junior and senior seasons at ASU, making consecutive appearances in the GoDaddy.com bowls. He played at Centennial High School in Nashville where he was selected to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Class 5A All-State team as a quarterback for the Cougars.

"Chaz brings a lot of energy and knowledge to our DB room,' said Brown. "He will be an instant hit with our players and fans. It takes about five minutes to sit with him and see his passion and love for not only the game of football but also the opportunity to impact young men lives every day. I look forward to getting him in right away and getting to work.'