University of Nebraska Head Football Coach Mike Riley announced on Wednesday the addition of four assistant football coaches to the four full-time coaches announced in mid-December.
The new additions bring coaching experience from the Power Five conferences as well as the National Football League. The full-time assistant coaches officially announced on Wednesday include running backs coach Reggie Davis, defensive line coach Hank Hughes, offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf and secondary coach Charlton Warren.
Riley had previously announced the hiring of four assistant coaches on Dec. 11, including defensive coordinator Mark Banker, linebackers coach Trent Bray, offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh and special teams coordinator Bruce Read.
Including Riley, Nebraska’s staff has a combined 216 years of coaching experience, while boasting a combined 56 bowl game appearances and 38 years coaching in the professional ranks.
“We are thrilled with the staff we have assembled at the University of Nebraska,” Riley said. “This is a successful group of outstanding teachers, coaches and recruiters, and I know they will represent our school and program very well.”
Danny Langsdorf will reunite with Riley in Lincoln as the Huskers’ offensive coordinator. Langsdorf returns to the college game after spending the 2014 season as the quarterbacks coach for the New York Giants. Langsdorf worked directly with two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Eli Manning.
Under Langsdorf’s tutelage, Manning completed a career-best 63.1 percent of his passes, and his 4,410 passing yards were the second-most in his 11-year NFL career. Manning also threw for 30 touchdowns, an increase of 12 from the 2013, while throwing 13 fewer interceptions than the previous year. Manning’s passer rating of 92.1 was the third-best of his career.
Before joining the Giants’ staff, Langsdorf spent the previous nine seasons as Riley’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oregon State. Langsdorf’s Oregon State offenses were regularly among the most productive in the Pac-12 Conference, and nine of OSU’s top 13 single-season yardage outputs came under Langsdorf’s coaching.
Langsdorf also worked with Riley at Oregon State in 1997 and 1998, before stints in the professional ranks with the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos and the New Orleans Saints.
Reggie Davis will coach the Husker running backs and also joins the Nebraska program from the NFL. Davis has spent the previous four seasons on the San Francisco 49ers staff under Coach Jim Harbaugh. In Davis’ time in San Francisco, the 49ers reached the NFC Championship Game three consecutive seasons from 2011 to 2013, and played in Super Bowl XLVII following the 2012 season.
Davis spent the 2014 season as San Francisco’s offensive line coach, following three seasons working as the tight ends coach. Davis coached 49ers tight end Vernon Davis to a Pro Bowl appearance and All-Pro honors in 2013, when Vernon Davis had a career-high 13 touchdown receptions.
Reggie Davis worked for Riley as Oregon State’s running backs coach from 2008 to 2010. While with the Beavers, Davis helped tutor Jacquizz Rodgers who set numbers OSU rushing records in his time in Corvallis. Davis also had assistant coaching stops at UNLV and the University of San Diego, following a two-year NFL playing career.
Hank Hughes comes to Nebraska after spending the 2014 season as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Cincinnati under Head Coach Tommy Tuberville. A 36-year veteran of the coaching profession, Hughes has served as a defensive line coach for 27 of those seasons.
Hughes’ one season at Cincinnati followed a 13-year tenure on the defensive coaching staff at the University of Connecticut. With the Huskies, Hughes served as the defensive line coach for all 13 seasons and was the defensive coordinator for four years, while he also served as assistant head coach from 2005 to 2010.
With Hughes on staff, the Connecticut program made five bowl appearances including a trip to the Fiesta Bowl following the 2010 season. Connecticut won a share of two conference championships with Hughes on staff. The Huskie defenses regularly ranked among the nation’s top rush defenses, in large part due to the play of Hughes’ defensive line, and UConn ranked in the top 10 nationally in total defense in 2006, 2008 and 2012.
Other stops in Hughes’ coaching career include assistant coaching positions at Memphis and Harvard.
Charlton Warren will be in his second season at Nebraska as the secondary coach in 2015. His 2014 secondary helped the Huskers rank among the nation’s top defense against the pass. Nebraska ranked fifth nationally in pass efficiency defense, and held nine of 13 opponents to less than 50 percent passing and ranked second nationally in opponent pass completion percentage.
Sophomore safety Nate Gerry was among the Big Ten leaders in interceptions with five and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in his first season as a starter.
Warren joined the Nebraska program after nine seasons on the defensive staff at the Air Force Academy. Warren worked directly with the Falcon defensive backs each of his nine seasons in Colorado Springs, and was the associate head coach and defensive coordinator in 2012 and 2013. Warren was also regarded as Air Force’s top recruiter and coordinated recruiting efforts from 2006 to 2011.
Riley has also added several members of the Nebraska football support staff.
Mark Phillipp will be the Huskers’ Football Head Strength Coach. Phillipp spent the past two seasons on the strength and conditioning staff at the University of Southern California, and also has prior experience on the strength staff at Oregon State.
Dan Van de Riet is Nebraska’s new Associate Athletic Director for Football Operations. Van de Riet has spent the past 12 seasons in a similar role with Riley at Oregon State, and was on the OSU staff for 14 years overall. Van de Riet will be in charge of the program’s day-to-day operations, including budget and team travel.
Other members of University of Nebraska football staff include….
Hilary O’Bryan, Assistant Director of Football Operations
Ryan Gunderson, Director of Player Personnel
Andy Vaughn, Director of Football & Recruiting Operations
Todd McShane, Assistant Director of Player Personnel
Kenny Wilhite, Assistant Director of Player Personnel
Greg Vaughn, Video Director
Tate Guillotte, Video Assistant Coordinator
Tim Rabas, Football Associate Strength Coach
Willie Jones, Football Assistant Strength Coach
Joni Duff, Football Staff Secretary – Defense/Special Teams
Teri Riggins, Football Staff Secretary – Offense/Recruiting
Max Onyegbule, Graduate Assistant Coach – Assistant Defensive Line Coach
Tavita Thompson, Graduate Assistant Coach – Tight Ends Coach
Nick Hallberg, Graduate Manager – Offensive Quality Control
Beau Walker, Graduate Manager – Offensive Assistant
Hardie Buck, Graduate Manager – Special Teams Quality Control
Keaton Kristick, Graduate Manager – Defensive Quality Control
Brooks Armstrong, Graduate Manager – Operations