Bennett makes staff changes

CONWAY | Calling it his “toughest day as a football coach and a friend,” Coastal Carolina’s David Bennett decided not to renew the contracts of three assistant coaches Tuesday.

Offensive line coach Jamie Snider, wide receivers coach Hunter Spivey and defensive line coach Antoine Rivens will not be retained, Bennett said. All three of them have been with the program since its inaugural campaign in 2003 but will be replaced in the first sweeping staff changes in program history.

“They are all very good men,” Bennett said. “They’ve given great service to this university. It’s mighty tough. … We’ve been blessed here, because we haven’t had any turnover since we’ve been here.

“You look at make ups and where we need improvement to take this to another level.”

Changes needed to be made after the Chanticleers finished 5-6 this season, Bennett said. The program has a record of 16-18 since winning a third straight Big South championship and advancing to the FCS playoffs in 2006.

Bennett met with President David DeCenzo for two hours Friday and mulled the status quo over the Thanksgiving holiday before breaking the news to his coaches in individual meetings Tuesday.

Snider has been the program’s offensive line coach since its inception. After six years as Bennett’s offensive coordinator at Catawba, he served in the same capacity at Coastal until Gary Smallen was named co-coordinator in 2006. Quarterbacks coach Kevin Brown took over as the team’s sole coordinator last December. Bennett and Snider have served together on the same coaching staff since 1990, when Snider, a Yadkinville, N.C., native, was a student assistant at Catawba.

With redshirt sophomores starting at both tackles, Coastal’s offensive line struggled with consistency this season, ranking 74th nationally in sacks allowed (2.18 per game). The unit’s problems contributed to Coastal’s lowly rankings in total offense (70th) and scoring offense (88th).

Spivey, a Conway native, played and coached at Newberry before coming to Coastal. Though he coached former standout Jerome Simpson, an NFL second-round pick, the receivers were a major detriment to Coastal’s offense this year, with dropped balls and missed assignments playing a big role in the unit’s problems.

Rivens came to Coastal after stints at Livingstone and N.C. Central. After coaching the offensive line at those two schools, the Charlotte native switched sides of the ball in Conway. But Coastal’s defensive line struggled mightily in 2008, and though it appeared the unit had improved this season, the defense’s last-season collapse was partially due to its struggles up front.

Offensive line coach Jamie Snider, wide receivers coach Hunter Spivey and defensive line coach Antoine Rivens will not be retained, Bennett said. All three of them have been with the program since its inaugural campaign in 2003 but will be replaced in the first sweeping staff changes in program history.

“They are all very good men,” Bennett said. “They’ve given great service to this university. It’s mighty tough. … We’ve been blessed here, because we haven’t had any turnover since we’ve been here.

“You look at make ups and where we need improvement to take this to another level.”

Changes needed to be made after the Chanticleers finished 5-6 this season, Bennett said. The program has a record of 16-18 since winning a third straight Big South championship and advancing to the FCS playoffs in 2006.

Bennett met with President David DeCenzo for two hours Friday and mulled the status quo over the Thanksgiving holiday before breaking the news to his coaches in individual meetings Tuesday.

Snider has been the program’s offensive line coach since its inception. After six years as Bennett’s offensive coordinator at Catawba, he served in the same capacity at Coastal until Gary Smallen was named co-coordinator in 2006. Quarterbacks coach Kevin Brown took over as the team’s sole coordinator last December. Bennett and Snider have served together on the same coaching staff since 1990, when Snider, a Yadkinville, N.C., native, was a student assistant at Catawba.

With redshirt sophomores starting at both tackles, Coastal’s offensive line struggled with consistency this season, ranking 74th nationally in sacks allowed (2.18 per game). The unit’s problems contributed to Coastal’s lowly rankings in total offense (70th) and scoring offense (88th).

Spivey, a Conway native, played and coached at Newberry before coming to Coastal. Though he coached former standout Jerome Simpson, an NFL second-round pick, the receivers were a major detriment to Coastal’s offense this year, with dropped balls and missed assignments playing a big role in the unit’s problems.

Rivens came to Coastal after stints at Livingstone and N.C. Central. After coaching the offensive line at those two schools, the Charlotte native switched sides of the ball in Conway. But Coastal’s defensive line struggled mightily in 2008, and though it appeared the unit had improved this season, the defense’s last-season collapse was partially due to its struggles up front.