Lou Conte enters his fifth season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks/B-Backs coach under Brent Thompson at The Citadel.

The 2020 season will mark the eighth year that Conte and Thompson have worked together. The two were together at The Citadel in 2014, and spent three years together on the offensive staff at Lenoir-Rhyne.

The Citadel has possessed one of the top ball control and rushing attacks in the FCS over the past four seasons. Over that span, the Bulldogs have ranked in the Top-10 nationally in both categories.

The 2019 season featured one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in recent history in Brandon Rainey. He rushed for 900 yards and 17 touchdowns, while also throwing for 1,114 yards and 13 touchdowns. Rainey is just the second quarterback to rush and throw for at least 10 touchdowns in a season.

Rainey was not the only part of the rushing attach as B-Back Clay Harris ran for 699 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Bulldogs were balanced in 2018 as five different players carried the ball at least 90 times and rushed for over 350 yards. B-Back Lorenzo Ward led the attack with 722 yards on 179 carries.

The offense improved down the stretch with the insertion of Rainey at quarterback. The sophomore rushed for 529 yards in just four games, leading the Bulldogs to a 3-1 mark over that stretch.

Over that four-game stretch, the Bulldogs rushed for 317.3 yards per contest. That stretch included a 275 yard performance at Alabama.

In his first two seasons as the offensive coordinator, Conte led an offense that ranked in the top two nationally each year, including leading the country in rushing in 2016. The 348.2 yards per game was the second highest in program history.

B-Back Tyler Renew became the 15th player to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark with 1,096 yards. The mark included a career-high 285-yard effort in the overtime victory over Samford.

Conte spent the 2015 season as the quarterbacks coach at his alma mater, Springfield College. In his one season with the Pride, Conte mentored second-team all-conference performer Jake Eglintine.

Conte first joined the staff at The Citadel in 2014 as the A-Backs coach. During that season, the group rushed for more than 1,500 yards as the Bulldogs ranked second nationally in rushing yards per game.

Prior to his first stint at The Citadel, Conte spent three seasons as running backs coach at Lenoir-Rhyne, where Coach Thompson was the offensive coordinator. In 2013, the Bears ranked first in Division II with an average of 370.9 yards per game and broke the NCAA record for all divisions with 5,563 total rushing yards. That season, Lenoir-Rhyne won 13 games and advanced to the Division II national championship game.

In 2012, Conte’s running backs helped Lenoir-Rhyne finish second in Division II with a rushing average of 376.2 yards per game as Jarrod Spears and Isaiah Whitaker earned All-South Atlantic Conference accolades. In his first season with the Bears, the rushing game ranked third in the nation and Whitaker was named an all-conference performer.

Conte went to Lenoir-Rhyne after serving as defensive coordinator at Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, Massachusetts, in 2010. There, he also was an assistant athletic director, sports information director, physical education teacher, junior varsity wrestling coach and assistant varsity lacrosse coach.

Conte’s first coaching job was in 2005 as an assistant head coach at Maine Maritime Academy, where he also served as head men’s lacrosse coach. He was a graduate assistant at his alma mater in 2008 and 2009, where he helped Springfield win the ECAC Northeast Championship Bowl Game in 2009.

Conte played on the Springfield football team while in school, helping the Pride claim the Freedom Football Conference championship in 2002 and 2003 and the Eastern College Athletic Conference title in 2004. That year, Springfield ranked No. 1 in the East Region and No. 4 nationally.

A native of Agawam, Massachusetts, Conte earned two degrees at Springfield. He completed his bachelor’s degree in 2004 and his Master’s degree in 2010.

He is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the American Football Coaches Association and United States Lacrosse.

Tony Grantham enters his second season as the defensive coordinator, safeties coach at The Citadel.

In his first season with the Bulldogs, Grantham transitioned the defense into a 3-4 scheme. The defense continued to improve throughout the season and held two of the top rushing offenses in the country under their season averages. For the year, the Bulldogs led the Southern Conference in rushing yards allowed per game.

The Bulldogs were led by All-American linebacker Willie Eubanks III. He recorded 112 tackles, including 11.5 tackles-for-loss.

The back end of the defense was led by Chris Beverly. The sophomore ranked second on the team with 71 tackles, while tieing for the team lead with seven pass break-ups. His biggest play of the season came at ETSU when he stopped the receiver at the one-yard line to secure the victory.

Fellow safety Sean-Thomas Faulkner was third on the team with 70 tackles, two sacks and four pass break-ups.

Grantham comes to the Lowcountry after spending the previous season as the outside linebackers coach at The United States Naval Academy. The stint was the third for Grantham in Annapolis.

He spent the 2017 season as the defensive coordinator at Western Illinois. In his one season with the Leathernecks, WIU ranked 22nd nationally against the run, sixth in interceptions, 13th in takeaways, 23rd in sacks and 13th in tackles-for-loss.

The Leathernecks finished the season 8-4 and qualified for the FCS playoffs, holding their opponents to 24 points or less in eight contests.

Prior to his time at WIU, Grantham spent three years as the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Louisville, helping the Cardinals win 26 games and make a bowl game all three seasons. Louisville finished in the top 20 in total defense in two of his three seasons and the Cardinals forced 81 turnovers over those three years.

Grantham was the outside linebackers coach at Navy from 2008-2013. He was influential in guiding Navy to a 9-4 record in 2013 and a win over Middle Tennessee State in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. The 2013 Navy team was just the fifth in the program’s 132-year history of playing football to win at least nine games, beat Army and win a bowl game. The Navy defense held eight of its 13 opponents below their scoring average for the season.

In 2012, Grantham helped lead Navy to an 8-5 record and a berth in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. Navy defeated Air Force, 28-21, in overtime, and Army, 17-13, to win the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy.

The 2009 season was one of the program’s best, as Navy tied a then school record with 10 wins. The defense finished 18th in the country in scoring defense (19.4 points per game) and sixth in red zone defense.

Grantham returned to the Naval Academy in the spring of 2008 after spending one year at Campbell, where he served as the linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator.

He served four years at the Naval Academy, training the defensive line and outside linebackers from 2003-06. Navy posted a 35-15 record in Grantham’s four years in Annapolis, winning four-straight Commander-In-Chief’s trophies and appearing in four-straight bowl games.

While at Navy, Grantham has been part of a staff that went 18-2 in Service Academy games including a 10-0 mark against Army.

Grantham joined the Naval Academy staff after two seasons as a graduate assistant at LSU under current Alabama head coach Nick Saban. While in Baton Rouge, Grantham spent one year working on the offensive side of the ball and one year working on the defensive side. In 2001, the Tigers went 10-3 and won the SEC Championship Game over No. 2 Tennessee, knocking the Vols out of the BCS title game. LSU went on to win the Sugar Bowl. In 2002, LSU, which finished the season fifth nationally in total defense, shared the SEC Western Division title and played in the Cotton Bowl.

Grantham began his collegiate coaching career at Eastern Illinois, where he oversaw the Panthers outside linebackers and special teams. EIU, behind the play of quarterback Tony Romo, advanced to the NCAA I-AA Playoffs, and finished the season ranked 15th nationally.

Grantham, a 2000 graduate of Radford, received his degree in physical education. He and his wife Mollie have three children Jake, Ruthie and Luke.

Turner West enters his second season as the special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator at The Citadel.

In his first year with the Bulldogs, West mentored one of the most experienced and consistent special teams units in the country. The Bulldogs returned all key components of their unit, including All-American long snapper Patrick Keefe and Freshman All-American Matt Campbell.

The group proved to be one of the best in the FCS as they ranked sixth in net punting at 40.41 yards per punt. They also ranked 13th in punt return average at 4.0 yards per return.

Individually, Campbell ranked eighth in punting at 44.1 yards per punt. He now owns two of the top three single-season punt averages in school history.

Kicker Jacob Godek converted all 43 of his extra points in 2019, while also hitting on eight field goals. He ended his career as the school’s all-time leader with 113 extra points, including ending his career by making 105 straight.

The Bulldog punt block unit blocked a pair of punts on the season, both coming against Elon. Sean-Thomas Faulkner blocked both punts in the game to earn Southern Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

His most important kick came in overtime when he hit from 37-yards out to give the Bulldogs a 27-24 overtime victory over Georgia Tech.  

West joined the Bulldogs after spending the previous season as the linebackers coach at Austin Peay.

Prior to his time with the Governors, West spent four seasons as a defensive assistant with the Dallas Cowboys.

While with the Cowboys, West worked with passing game coordinator/linebackers coach Matt Eberflus, where he assisted with the development of the linebackers. His star pupil during his time in Dallas was Sean Lee, one of the top linebackers in the NFL. In 2016, Lee recorded career highs with 174 tackles and 12 tackles for loss. He was named All-Pro and earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl nod.

West went to the NFL after spending two years as a graduate assistant working with the quarterbacks and wide receivers at Middle Tennessee.

He began his coaching career as an intern at UAB in 2010 before going on to spend one season as a volunteer assistant at Samford.

West played wide receiver at Memphis for his father, head coach Tommy West. He received his degree in interdisciplinary studies in 2010.

Ron Boyd enters his seventh season as the offensive line coach at The Citadel.

The offensive line has been the anchor of one of the most successful rushing attacks in the FCS. Through his first six seasons, the Bulldogs’ offensive line has paved the way for fifty-four 100-yard rushing performances, including a school-record 14 in 2015.

During his tenure, the Bulldogs have ranked in the top-10 nationally in rushing yards per game every season. The 2016 Bulldogs led the nation by averaging 348.2 yards per game.

Boyd has produced at least one first-team all-conference selection in each of his first six seasons.

The 2019 Bulldogs rushed for over 300 yards in six of the 12 games, including a season-high 378 yards in the win over Mercer. Additionally, The Citadel rushed for 320 yards in the upset victory over Georgia Tech. It marked the second-straight year the Bulldogs rushed for at least 275 yards against a FBS opponent.

Senior Drew McEntyre was a first-team all-conference selection, while Johnathan Toole was selected as a First-Team Freshman All-American by HERO Sports.

Boyd may have put together one of his best coaching jobs in 2017 when he took one of the youngest groups in college football and turned them into one of the best blocking units in the FCS.

Despite starting three freshmen along the front, the Bulldogs managed to rank second in the country in rushing at 294.6 yards per game. The leader of the group was Tyler Davis who went on to be named a Second-Team All-American by College Sports Madness.

The 2016 season was a record-setting one for the Bulldogs as they put together just the eighth undefeated season in Southern Conference history on their way to capturing their second-straight championship.

The Bulldogs eclipsed the 400-yard mark five times on their way to leading the country in rushing yards and time of possession.

Tackle Isaiah Pinson won the Southern Conference’s Jacobs Blocking Award and was tabbed a First-Team All-American. Additionally, Nick Jeffreys earned first-team all-conference honors, while Kyle Weaver was named to the all-conference second team and Drew McEntryre earned all-freshman team honors.

In 2015, the Bulldogs rushed for 346.9 yards per game on their way to capturing the SoCon championship and the program’s first playoff win, a 41-38 victory over Coastal Carolina.

Boyd’s first season in the Lowcountry saw the Bulldogs amass 347.2 yards a game on the ground. Sam Frye earned First-Team All-SoCon honors and was named a Walter Camp All-American.

Boyd arrived at The Citadel after spending the previous nine years as the offensive line coach at Lenoir-Rhyne. Boyd also served as the program’s strength and conditioning coach and equipment manager.

In 2013, Boyd led an offensive line that paved the way for a rushing attack that averaged 370.9 yards per game and set the NCAA record for all divisions in rushing yards in a single season with 5,563 on the way to the Division II National Championship Game.

Under the direction of Boyd, a Bear offensive lineman received the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, given annually to the top offensive lineman in the South Atlantic Conference, in each of his final four seasons, including 2013 recipient and Division II All-American Joe Ray.

Prior to his time at Lenoir-Rhyne, Boyd was the offensive line coach at West Virginia Wesleyan from 1998-2004. During his tenure at West Virginia Wesleyan, the Bobcats won a pair of West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) championships in 2002 and 2003, and the squad put together a 17-game league winning streak.

Boyd’s offensive lines helped West Virginia Wesleyan set several school rushing records, and five players earned All-WVIAC honors in 2003 including three who received first-team accolades. During its two championship seasons, West Virginia Wesleyan finished 14th and 20th overall in Division II in rushing with 220 and 214 yards per game, respectively.
 
Boyd began his offensive line coaching career by spending the 1993 and 1994 seasons at West Virginia Wesleyan. He then was the offensive line coach at Cumberland College in 1995 and West Virginia Tech in 1996 and 1997 before returning to West Virginia Wesleyan.

Boyd, a native of Delmont, Pennsylvania, and a 1992 graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan, was a three-year letter winner, two-year starter and team captain his senior year. He is an active member of the American Football Coaches Association and has served on several of the organization’s committees.

He is married to the former Erin Shebatka.

A veteran coach with over 30 years of coaching defensive backs, Orlando Mitjans Jr. enters his fifth season as the cornerbacks coach at The Citadel.

In the first year in a new scheme, the Bulldog corners registered 17 pass break-ups and a pair of interceptions. Jay Howard posted a pair of interceptions and added five pass break-ups. Phil Barrett led the team with seven pass break-ups, while ranking eighth on the team in tackles.

One of the top proteges under Mitjans was cornerback Dee Delaney, who went on to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars. During his All-American season in 2016, Delaney recorded six interceptions and added eight pass break-ups.

The six interceptions were 10th nationally and the third-most in Citadel history. He twice picked off two passes in a game, including interceptions on back-to-back plays in the second round of the FCS playoffs.

In 2016, the Bulldogs ranked seventh in FCS in pass defense and eighth in total defense, improving by more than 50 yards from the previous season.

Mitjans came to The Citadel after spending the previous two years at Army West Point.

During his first season at Army, Mitjans tutored a unit that collected seven interceptions. He coached Josh Jenkins, who was selected to three postseason all-star teams following a tremendous sophomore season that included a team-best four interceptions and eight pass breakups.

Prior to arriving at West Point, Mitjans spent four seasons coaching the cornerbacks at Georgia Southern. While he was in Statesboro, the Eagles advanced to three straight NCAA FCS Playoff semifinals. In 2010, Mitjans helped the Eagles rank second in the SoCon and 11th in FCS in pass defense by allowing an average of 159.9 yards per game through the air.

He helped mold Laron Scott into a two-time All-American and two-time All-Southern Conference selection. Scott was a free agent signee of the New Orleans Saints. Mitjans also helped Lavelle Westbrook to second-team all-conference honors and an invitation to the Senior Bowl.

Mitjans’ time in Statesboro was preceded by his second of two stints at Tennessee State. The Tigers had one of the best defenses in the Ohio Valley Conference, anchored by cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who went on to be the 16th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Mitjans spent two seasons as the secondary coach at Eastern Kentucky where he helped produce five all-conference players and one All-American.

The secondary in 2007 intercepted 24 passes and had the top defense in the conference. The group featured three all-conference picks, including OVC Defensive Player of the Year and All-America Derrick Huff.

Additionally, Antwaun Molden played in the Senior Bowl before spending time with the Houston Texans, New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Mitjans spent five years coaching at Towson, serving as the defensive coordinator in 2004 after coaching the secondary from 2001-03 and the running backs in 2000. The Tigers led the league with 21 interceptions in 2003, returning four for touchdowns.

He also served as the secondary coach at Kent State in 1995 and C.W. Post in 1996 before moving to Morgan State in 1997. After the Bears defense forced 28 takeovers in 1998, Mitjans was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1999.

Mitjans began his coaching career as a student assistant at Northeastern. He also coached the secondary at Cheyney University from 1992-94.

Mitjans has worked with three teams through the NFL’s minority internship program. His first opportunity was with the New York Jets in 1994. He worked with the St. Louis Rams in 1999 and 2000 and the Kansas City Chiefs in 2001. In 2006, he was one of 20 coaches across the country selected to attend the NCAA Expert Coaching Academy to prepare individuals for head coaching roles.

Mitjans began his collegiate career playing safety at Arkansas for head coach Lou Holtz and position coach Pete Carroll from 1978-80 before transferring to Northeastern and playing two seasons for the Huskies. He earned his bachelor’s degree in leadership from Northeastern in 1982.

Mitjans is married to the former Claire Simmons.

Brian Rucker enters his sixth season coaching the wide receivers at The Citadel.

Normally known more as blockers in the run game, The Citadel features one of the most explosive players in the FCS in Raleigh Webb.

The first-team all-conference selection posted 30 receptions for 617 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2019. He is the first Bulldog to reach double digits in touchdowns since Andre Roberts.

Webb caught at least one touchdown in nine games, and posted three 100-yard performances. Against Samford, Webb hauled in a pair of touchdowns, including an 84-yarder. It is tied for the second-longest reception in school history.

On the other side, Ryan McCarthy added 11 catches for 197 yards and a 53-yard touchdown against Chattanooga.

In 2018, Webb caught three passes over 65 yards, including a school-record 91-yard touchdown against Furman. He also scored on a 59-yard reverse and also returned a kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown.

The group has helped the Bulldogs be among the top rushing teams in the FCS. The Citadel has ranked in the top-10 nationally in each of the past six seasons.

Webb was named to the Southern Conference All-Freshman Team in 2017 after averaging 25.5 yards per catch.

The record-setting 2016 season had a senior-laden group that all set single-game career highs during the season.

Brian Rudder averaged 18.7 yards per reception, while DeAndre Schultz and Jorian Jordan averaged 13.5 and 12.5 yards per reception, respectively.

Prior to joining the Bulldogs’ staff, Rucker spent five seasons coaching the wide receivers at Presbyterian. He also worked with the special teams during his time with the Blue Hose.

In 2014, Rucker helped PC to its first winning season as a Division I  program and saw head coach Harold Nicholls named Big South Coach of the Year.

Rucker tutored All-Big South receiver Tobi Antigha who led the conference by averaging 5.8 receptions per game. His 53 catches were the third most in Division I history at the school.

While coaching the special teams, Rucker tutored returners Michal Ruff (2012) and Jeremiah McKie (2013) to all-conference honors.

Rucker spent two years coaching at Lenoir-Rhyne, working with the tights ends in 2008 and the wide receivers in 2009.

He began his coaching career at Western Carolina where he coached Lamont Reid, who signed with the Tennessee Titans, and Darius Fudge, who was just the sixth student-athlete in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season.

In 2004, he was a student assistant in WCU’s academic enhancement program.

A four-year letterwinner at Western Carolina, Rucker finished his collegiate career with 44 receptions for 558 yards.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2004.

One of the veteran members of the coaching staff, John Ward enters his seventh season with the Bulldogs. He is in his third season working with the defensive line, while also serving as the team’s academic coordinator.

The Bulldog defensive line played a big role in The Citadel leading the Southern Conference in rush defense. The unit combined for 35.0 tackles-for-loss and added 15 quarterback hurries.

Joseph Randolph II was the leader of the front as the first-team all-conference selection posted a team-best 14.5 tackles-for-loss and 5.0 sacks.

Dalton Owens controlled the middle of the line as he recorded 8.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks in his first action as a Bulldog.

In the classroom, the Bulldogs fought through the pandemic to post a 3.141 team grade-point average during the spring 2020 semester.

The Bulldogs’ defensive front featured a pair of standouts in 2018 in Ken Allen and all-conference selection Randolph.

Randolph earned all-conference honors while ranking fourth in the league with 14.0 tackles-for-loss. Allen did not have the stats, but was a big key in stopping the run from his nose tackle position.

They were part of a defensive front that held five opponents under 100 rushing yards, including limiting Charleston Southern to negative-1 yard rushing in the season finale.

In his first season on the defensive side, Ward helped the Bulldogs finish second in the league in rushing defense. The line was anchored by the emergence of all-conference selection Jalon Williams.

Ward spent his first three seasons at The Citadel working with the offensive tackles.

During the 2016 championship season, the offensive line helped lead the way for the nation’s top rushing attack, rushing for over 400 yards in five games.

The line was anchored by All-American tackle Isaiah Pinson and all-conference tackle Nick Jeffreys.

Success also came in the classroom as the Bulldogs had multiple Google Cloud Academic All-Americans for the first time in school history. Joe Crochet was a first-team selection for the second-straight year, while Jeffreys was named to the second team. Additionally, Myles Pierce and Will Vanvick earned Academic All-District accolades.

The Bulldogs used the same starting lineup the entire 2015 season in helping the program set school records for all-purpose yards, total offense and rushing yards. The Citadel led the conference with 346.9 rushing yards per game 5.70 yards per rush and 41 rushing touchdowns.

Ward came to The Citadel from Lenoir-Rhyne where he served as a graduate assistant working with the tackles. The offensive line helped pave the way for the Bears to lead the nation in rushing while setting the NCAA single-season rushing record for all divisions with 5,563 yards in advancing to the Division II National Championship Game in 2013.

Two of Lenoir-Rhyne’s offensive tackles were named to the All-South Atlantic Conference first team while Joe Ray won the league’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy and was a Division II All-American.

In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Ward also was the strength and conditioning coordinator for the football team.

Ward headed to Lenoir-Rhyne after two seasons as a graduate assistant at Springfield College, working with the tackles and tight ends. He also served as the head coach of the junior varsity team in 2012. The Pride led the country in rushing in 2011 and finished second in 2012.

Ward was a three-year starter at Springfield College where he helped the Pride qualify for the 2006 NCAA playoffs.

He graduated from Springfield in 2010 with a degree in criminal justice.

Kevin Weston enters his second season as the outside linebackers coach at The Citadel.

In his first season, Weston helped the Bulldogs transition into a new defensive scheme. The new defense was aided by the play of Marquise Blount. The sophomore was off to a tremendous season before it was cut short by injury.

Blount was second on the team with 4.5 sacks and tied for second with 11.5 tackles-for-loss. He played a major role in the victory over Furman by forcing a fumble on a sack to set up a touchdown.

The effort came on the heels of 1.5 sacks against Western Carolina. The two performances helped Blount to be named the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for October.

Freshman Hasan Black came on late during the season to earn a spot on the All-SoCon Freshman team. He finished with 23 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and four quarterback hurries.

Weston came to the Lowcountry after serving as the defensive coordinator at Kentucky State last season. Prior to that, Weston spent the 2017 season as the defensive coordinator at Westlake High School in Atlanta.
 
Weston spent two seasons on the defensive staff at Southeastern Louisiana. He worked with the safeties his second season after beginning his tenure as the running backs coach.
 
Weston went to SLU after serving as the head coach at Clark Atlanta the previous two seasons. During his tenure with the Panthers, Weston mentored 2014 Division II All-American linebacker Bre’nard Williams.
 
Prior to his first head coaching job, Weston spent eight seasons on the coaching staff at his alma mater, Tusculum University. He worked with the defensive line and linebackers, while also serving two seasons as the defensive coordinator. His 2011 defense finished second in the nation in pass defense.
 
Weston was the assistant head coach in 2008 when the Pioneers advanced to the Division II playoffs for the first time in program history.
 
Weston began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Morgan City High School in Madison, Georgia. During his two seasons, the Bulldogs were 19-5 and made two appearances in the state playoffs.
 
As a player, Weston played tight end and offensive guard for the Pioneers before going on to sign as a free agent in the Arena Football League.
 
A 2002 graduate of Tusculum, Weston has a bachelor’s degree in education and earned his master’s degree from Troy in 2005.

Bobby Ruff enters his second year as an assistant coach at The Citadel. Ruff made the move to inside linebackers coach after spending last season working with the offensive tackles/tight ends.

In his one season working with the offensive front, the Bulldogs ranked in the Top 10 nationally in rushing yards per game at 268.2.

Ruff worked with a returning starter on one side in Prince Howard-Whitaker and a newcomer on the other in Denzel Wright.

The Bulldogs utilized the tight end position more during the 2019 season. Senior Elijah Lowe proved to be a pivotal blocker in the Bulldogs’ rushing attack.

Ruff was promoted to a full-time assistant after spending the 2018 season as a defensive quality control assistant.

He originally joined the staff as an intern in the strength and conditioning department.

No stranger to the Lowcountry, Ruff was a standout linebacker at Charleston Southern. He finished his career with 117 tackles, 6.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks in helping the Bucs to a pair of Big South Conference championships.

Ruff played his prep ball at West Ashley High School where he was an all-state selection. He set the school record for sacks in a game, season and career.

Ruff graduated from CSU in 2017 with a degree in criminal justice. He is the son of Bulldog Hall of Famer, Brian Ruff.

Kate Yeager is in her fourth season on the staff at The Citadel as the director of player personnel for the Bulldog football team.

Kate serves as the assistant to head coach Brent Thompson and works with the coaching staff on game day recruiting visits as well as serving as the staff's liaison to The Citadel Football Association.

Kate, a native of Cambridge, England, is married to Kevin Yeager.