CLINTON, S.C. – Presbyterian College head football coach Kevin Kelley has announced his full staff for the 2021 fall season on Tuesday. Kelley's staff features three new coaches along with six coaches that were a part of the Blue Hose football staff last season.
"I am excited to begin coaching here at Presbyterian College," commented Head Football Coach Kevin Kelley. "I believe we have an awesome mix of guys that are already ingrained here at PC with these players and adding some new coaches that can help bring in a different type of football that they have experienced. The goal is to surround the team with good men and then push and them to fulfill their potential on/off the field."
On the offensive side of the ball, Joey Orck will return for his ninth season with the Blue Hose. He will continue to serve as the offensive coordinator while also coaching the offensive line. Orck will also be the team's assistant recruiting coordinator.
In his second year, Stewart Hunt will continue to coach the running backs and also work with the wideouts. Hunt has also been named the Blue Hose recruiting coordinator.
Kent Haltiwanger will be in his seventh season this fall with the Blue Hose as he will be the assistant offensive line coach and Presbyterian's Director of Football Operations.
Returning on the defensive staff is Roland Matthews for sixth season. He will coach the defensive line and continue to serve as the equipment manager. He will be joined by second year assistant Kamren Mack who will also be coaching the defensive line.
After coaching the defensive backs in the spring, Bryce Suber will transition over to coach the linebackers in the fall in his second season with the program. Suber is also going to serve as the team's video coordinator.
Kelley will serve as the team's quarterbacks coach and will welcome in three new members to the Blue Hose staff this fall.
When practice starts for the 2021 fall season, Zack Kelley joins the staff as the wideouts coach to fill out the offensive staff. On the defensive side of the ball, Jeff Imamura will be the Blue Hose new defensive coordinator and Sam Witcher will be PC's defensive backs coach in 2021.
Sam Witcher – Defensive Backs
Witcher joins the Blue Hose staff after spending the last four years at Pulaski Academy as he was the assistant cornerbacks and defensive line coach.
Prior to his time at Pulaski he played for the Arkansas Rhinos in the semi-pro league as well as Arena Football for four years with the Odessa Roughnecks, Mississippi Mudcats and the Arkansas Twisters.
In 2008 he was an all-pro cornerback playing in 16 games with eight interceptions and 60 tackles (20 solo, 40 assisted), 20 pass breakups and 15 pass deflections. He was an All American cornerback and kick returner in 2005 playing in 12 games with 13 interceptions, 35 tackles, 15 solo and 20 assisted, 10 pass breakups, and 7 kickoff returns for a touchdown. He played in the All Star game in Orlando Florida at the ESPN wide world of sports complex. He also played in the all-star game in Las Vegas at UNLVs Allegiant stadium.
In college at Henderson State, he played in 19 career games with 75 tackles, four tackles for loss, 5 interceptions, 10 pass breakups and 14 pass deflections.
Since his playing days he has spent time working as an athletic trainer as he has trained many great high school, college and pro athletes. He has spent time training at all of the premier athletic training facilities in Arkansas most notably DI Sports and Arkansas Sports Performance.
Zack Kelley – Wide Receivers
Kelley comes to Presbyterian after previously coaching at Pulaski Academy under current PC head coach Kevin Kelley.
Kelley was a part of the 2020 state championship team as a coach and won three state championships as a player (2011,2014 and 2015). He graduated from Ouachita Baptist University magna cum laude with a BA in history.
While playing at Ouachita Baptist, he played slot receiver for the Tigers winning three conference championships.
Jeff Imamura – Defensive Coordinator
Imamura comes to PC after serving as the Senior Defensive Assistant / Analyst at Vanderbilt University for Derek Mason over the last two seasons.
An NFL veteran defensive coach with 12 years of coaching experience, Imamura coached for the Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams, and Carolina Panthers during his NFL tenure. Over the course of his career, he's earned a reputation for being a teacher and technician for his ability to cultivate and develop talent. Linebackers such as: Heath Farwell (Minnesota Vikings), Chad Greenway (Minnesota Vikings), and E.J. Henderson (Minnesota Vikings), earned NFL Pro Bowl honors. While Defensive Backs such as: James Bradberry (Carolina Panthers), Donte Jackson (Carolina Panthers), Captain Munnerlyn (Carolina Panthers), developed into elite cover Corners and held dynamic NFL receivers well below their game averages.
In 2018, Imamura's Carolina Panthers Cornerbacks dominated the NFC South's elite Wide Receivers. Wide Receivers such as: Julio Jones (9 catches for 92 yards and (0) TD's in two games), Mike Evans (5 catches for 64 yards and (0) TD's in two games), Michael Thomas (12 catches for 78 yards and (0) TD's in two games) were held way below their game averages. While other NFL dynamic receivers such as: DeSean Jackson, Michael Crabtree, and Jon Brown, were limited in their effectiveness with Carolina's aggressive coverage tactics.
In his first season with the Panthers in 2017, Imamura helped a Panthers pass defense improve by nearly 40 yards per game over the year prior. Under Imamura's direction, the Panthers showed marked improvement throughout the year defensively, ranking first (1st) overall in red zone defense over the final seven (7) games (32.0 percent) after ranking 29th through the first nine games. Carolina's man-to-man coverage completion rate also improved from 90 percent through the first quarter of the season to 75 percent and finally 50 percent completion rate in the last four games. In the season's final nine weeks, the Panthers tallied nine (9) interceptions, including seven (7) from the Secondary. Led by Cornerback James Bradberry, the Panthers defense ranked third in the NFL with a turnover differential of +8.
Prior to his time with the Panthers, Imamura spent two years as a defensive assistant with the St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams assisting in coaching the Linebackers.
In the Rams' first season in Los Angeles, Imamura assisted a defense that finished the 2016 season ranked ninth (9th) in total defense. LB Alec Ogletree, who played his first season as middle linebacker, finished the season with 171 total tackles, the fifth (5th) highest single-season output in franchise history. Ogletree finished in the franchise's top-10 in tackles for three of his four years in the NFL. As a defense predicated on harassing opponents in their back fields, the Rams recorded 245 negative plays since the beginning of the 2015 season, the most in the NFL over the past two seasons. During Imamura's first season with the Rams, the defense tied for 10th in the NFL in takeaways, were ranked sixth (6th) in third-down defense and 11th in sacks, despite injuries to key starters.
Previously, Imamura spent the 2006-13 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, where he assisted in coaching the Secondary (Safeties) for two years (2012-2013) and the Linebackers for six years (2006-2011). The 2012 Vikings defense made strides to improve from the previous season, allowing 64 fewer points to opposing offenses to rank 16th in the NFL, an 11-position improvement from 2011. The defense held opponents to 14-or-less points in 6 games during 2012, winning all 6. The Vikings DBs received an influx of talent when rookie S Harrison Smith stepped into the starting lineup for every game, led the club with 3 INTs and tied the Vikings rookie record with 2 INT return TDs. Smith was honored as an NFL All-Rookie choice for his performance. Fellow rookie Josh Robinson added a pair of INTs and started 6 games during the season.
2011 marked another season of solid linebacker play for the Vikings. Greenway set a then-career high in tackles, recording 174 over the course of the season and being selected to his 1st Pro Bowl. E.J. Henderson also had a big season, finishing 2nd on the team in tackles with 130 and 2nd on the team with 16 TFL.
The Vikings LBs were the most consistent unit for the defense in 2010 with Greenway leading the team in tackles for a 3rd-straight season and ranking 1st in the NFC and 4th in the NFL in total tackles. The defense finished in the NFL's top 10 in total defense (8th) for the 3rd year in a row and ranked in the top 10 against the run (9th) and the pass (10th).
In 2009, the Vikings LBs played at a high level and were a key part of the #6 ranking in total defense the club posted for the 2nd-straight year. The Vikings had not been in the NFL's top 10 for total defense in consecutive seasons since 1993-94.
The 2008 Vikings made dramatic strides from 2007 despite having to overcome the loss of key starters to injury. The Vikings defense ranked #6 in the NFL for total defense, the highest finish since 1994 for the team and a 14-position jump from the previous year.
The 2007 Vikings LBs thrived in the NFL's #1 rushing defense. Henderson led the team with 155 total tackles and 4.5 sacks, while Greenway and Leber finished directly behind Henderson in total tackles with 130 and 88, respectively. Overall, the Vikings linebackers finished with 373 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 3 INT's, 6 FF's and 7 FR's.
The 2006 Vikings finished #8 in total defense and #1 against the run for only the 3rd time in team history. The team had not cracked the top 10 in total defense since 1994 but the Vikings defenders became a calling card as the team set a franchise record and posted the 2nd-lowest rushing yards allowed by an NFL team since the 1970 merger at 985 yards, an average of 61.6 per game.
Prior to entering the NFL, Imamura spent seven seasons on the college level, including 2003 as the Outside Linebackers coach at Saginaw Valley State. He helped the Cardinals end the regular season atop the Division II polls with an 11-0 record, win the Great Lakes Conference and finish seventh (7th) in the country in scoring defense, 12th in turnover margin, and 22nd in passing defense. The Cardinals' Outside Linebackers accounted for over 60 percent of the team's sacks. Prior to Saginaw Valley State, Imamura had a three-year stint from 2000-02 at Northern Arizona coaching the Defensive Line. In 2001, Imamura directed a unit that contributed to the Lumberjacks ranking first in the Big Sky Conference in run defense with an average of 107.8 yards per game and allowing a conference-low 12 rushing touchdowns as the team advanced to the Division I-AA playoffs for just the second time in school history. He began his coaching career in 1997 at his alma mater, Texas Christian, as a defensive assistant.
Imamura graduated from TCU, earning a bachelor's degree in Finance in 1997. He later pursued a Master's in Business Administration from Colorado State University.
