ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF PREVIEW: Coleman retools staff, eyes turnaround

UAPB Head Coach Monte Coleman
UAPB Head Coach Monte Coleman

PINE BLUFF — Monte Coleman rebuilt a large chunk of his coaching staff in 2010 following a sluggish two seasons as Arkansas-Pine Bluff head coach. Three seasons after that makeover, the Golden Lions won their first outright Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.

Coleman is hoping a similar reboot can have similar results.

Coleman begins his ninth season as UAPB’s coach this year trying to snap a skid of three consecutive losing seasons. He’s hoping some fresh faces and new ideas among his coaching staff, particularly on offense, can breathe new life into a program that is 8-25 since winning the SWAC title in2 012.

“There was a sense of need for something different,” he said. “It’s a real tough business. Just wanted to go in a different direction and that’s what we did.”

Coleman’s staff makeover includes the addition of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ted White, wide receivers coach Mark Fredericks, linebackers coach Damion Frenchie and defensive line coach Carrillo Santos. Frenchie is actually the second linebackers coach he’s hired since the end of last season. Stanley Smith resigned about a week before practice started to tend to his pregnant fiance, Coleman said.

But Frenchie was on campus in time for practice, and all is well as Coleman tries to improve a team that was picked to finish last in the SWAC Western Division — the place it ended last season. Coleman is hoping he has the coaching staff to do it.

“The good thing about it is the players are buying into the coaching styles and philosophies,” Coleman said.

That’s essential on offense, where the Golden Lions were held to 19.5 points and 317.0 yards per game last season. Coleman hired Jerry Mack to run his offense in 2010 and the Golden Lions have been running a Spread ever since. Mack left for Memphis after one season and is now head coach at North Carolina Center. Eric Dooley had the controls in 2011-2013, including the year in which UAPB won the SWAC title.

Dooley left for Grambling, where he is offensive coordinator. Anthony Jones’ held the position the last two seasons with disappointing results. In comes White, who brings with him an up-tempo Spread offense similar to what Mack and Dooley ran with also credentials of coaching quarterbacks, which Coleman viewed as UAPB’s top concern.

Marcus Terrell, Nolan Sorensen and Brandon Duncan each started games last season and the three combined to complete 48.2 percent of their passes with 12 touchdowns and 21 interceptions, more than all but one team in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Players have already noted the difference in White, who has told them he wants to run as many as 100 plays each game.

“Coach White has really brought in a new energy that everybody is taking to,” said Sorensen, who started two games at quarterback last year.

White, a Baton Rouge native who played collegiately at Howard, called his system “quarterback friendly.”

“It allows the quarterbacks to take advantage of whatever the defense is doing and get the ball into our playmakers’ hands,” said White, who is Coleman’s fifth offensive coordinator since 2008.

It’s a system that Coleman wanted in part because when ran well it was the source of his biggest successes as coach. The Golden Lions averaged 25.8 points per game in 2010-2013, but they dipped to 21.3 points per game in 2014-2015. Last year, their 19.5 points per game ranked ninth in the SWAC and 93rd nationally.

So, while coaches on the defensive side are important, there won’t be many changes there. UAPB has maintained a base 4-3 defense since Coleman took over as an assistant in 2003, and will likely always do so as long as he’s head coach. If improvement is expected this year, it’ll be because of an offense rebuilt by new faces.

Coleman knows that an improved offense could mean that he’s soon looking for new coaches again. But so does an offense that stays stuck where it is.

“It’s not fun interviewing for jobs,” Coleman said. “If we win, there are going to be opportunities available for them. More money, bigger schools and all of that. That goes with the territory. I’m a realist. But, if we lose them, we just have to look for the next best man.”

About the Golden Lions

COACH Monte Coleman (18-52 in ninth season at UAPB and overall)

LAST YEAR 2-9 overall, 1-8 SWAC

RETURNING STARTERS 15 (10 offense, five on defense)

OFFENISVE PLAYERS TO WATCH QB Brandon Duncan, WR Willie Young, OL David Adams

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH LB Willie Duncan, DE Nicholas Stroud, LB Je’Kevin Carter

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