Troy University Athletics
Blakeney Announces Staff Changes
1/4/2008 6:00:00 AM | Football
TROY, Ala. - For Troy University head football coach Larry Blakeney, the only constant in his 17 seasons at the helm of the Trojans football program has been change.
Since his arrival in 1991 the Trojans have changed conferences twice, have moved from Division II, to Division I-AA and now to the Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A). Those changes have also come in a regular fashion to his coaching staff.
Despite the changes, Blakeney's career has included seven I-AA playoff appearances, five conference titles, two bowl berths, including a victory in the 2006 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, and an overall record of 136-68-1 that ranks fourth all-time among college head coaches in Alabama history. His commitment to Troy University is reflected in the recent annual roll-over of his contract to be the Trojans' head coach into the future.
“I have been blessed to have been able to spend so much of my career at a place like Troy University,” Blakeney said. “The support our program has received, and continues to receive, from our Chancellor, Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., our Board of Trustees led by Dr. Douglas Hawkins, our Director of Athletics Steve Dennis and our fans makes all of the success we have enjoyed possible.
“I am excited that this University has continued to make a commitment to our entire athletics program, not just football. Troy is home for Janice and me, and there is no place I'd rather coach.”
Blakeney will enter his 18th season at Troy with yet another set of changes to his coaching staff. Those changes include the return of a former Trojan player, Kenny Edenfield.
Kenny Edenfield" alt="Kenny Edenfield" align="right" height="200" width="133">A 42-year-old native of Clinton, La., Edenfield returns to Troy to coach inside receivers. His most recent coaching stop has been at the University of North Alabama, where he has served as offensive coordinator for the last six seasons.
Edenfield was a three-year letterwinner at Troy from 1986-88 and was a member of the Trojans' 1987 national championship team.
“Coach Edenfield is a very successful coach, first and foremost,” Blakeney said. “His offense at UNA averaged more than 30 points per game over the last six seasons and helped them win two Gulf South Conference titles and earn a spot in the playoffs four times. I am also excited because Coach Edenfield is a Trojan, and it always means a lot for a coach to be at his alma mater.”
In addition to his six seasons at UNA, Edenfied spent a year as an assistant coach at Tulsa, four years at Southwest Mississippi Community College, including two as head coach, and two years as an assistant coach at Nicholls State. He started his coaching career as an assistant at Apopka High School in Florida.
“I am ecstatic to be coming back to Troy University, my entire family is,” Edenfield said. “I played here and met my wife here and I have always dreamed about coming back. I have followed the program closely ever since my playing days and have admired the things Coach Blakeney has been able to do.”
Edenfield said the offense he ran at North Alabama was very similar to the offense Troy runs.
“We were a spread offense, very similar to Troy,” Edenfield said. “It is all coaching and is about trying to put points on the board. I am excited about learning something new but the bottom line is that we are going to do whatever we can to try to continue winning.”
With Edenfield taking over as the inside receivers coach, Neal Brown, who will be entering his third season as a member of the Trojans staff, will move into the role of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Brown, a native of Danville, Ky., will be the youngest coordinator in college football at the Bowl Championship level, with his 28th birthday in March.
“One of the priorities for me in this transition was to maintain stability in the offensive scheme that Tony Franklin installed in 2006,” Blakeney said. “Neal played in this system at Kentucky and in a similar system at Massachusetts, he has coached this system for several years and he is a bright young coach who has impressed me in the two years he has been here.”
The move to coaching quarterbacks will not be a difficult one for Brown, who has coached the position in 2004 at Sacred Heart University.
“Moving to coach quarterbacks is a natural progression for an offensive skill coach because, as you work with receivers, you have to work closely with the quarterbacks as well,” Brown said.
“The big thing is this will allow us to have continuity in our offense. We are going to continue to do the same things we have done because it has proven to be successful here and at other places, and our coaches and players believe in it and are excited about it.”
Brown said the fact that he will be the youngest coordinator in college football doesn't mean much to him.
“The only thing that will probably mean is a little bit of publicity for the program, which is good,” Brown said. “To me, it speaks to the faith and trust that Coach Blakeney, Coach Dennis and Dr. Hawkins have in me, regardless of age, and I am very appreciative of that.”
In addition to the move of Brown to the role of offensive coordinator, Blakeney also announced that Shayne Wasden has been promoted to Assistant Head Coach. Wasden, who just completed his fourth season as a member of the Troy coaching staff, will continue in his role as outside receivers coach and special teams coordinator. Coach Jeremy Rowell, who has been at Troy since 1991 as a player or coach, will continue in his role as defensive coordinator.
“I am excited about the coaching staff we have assembled,” Blakeney said. “We have a strong group of talented young coaches who combine the integrity, intensity and desire needed to lead our program forward into the coming seasons.”
Since his arrival in 1991 the Trojans have changed conferences twice, have moved from Division II, to Division I-AA and now to the Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A). Those changes have also come in a regular fashion to his coaching staff.
Despite the changes, Blakeney's career has included seven I-AA playoff appearances, five conference titles, two bowl berths, including a victory in the 2006 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, and an overall record of 136-68-1 that ranks fourth all-time among college head coaches in Alabama history. His commitment to Troy University is reflected in the recent annual roll-over of his contract to be the Trojans' head coach into the future.
“I have been blessed to have been able to spend so much of my career at a place like Troy University,” Blakeney said. “The support our program has received, and continues to receive, from our Chancellor, Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., our Board of Trustees led by Dr. Douglas Hawkins, our Director of Athletics Steve Dennis and our fans makes all of the success we have enjoyed possible.
“I am excited that this University has continued to make a commitment to our entire athletics program, not just football. Troy is home for Janice and me, and there is no place I'd rather coach.”
Blakeney will enter his 18th season at Troy with yet another set of changes to his coaching staff. Those changes include the return of a former Trojan player, Kenny Edenfield.
Kenny Edenfield" alt="Kenny Edenfield" align="right" height="200" width="133">A 42-year-old native of Clinton, La., Edenfield returns to Troy to coach inside receivers. His most recent coaching stop has been at the University of North Alabama, where he has served as offensive coordinator for the last six seasons.Edenfield was a three-year letterwinner at Troy from 1986-88 and was a member of the Trojans' 1987 national championship team.
“Coach Edenfield is a very successful coach, first and foremost,” Blakeney said. “His offense at UNA averaged more than 30 points per game over the last six seasons and helped them win two Gulf South Conference titles and earn a spot in the playoffs four times. I am also excited because Coach Edenfield is a Trojan, and it always means a lot for a coach to be at his alma mater.”
In addition to his six seasons at UNA, Edenfied spent a year as an assistant coach at Tulsa, four years at Southwest Mississippi Community College, including two as head coach, and two years as an assistant coach at Nicholls State. He started his coaching career as an assistant at Apopka High School in Florida.
“I am ecstatic to be coming back to Troy University, my entire family is,” Edenfield said. “I played here and met my wife here and I have always dreamed about coming back. I have followed the program closely ever since my playing days and have admired the things Coach Blakeney has been able to do.”
Edenfield said the offense he ran at North Alabama was very similar to the offense Troy runs.
“We were a spread offense, very similar to Troy,” Edenfield said. “It is all coaching and is about trying to put points on the board. I am excited about learning something new but the bottom line is that we are going to do whatever we can to try to continue winning.”
With Edenfield taking over as the inside receivers coach, Neal Brown, who will be entering his third season as a member of the Trojans staff, will move into the role of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Brown, a native of Danville, Ky., will be the youngest coordinator in college football at the Bowl Championship level, with his 28th birthday in March.
“One of the priorities for me in this transition was to maintain stability in the offensive scheme that Tony Franklin installed in 2006,” Blakeney said. “Neal played in this system at Kentucky and in a similar system at Massachusetts, he has coached this system for several years and he is a bright young coach who has impressed me in the two years he has been here.”
The move to coaching quarterbacks will not be a difficult one for Brown, who has coached the position in 2004 at Sacred Heart University.
“Moving to coach quarterbacks is a natural progression for an offensive skill coach because, as you work with receivers, you have to work closely with the quarterbacks as well,” Brown said.
“The big thing is this will allow us to have continuity in our offense. We are going to continue to do the same things we have done because it has proven to be successful here and at other places, and our coaches and players believe in it and are excited about it.”
Brown said the fact that he will be the youngest coordinator in college football doesn't mean much to him.
“The only thing that will probably mean is a little bit of publicity for the program, which is good,” Brown said. “To me, it speaks to the faith and trust that Coach Blakeney, Coach Dennis and Dr. Hawkins have in me, regardless of age, and I am very appreciative of that.”
In addition to the move of Brown to the role of offensive coordinator, Blakeney also announced that Shayne Wasden has been promoted to Assistant Head Coach. Wasden, who just completed his fourth season as a member of the Troy coaching staff, will continue in his role as outside receivers coach and special teams coordinator. Coach Jeremy Rowell, who has been at Troy since 1991 as a player or coach, will continue in his role as defensive coordinator.
“I am excited about the coaching staff we have assembled,” Blakeney said. “We have a strong group of talented young coaches who combine the integrity, intensity and desire needed to lead our program forward into the coming seasons.”
Youngest Coordinators In FBS
| Name | School | Position | Birthdate | Age |
| Neal Brown | Troy | Offensive | March 11, 1980 | 27 |
| Marcus Arroyo | San Jose State | Co-Offensive | Jan. 23, 1980 | 27 |
| Major Applewhite | Alabama | Offensive | July 26, 1978 | 29 |
| Charlie Jackson | Buffalo | Defensive | Nov. 4, 1976 | 31 |
| Brian Harsin | Boise State | Offensive | (private) | 32 |
| Justin Wilcox | Boise State | Defensive | (private) | 32 |
| Mike Elston | Central Mich. | Co-Defensive | Nov. 1, 1974 | 33 |
| Dave Fipp | San Jose State | Co-Defensive | Aug. 8, 1974 | 33 |
| Manny Diaz | Middle Tenn. | Defensive | March 3, 1974 | 33 |
| Jeremy Rowell | Troy | Defensive | Nov. 21, 1973 | 34 |
| Mark Helfrich | Colorado | Offensive | Oct. 28, 1973 | 34 |
| Todd Ford | North Texas | Offensive | March 28, 1973 | 34 |
| Rod Smith | South Florida | Offensive | Feb. 22, 1973 | 34 |
| Tyrone Nix | Ole Miss | Defensive | Sept. 30, 1972 | 35 |
| Tim Tibesar | Kansas State | Defensive | Aug. 27, 1972 | 35 |
| Danny Langsdorf | Oregon State | Offensive | June 28, 1972 | 35 |
| Dan Mullen | Florida | Offensive | April 27, 1972 | 35 |
| Patrick Nix | Miami | Offensive | April 7, 1972 | 35 |
| James Franklin | Kansas State | Offensive | Feb. 2, 1972 | 35 |
| Mike Groh | Virginia | Offensive | Dec. 19, 1971 | 36 |
| Dave Doeren | Wisconsin | Co-Defensive | Dec. 3, 1971 | 36 |
| Dana Holgorsen | Texas Tech | Co-Offensive | June 21, 1971 | 36 |
| Todd Orlando | Connecticut | Defensive | March 24, 1971 | 36 |
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