UNT make Line Coaches official

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[Harry]

FOOTBALL

Littrell Completes Coaching Staff, Adds Langston, Yellock

Langston to Coach OL, Yellock to Coach DL, Reffett Promoted to DC

 

DENTON – North Texas head football coach Seth Littrell announced Friday that he has completed his coaching staff by adding former Lamar offensive coordinator Chuck Langston as offensive line coach and Marc Yellock as defensive line coach, after serving at East Carolina in the same capacity.

Following the departure of Mike Ekeler, who was announced Friday as linebackers coach at North Carolina, Troy Reffett has been promoted to North Texas’ defensive coordinator. Reffett was the Mean Green’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach in 2016.

Langston spent four seasons at Lamar from 2013-16, the last two serving as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. He joined Lamar ahead of the 2012 season as the director of football operations.

“Bringing an experienced coach like Chuck aboard was extremely important,” Littrell said. “He has a reputation for being a great teacher, and will continue the growth of this position group. He also has a lot of great relationships across the state of Texas and into Oklahoma at the high school and junior college level. We look forward to welcoming Chuck and his family to ours.”

The Beaumont, Texas, native developed one of the strongest offensive fronts at the Football Championship Subdivision level in 2015. The Cardinals’ front five led the nation in pass protection surrendering less than a half sack per game. In addition to protecting the quarterback, Lamar’s offensive line also helped produce the nation’s leading rusher in Kade Harrington. A unanimous All-America selection, Harrington became just the seventh player in the history of Division I football to rush for 2,000 yards in only 10 games. Harrington finished second in the balloting for the STATS FCS National Offensive Player of the Year award (FCS football’s version of the Heisman Trophy).

In 2014, Langston’s line blocked for one of the most prolific offenses in the nation. The line helped produce an offense that ranked fifth nationally in total offense (503 yards per game), seventh in passing (314 yards per game) and eighth in scoring (39.6 points per game).

During his time overseeing the offensive line, Langston produced seven All-Southland Conference selections, including two first-team honorees.

Prior to joining Lamar, Langston coached for three years at Trinity High School in Euless, Texas, and one year at Groveton High School.

Langston also coached in the collegiate ranks at Central Oklahoma, and at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas, following his time as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Oklahoma.

Langston was a four-year letterman at center for the Sooners, where he was a team captain that helped guide Oklahoma to three bowl appearances during his time in Norman from 1991-95.

Yellock spent six seasons on staff at East Carolina under former head coach Ruffin McNeil, working with the defensive line from 2010-15. Ahead of the 2016 National Football League season, Yellock worked with the New Orleans Saints defensive line and special teams during the preseason.

 “Adding someone of Marc’s caliber to our staff is huge,” Littrell said. “He has a strong background and has had a lot of success with a three-man front, which gels perfectly with what we are doing defensively. His experience in Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference, as well as his proven track record as a recruiter was something that we are very excited to bring to our group.”

In 2013 and 2014, Yellock oversaw a unit that played a huge part in being ranked 13^th nationally in rushing defense. The 2013 team also ranked 13^th in sacks per game at 2.9. Six of his lineman earned all-conference honors, while another was a member of the conference’s all-freshman team during his time in Greenville, North Carolina.

In just his second year in charge of the ECU defensive line, the Pirates saw a staggering turnaround, vaulting 64 spots on the Football Bowl Subdivision total defense rankings, holding opponents to 102.5 fewer yards per game than the year before.

Prior to his time in Greenville, Yellock was the defensive line coach at Elon in 2006, where he coached First-Team All-Southern Conference honorees, Andre Campbell and Eric Ludwig, helping lift the Phoenix to the No. 11 ranking in total defense and No. 15 in rushing defense in the country at the Football Championship Subdivision level.

Yellock began his collegiate coaching career with his first stint at East Carolina, his alma mater, as a defensive staff assistant in both 2004 and 2005.

As a player, Yellock spent 1997-2000 with the Pirates under then-head coach Steve Logan. He appeared in 26 games across four seasons, starting 18 times and was a component of two ECU teams that advanced to bowl games.