Tuesday, January 11, 2011
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Former YSU football coach Jon Heacock
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
Former Youngstown State football coach Jon Heacock has been hired as the defensive coordinator at Kent State.
Heacock’s hiring was announced to the team on Sunday, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Heacock went 60-44 in nine seasons with the Penguins, resigning after posting a 6-5 mark in 2009.
He did not coach in 2010.
Heacock will work with new head coach Darrell Hazell, who was hired on Dec. 21. Hazell spent the past seven seasons as wide receivers coach at Ohio State, where he worked with Heacock’s brother, Jim, who is the Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator.
Jon Heacock was an assistant coach at Youngstown State from 1991-96 under Jim Tressel, serving as the secondary coach in his first season before getting elevated to defensive coordinator in 1992.
Following the 1996 season, Heacock served as Indiana University’s defensive coordinator for three seasons.
He returned to YSU in 2000 as the defensive coordinator and was hired the following year after Tressel was hired by Ohio State.
Kent State went 5-7 last season, including 4-4 in the Mid-American Conference.
The Golden Flashes are expected to have three local players on defense next season: junior defensive lineman Ishmaai’ly Kitchen (Mooney), sophomore safety Luke Wollet (Poland) and sophomore defensive end Scott Brandenstein (Mooney).