VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State newly hired head coach Gary Goff has filled out his coaching staff for the 2019 season as he hired four highly talented coaches to complete his initial staff as a Blazer.
Goff brought two coaches with him from Tiffin University in defensive coordinator Lee Stalker and offensive line coach Ryan Allgood, while adding the services of Levi Brown to coach the quarterbacks and Michael Johnson will coach the defensive backs/secondary.
Kerry Webb and Kenny McClendon, who helped coach the Blazers to a perfect 14-0 record and a national championship in 2018, remain on staff for 2019, along with a number of graduate assistants.
Stalker, comes to VSU from Tiffin where he spent the past five seasons alongside Goff. At Tiffin, Stalker coached numerous positions, including the defensive line, special teams and was the run game coordinator for the Dragons. While there, he coached and developed eight all-conference honorees, including Willie Mays who went on to play for the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams.
In helping to rebuild the Tiffin program, Stalker and the Dragons' defense made vast strides in 2017, finishing in the top-ten nationally in tackles for loss (96), while ranking in the top 20 in sacks (33) and third down and fourth down conversion percentages. He took over a defensive line in 2014 who only posted seven sacks and 19.5. tackles for loss prior to his arrival and turned into a group averaging 20 sacks and 40 tackles for loss per season, becoming one of the most dominate fronts in the conference.
Prior to Tiffin, Stalker coached one season at NCAA Division III Oberlin College (Ohio), where he served as linebackers coach, defensive line coach and head strength and conditioning coach. During his time at Oberlin, he coached three all-conference selections and one All-America honoree. His coaching career began at Butler High School in Butler, Pa., where he was a 2007 graduate and worked with the offensive and defensive lines.
He played collegiately at Kent State University as a defensive end from 2007-2011. Stalker was a two-year starter for the Golden Flashes and served as team captain as a senior. Following the 2011 campaign, he was a finalist for the NCAA Burlsworth Trophy, which is given to the most outstanding FBS college football player who began his career as a walk-on. Stalker earned his bachelor's degree in architectural studies and a minor in sports administration from Kent State.
Allgood spent the last two years as offensive line coach for the Dragons. In 2018, his unit continued to excel, leading an offense averaging 30.4 points per game, 271.2 passing yards per game and 425.7 total yards per game. He had three students-athletes earn all-conference honors. In 2017, the offensive line aided a Tiffin offense which averaged 23.8 points per game, 366 passing yards and 202.5 rushing yards per game. His line was a big part of JaQuan Hardy's 1,000-yard rushing season, marking the first for the Dragons since 2005. Allgood also had three all-conference selections in 2017.
Prior to Tiffin, Allgood was graduate assistant at his alma mater the University of Oklahoma. There as a graduate assistant, the offensive line had one of its most productive years in Sooner history as it ranked first nationally in passing efficiency (193.79) and pass completion percentage (.706), while ranking second nationally in total offense at 554.8 yards per game and third in scoring offense (43.9 ppg). OU also led the Big 12 Conference in allowing just 1.6 sacks per game.
Allgood played for the Sooners from 2006-2008 and was a student assistant from 2009-2011 and a graduate assistant from 2014-2016. In 2015, he helped an offensive line unit featuring First Team All-Big 12 selections Ty Darlington and Nila Kasitati. Darlington won the Campbell Trophy, Wuerffel Trophy and Bowden Award for his efforts on the field and in the classroom. OU had a pair of freshmen at the tackle positions, including left tackle Orlando Brown, who was named a Freshman All-America selection by Sporting News. That line led the way for an offense that ranked fourth in scoring, 17th in passing and 22nd in rushing. He earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from Oklahoma in 2011.
In 2014, Allgood helped OU to lead the nation in sacks allowed at just 9.0 for the season, while the Sooners led the Big 12 and ranked tenth nationally averaging 261.2 yards rushing, the highest total produced by the Sooners under head coach Bob Stoops. The offensive line helped freshman Samaje Perine lead the Big 12 in rushing (131.8 ypg), and set the FBS single-game rushing record with 427 yards against Kansas (11/22/14).
In between his stints with the Sooners, Allgood was the offensive line coach during the 2013 season at NCAA Division III College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn., where it won the UMAC Championship. He also spent two years as a graduate assistant at Fort Hays State in Fort Hays, Kan., where he coached tight ends, full backs and was the assistant offensive line coach in 2011-12.
Brown comes to VSU from Faulkner University in Montgomery, Ala., where he completed his first season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Eagles.
Prior to Faulkner Brown began his coaching career in 2014 as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Mount Juliet High School in Tennessee. He returned to his alma mater in 2016 at Troy University, where he spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons working with the quarterbacks for the Trojans.
Brown was a two-year letterman at the University of Richmond and a two-year letterwinner at Troy where, in his senior season, he threw for 4,254 yards, broke the Troy and Sun Belt Conference single season passing yardage records, finished second nationally in passing yards and was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year.
He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Brown spent two seasons with the Bills and one season each with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 2010, and a master's degree in sport and fitness management in 2017, both from Troy University. Brown is engaged to Maria Martin and they plan on getting married in April of 2020.
Johnson comes to Titletown from Huntingdon College, also in Montgomery, Ala., where he has served as defensive backs coach since the 2016 season. During his time at Huntingdon, Johnson coached three all-conference defensive backs in 2016 and 2017, along with one all-league honoree in 2018. In 2017, Johnson helped coach Huntingdon to its third-straight USA South Conference title and advanced to the NCAA playoffs for the third-straight year.
He graduated with a bachelor's degree in communication from NCAA Division I FCS Bryant in 2014, he then began his coaching career at NCAA Division II Malone University in February 2015. He produced one all-conference defensive back while he was at Malone.
Johnson was a four-year starter in the Bryant secondary at cornerback. During his senior year, he helped lead the Bulldogs to their most successful season in program history as they reached their highest national ranking in Week 11 at No. 21 in both the Coaches and Sports Network polls. Bryant finished the season 8-3 for the best record since the program moved to FCS.
Goff and the Blazers open the 2019 spring season Thursday, Mar. 28, at 4 p.m. at The VSU Field House. The 2019 Spring Game is set for 11 a.m. on Apr. 27 at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. All spring practices are free and open to the public. Practice times and dates are subject to change without notice.
