On January 5, 2022 the Averett University football team announced the hiring of Matt Ford to be the new Offensive Coordinator for the team. Coach Ford played football at the University of Lehigh where he was a two year starter and captain playing offensive line. Ford started his coaching career at Franklin & Marshall College where he coached tight ends. Ford then went on to coach at Valparaiso University, Lehigh University, and then spent the last three years coaching at Bucknell University.

Coming from a division one coaching background, some people might wonder why come coach at a division three program.

“I feel like I have more to give to a program than what I was doing at Bucknell,” Matt Ford, Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line coach, said. “The opportunity to coach the offensive line and the opportunity to call a game are two things that will help me prepare for my real goals in this profession,” Ford said. This led coach Ford into making his decision to move to Averett.

Coach Ford is brand new to Averett but he already knows what he wants to bring from his experience at the division one level.

“ Most obvious is toughness on the offensive line,” Ford said. One of the struggles for the Cougars last season was the running game. We want to be able to line up and just run it and that is something that especially last year didn’t happen.” Ford said.

With a big jump from division one to division three coach Ford is already experiencing some of the differences from the two levels.

“One of the biggest challenges is the amount of people you have on hand,” Ford said. The amount of people on the coaching staff between division one and division three is hard to adapt to. “The challenge of time management not having the staff that you are used to having at a division one school and being able to find the time to get the things you need to get done,” Ford said.

Head Coach Patrick Henry is starting to notice a difference in his team with the new addition of Coach Ford.

“ The team is excited because it is something new and everyone’s goal is the same, we want to win,” Patrick Henry, Head coach for the Averett University football team, said.
The Offensive line also finds the addition of a division one coach to the team very beneficial coming into next year.

“I would say it is very beneficial, I think it gives us the ability to develop our football knowledge as well as our skill,” Matthew Isom, offensive lineman for the Averett University football team, said. “ I think it also raises the expectations in our room and the whole offense,” Isom said.

The Cougars football team is a couple weeks away from starting spring practice. The Cougars are set for their 2022 season projected home opener against The Apprentice School on September 3rd.