Dec. 7, 2011
NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion head coach Bobby Wilder has announced several coaching changes to his staff on Wednesday.
Assistant coach Keita Malloy will take over as the assistant defensive coordinator, assistant coach Bill Dee will transition to acting defensive coordinator, and Zohn Burden will return to the ODU coaching staff overseeing the wide receivers. Andy Rondeau, the Monarchs' defensive coordinator, and Jarod Dodson, who oversaw the secondary the last two seasons and was the assistant defensive coordinator, will not return to the ODU staff.
"I have determined that we need to make immediate improvements to our defense as we prepare for the 2012 season," said Wilder of the changes. "By moving two of our best football coaches to defense and adjusting our scheme to better fit our personnel, I am confident we will improve dramatically over this past season's performance on defense."
"We had the third best run defense in the CAA in 2011 and the second worst pass defense," continued Wilder. "I feel we have the talent to improve our pass defense and I am determined we will."
Malloy, who was elevated to the Monarchs' Pass Game Coordinator post prior to the start of the 2011 season, just wrapped up his fourth season with the program tutoring the wide receivers and tight ends. In 2010, the Monarchs ranked eighth in the country in scoring offense generating 33.55 points per game and made a gigantic leap in passing offense from its first Division I season. After coming in 71st nationally on passing offense in its inaugural campaign in 2009, the 2010 squad ranked 15th among FCS programs with 258.73 yards per game. In 2011, wide receiver Nick Mayers was named First Team All-CAA and fellow receiver Reid Evans was a Third Team All-CAA selection, while as a whole, ODU was second in passing offense in the highly competitive CAA and 18th nationally at 270.9 yards per game.
"Coach Malloy developed our receiver group into the best overall receiving group in the country in FCS football over the past three years," noted Wilder. "I have no doubt in my mind he will do the same thing with our defensive backs."
Dee joined the Monarch coaching staff this summer overseeing the ODU offensive line. This past season, Dee's linemen helped Old Dominion lead the CAA in scoring offense and rank sixth in the nation at 36.69 points per contest. The offensive line also helped pave the way for the Monarchs to top the conference in total offense and rank 11th nationally among FCS programs at 439.1 yards per contest. A long time fixture in the Hampton Roads area having coached the Phoebus Phantoms in Hampton to four state championships over the course of 24 seasons, Dee arrived at Old Dominion from Christopher Newport where he coached the inside linebackers for two seasons. In 2010, the Captains won the USA South Conference title and competed in the NCAA Division III playoffs.
"Coach Dee is an outstanding football coach who is also an extremely competitive person," commented Wilder. "I am confident our defense will reflect his competitive nature in 2012".
Burden returns to the Old Dominion staff after spending the 2011 season coaching the wide receivers at the University of Richmond, which included All-CAA First Teamer Tre Gray. Prior to his stint with the Spiders staff, he spent four years with the Monarchs coaching the defensive backs. A native of nearby Virginia Beach, Burden also spent a season as an assistant at Fork Union Military Academy where he worked with the wide receivers and defensive backs, while also serving as the passing game coordinator and recruiting liaison. A graduate of Virginia Military Institute (VMI), he played wide receiver for the Keydets and his name is still listed among the Big South's all-time leaders in receptions and receiving yards. The three-time all-conference honoree also held the school record with a reception in 34 consecutive games.
"Coach Burden was on our original staff and helped build our program from the ground up," noted Wilder. "He is an outstanding coach, an excellent recruiter, and a very competitive person. I know he will continue to build on the tradition of good receivers that Coach Malloy has started."
"I feel confident that we have a talented group of assistant coaches who will do whatever it takes to get the job done on defense in 2012," said Wilder of his staff changes. "Our defensive performance needs to match that of our special teams and our offense."
Since restarting its football team in 2009, Old Dominion has become the winningest start-up program in FCS history with a three-year total of 27 wins and only eight losses. In 2011, the Monarchs garnered their first national ranking, including cracking the top ten after concluding the regular season at 9-2 overall and 6-2 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association, a league which sent five teams to the post-season.
The Monarchs graduate only eight seniors from the roster - defensive linemen Ronnie Cameron, Chad King, and Edmon McClam, linebacker J.J. Williams, quarterback Thomas DeMarco, offensive linemen Ryan Jensen and Jeremy Hensley, and wide receiver Prentice Gill, and return 84 from the 2011 roster.