Norfolk State University Men's Football

Vanessa Hale joined the Norfolk State staff during the 2024-25 academic year as the head athletic trainer, primarily working with the Norfolk State football program.  Originally from Los Angeles California, Hale transferred to Howard University in August 2014, after two years at the University of Oregon. During her three and a half years at Howard, she worked with football, track & field, and men's & women's tennis on occasion, as a student athletic trainer. She graduated from Howard with a B.S. in Human Performance December 2017. After graduating, Hale began her Master’s program at the University of Houston in June 2018. During her time in the program, she worked with UH football and men’s basketball. In addition, she expanded her experience to volleyball, baseball, and men's & women's soccer through a year-round clinical rotation at the University of St. Thomas (Houston).  Rice football and surgical observation were notable experiences through other clinical rotations.    After graduating with a Master’s in Athletic Training in May 2020, Hale faced some of the challenges COVID-19 presented among athletics. Her first position as a certified athletic trainer was with Clark Atlanta University as the Associate Athletic Trainer in August 2021. Her tenure at CAU included working primarily with football, men's and women's basketball, and softball. Between her second and third year she restarted the student aide program. After three years and a '23-'24 MBB conference championship, she left as the Associate Head Athletic Trainer to continue her journey as the Head Football Athletic Trainer here at NSU in July 2024.    Hale holds Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES), and Functional Dry Needling Level 1 (FDN1) certifications, along with her national certification and state licensure. She looks to further her knowledge though obtaining certifications in manual therapy and performance enhancement.

ScottNSU Latrell Scott was named the 17th head football coach in Norfolk State history on Dec. 16, 2014.  In his first year as NSU head coach, Scotts Spartans went 4-7 against a schedule including three Division I FBS teams. Linebacker Deon King became the first consensus first-team FCS All-American in school history and won the Buck Buchanan Award as the nations top defender at the FCS level. More important than wins and losses, Scott went about changing the culture of Spartan football in 2015, stressing accountability and discipline from his players on and off the field. Scott came to NSU following an outstanding two-year run as head coach at Virginia State University. Scott directed the Trojans to a 19-4 record and two Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Northern Division regular-season titles in his two seasons in Petersburg. The Trojans never lost to a CIAA team under Scotts direction, going a combined 15-0. Highlighting Scotts two-year stint at VSU was an historic 2014 campaign. The Trojans went 10-3 overall and won their first outright CIAA championship since 1996 by defeating Winston-Salem State in the conference championship game. VSU recorded its first-ever NCAA football playoff appearance and victory by defeating Long Island University Post in the first round of the Division II Championship in Petersburg. The Trojans, seeded third in the six-team NCAA Division II Super Region One, fell to No. 2 seed Bloomsburg in the second round, snapping a 10-game winning streak. For his efforts, Scott was named the 2014 CIAA Coach of the Year.  In 2013, Scott was voted the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) College Division State Co-Coach of the Year and the Touchdown Club of Richmonds state Division II/III Coach of the Year after guiding VSU to a 9-1 overall record and unblemished 7-0 mark in CIAA competition. The VSU football program also attained a top-25 ranking in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) weekly poll in 2013, another program first. NSU is the third head coaching position in Scotts career. In addition to leading VSU for two years, Scott was head coach at the University of Richmond in 2010. At 34 years of age, Scott was the youngest head coach at the Division I level at the time of his appointment. He led the Spiders to a 6-5 mark that season. His overall record as a head coach is 29-16. Scott has 16 years of coaching experience. In addition to his previous stints as a head coach, Scott has also served as an assistant coach at James Madison University (2012), the University of Virginia (2009), the University of Tennessee (2008), Richmond (2005-07), VMI (2002-04), Western Carolina (2001) and Fork Union Military Academy (1999-2000).  At Virginia in 2009, Scott coached the wide receivers. One of his pupils, Kris Burd, signed as a free agent with the New York Jets. The year before, Scott was receivers coach at Tennessee, where he mentored another future NFL player in Denarius Moore, who was a fifth-round draft choice of the Oakland Raiders. His stints at FBS U.Va. and Tennessee came on the heels of a stellar three-year run as an assistant at Richmond from 2005-07. Scott held the title of receivers coach and recruiting coordinator all three years and was also assistant head coach for the 2007 campaign. Richmond went 26-12, made two NCAA Division I FCS playoff appearances and beat an FBS team (Duke) in Scotts three years as an assistant. The Spiders broke several school records in 2007, which ended with what was then a school record of 11 wins and a berth in the FCS national semifinals.  Of the 10 UR records eclipsed in 2007, Scott's wide receivers helped the Spiders set new standards for scoring average (34.9), touchdowns (63) and total offense (5,675). Scott helped develop two more pro receivers at UR in Kevin Grayson and Arman Shields. Grayson was a three-time All-CAA performer who played professionally in Europe, while Shields earned an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine and was picked by Oakland in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Scott arrived in Richmond after spending three seasons as wide receivers coach at VMI. During his tenure in Lexington, the Keydets led the Big South Conference in passing in 2003. His star pupil, Zohn Burden, went on to become the leading receiver in the history of the Big South. Scotts first coaching assignment was at Fork Union Military Academy, where he spent two seasons before being named receivers coach at Western Carolina in 2001. A three-year starter at tight end during his playing days at Hampton University, Scott played on one CIAA championship team and two MEAC championship and NCAA FCS playoff teams for the Pirates. He also competed in the Gridiron All-Star Classic in Orlando, Fla., following his senior season.  A native of Richmond, Scott graduated from Hampton with a bachelors degree in sports management in 1999. He attended Lee-Davis High School in Mechanicsville and Fork Union during his prep years. Scott, 40, is married to the former Brandi Bradby of New Kent, Va. The couple has one son, Chase Latrell (2).

DeCedrick “Ced” Quinn Sr. joins Norfolk State University as the Director of Strength & Conditioning, boasting a distinguished career in the industry with a proven history of maximizing student-athletes performance both on and off the field. Quinn comes to Norfolk State with profound experience amongst several strong HBCU football programs, leading two different schools to Celebration Bowl victories within a three-year span and contributing to over 20 HBCU athletes reach the NFL. Quinn served as the director of athletic performance for the Tulsa football program in 2024, overseeing the football programs return to play and advanced training groups. Quinn served as the assistant director of strength and conditioning at Florida A&M for the 2023-24 academic year, playing a crucial role on a staff that contributed to a historic football campaign that season. The Rattlers concluded the season with a 12-1 overall record, going undefeated in the SWAC to capture the conference title before defeating Howard 30-26 in the 2023 Celebration Bowl. Quinn led the strength and conditioning programs for several FAMU teams, including the men’s and women’s track & field programs. With the help of his strategic planning in the weight room, Florida A&M secured the 2024 SWAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championship.  Quinn made his mark on the Alabama State strength & conditioning program, working his way up the leadership ladder. Starting as an intern in 2015, he became the assistant strength & conditioning coach in 2018, before receiving a promotion to associate director of strength & condition in 2019. Quinn departed the school in 2020, returning to Alabama State in 2022 as the assistant athletic director for performance enhancement.  Quinn helped Alabama State obtain the 2022 baseball, softball, and men’s tennis SWAC championships, one of most successful years in the athletics department’s history. Across his entire tenure with Alabama State, the Hornets won 17 SWAC titles and several student-athletes received all-American accolades. In between stints at Alabama State, Quinn served as the director of strength & conditioning at South Carolina State, overseeing the training plans for all 14 of the school’s Division I sports.  During Quinn’s tenure at South Carolina State, the Bulldogs finished atop the 2021 MEAC football standings before capturing the program’s first-ever Celebration Bowl victory, defeating Jackson State University 31-10. Quinn completed strength & conditioning internships with Marshall and Mississippi State in 2018. He began his professional career in 2017 as the head strength and conditioning coach at Jefferson Davis High School in Montgomery, AL. Quinn started his collegiate football playing career as a linebacker at Itawamba Community College before transferring to Alabama State, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in recreational therapy in 2016 and a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling in 2020

Elton Brown joins the Norfolk State coaching staff ahead of the 2025 season as the Spartans’ offensive line coach, bringing a wealth of coaching and playing experience at a high level.   Brown comes to NSU from the Apprentice School, where he spent seven years including four seasons as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator. Under his leadership, the Builders’ enjoyed historic success on the offensive side of the ball.   Apprentice School’s offense consistently ranked in the top tier of its conference in most offensive categories during Brown’s time at the institution. During the 2022 season, the Builders’ averaged a school-record 37.8 points per game.   Apprentice School went 9-1 during that 2022 campaign, defeating Bridgewater 38-28 to win the Neptune Bowl.  Builder’s quarterback Mason Tatum set the school’s single-season passing record in the process, throwing for 2,114 yards and 18 touchdowns to earn Peninsula Sports Club Athlete of the Year honors.   Brown elevated the program’s retention rate from 26 percent to 87 percent in his first year, as the team achieved record-breaking academic benchmarks as well. The Builders logged year-long grade point averages (GPAs) of 3.66 (2019), 3.55 (2020), 3.67 (2021), 3.62 (2022), and 3.56 (2023).   Brown began his coaching career locally at the high school level, serving as the offensive line coach for Phoebus High School from 2013-14 and Assistant Head Coach at Warwick High School from 2015-16. While at Warwick, Brown navigated a winless team to four victories in his first season.   Drafted in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, Brown spent four years with the organization. Starting games both at right guard and right tackle, he played in Super Bowl XLIII against the Pittsburgh Steelers.   One of the greatest offensive linemen in the University of Virginia’s program history, Brown earned consensus All-America honors while landing on the All-ACC First Team. He received the Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 2003 and 2004 as the conference’s top blocker.   An active member in the community, Brown started the 1st & G.O.A.L. (Giving Opportunities at Life) Foundation in 2005 to bring awareness to the importance of education, mentorship, community outreach, and fitness. The organization has organized Thanksgiving and Christmas Day feedings, toy and coat drives, back to school events, speaking engagements, and more.   Brown also co-founded Shutdown 757, a youth organization aimed at empowering youth to reach their full potential through the core values of integrity, honor, and respect.   Brown earned his bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Virginia and received his master’s degree in business administration and a second master’s degree in criminal justice from Saint Leo University.  

DeMarcus McMillan joins the Norfolk State coaching staff ahead of the 2025 season as the Spartans’ director of football operations.   McMillan comes to Norfolk State with over a decade of experience in youth football, developing and mentoring up-and-coming athletes.   Previously serving as the Director of V7 Sports Operations for over five years, McMillan has organized and operated youth performance football camps across the United States. He also gained experience through a Director of Football Operations internship at Virginia Tech in 2024.   McMillan spent two years as an assistant coach at the Fort Bragg army base, as well as the Fayetteville At-Risk Youth Program. A native of Newport News, McMillan served in the United States military for over 22 years, holding the following leadership positions: squad Leader, section sergeant, platoon sergeant, operations sergeant, observer controller/trainer, petroleum systems technician, detachment OIC, and support operations senior petroleum systems technician.  McMillan served during four deployments, which included two tours to Iraq between 2005 and 2009. He has accrued a long list of distinguished awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and the NATO medal.   McMillan received his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Columbia Southern University in 2024.

Brian Sheppard joins the Norfolk State football coaching staff ahead of the 2024-25 season as the team’s offensive coordinator, bringing experience from several high-level winning programs.   Sheppard comes to Norfolk State from Towson, where he served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for two seasons. He helped Towson earn its fifth .500-or-better CAA year in the last five seasons, producing 7-5 overall record with a 5-3 mark in conference play.   Towson tight end Carter Runyon earned All-CAA First Team honors in 2024, while offensive lineman Ralph Paige Jr. was named to the All-CAA Second Team. Running back Devin Matthews picked up a third team accolade.   Sheppard led the Tigers to a strong 2023 campaign, his first year with the program, highlighted by breakthrough individual performances. Nathan Kent, in his first year starting at quarterback, had the team's first five-plus touchdown passing performance since 2019 in a 54-51 overtime victory at #14/17 New Hampshire to earn CAA Offensive Player of the Week.  Runyon became the first-ever Towson Division I tight end to earn All-America status, receiving Second Team honors by the Associated Press and STATS Perform, while right tackle KJ Brooks was an FCS Freshman All-American by FCS Football Central and STATS Perform. Sheppard served in the same role at Stetson University in 2022.  Stetson had the top passing offense in the Pioneer League (PFL) with 295.9 yards in the air per game, including the PFL Freshman Offensive Player of the Year, who was also second in the conference with 245.6 total yards per offense a game. Sheppard spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons as a quality control coach and assistant quarterback's coach at the University of Minnesota.  The Golden Gophers went 9-4 in 2021 with a victory in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Sheppard was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Virginia Military Institute from 2018-19.  Four players earned all-league recognition, including his quarterback, who had over 3,000 yards passing each season.  In 2018, VMI was eighth in FCS in passing offense, also being top-20 the following year. Sheppard also produced all-conference quarterbacks in the previous three stops: Case Cookus at Northern Arizona (2017), Mike Perish at Indiana State and Josh Dean at Willamette (2012).  Sheppard was at Indiana State from 2013-16 as an assistant head coach.  He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at all three places.  He helped Indiana State and Northern Arizona to playoff berths, including his 2014 team being ranked in the top-20 with a seven-game turnaround from the previous year. At Willamette in 2012, the Bearcats finished first in the Northwest Conference in total offense and passing offense en route to an 8-2 season.  He spent the 2011 season at the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at West Virginia Wesleyan in 2011. Sheppard was the tight ends coach at UCLA in 2010.  He coached Joe Fauria, who went on to play for the Detroit Lions in the National Football League. Sheppard was at New Mexico State from 2007-09 as the tight ends and inside wide receivers coach, starting his coaching career at Tulsa as a quality control coach and assistant quarterback's coach in 2006. He is a former quarterback at Saddleback J.C., Southeastern Louisiana and Baker, being a team captain at the latter two places.  He graduated from Baker with a degree in business in 2006.  

Steve Adams enters his fourth season as defensive coordinator at Norfolk State in 2024. He also coaches linebackers and holds the title of assistant head coach.   NSU forced takeaways in bunches during the 2023 campaign, leading the MEAC with 13 fumble recoveries. Junior cornerback Terron Mallory put together a historic performance against Delaware State, becoming the first Norfolk State player in the program’s Division I era to intercept three passes in a single game.   Mallory was named to the College Football Network HBCU All-America Second Team at the end of the season, while first-year linebacker AJ Richardson earned a spot on the FCS Football Central Freshman All-America Team. Five members of the Spartan defense earned All-MEAC accolades as well.   Six of Norfolk State’s nine All-MEAC selections in 2022 came on the defensive side of the ball, led by linebacker Tyler Long’s All-MEAC First Team nod. Leading the conference with 106 (ranking 13th in all of FCS), Long tallied five sacks and seven tackles for loss.   In Adams’ first year with NSU, the Spartans notched their first winning record (6-5) since 2007. The Spartan defense played a key role in the success, leading the MEAC in sacks and interceptions while ranking third in total defense and rushing defense. Both of Adams’ primary starting linebackers, Long and Marquis Hall, earned second-team All-MEAC accolades last year. Long ranked fourth in the MEAC in tackles, with 78. Adams joined the Spartans’ staff after two years serving as defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach at Glenville State College in Glenville, W.Va. In his first year at GSC, Adams helped the Pioneers go 7-4 overall and 6-4 in the Mountain East Conference. The Pioneers also picked up wins over Frostburg State and Notre Dame College, which was ranked No. 5 in Division II at the time. The Pioneer defense finished the 2019 season ranked fifth nationally in defensive touchdowns (six), sixth in interceptions (21) and 11th in turnovers gained (29).  Adams helped mentor linebacker Dominic Cizauskas, who was selected as the 2019 MEC Defensive Player of the Year.    Adams came to GSC after spending four seasons with NSU head coach Dawson Odums at Southern University. During his four years at Southern, he held the titles of special teams coordinator, recruiting coordinator and safeties coach (2015), cornerbacks coach (2016-17) and linebackers coach (2018). In 2016, the Jaguars finished first in the NCAA Division I FCS in turnovers gained, with 32, and fifth in interceptions, with 19. Cornerback Danny Johnson led the nation in interceptions in 2016, earning All-American honors. He currently plays for the Washington Football Team. In 2017, Southern ranked 19th in the country in defensive touchdowns (three) and 25th in passing yards allowed per game (184.7).  Adams also assisted Southern’s special teams in becoming some of the most productive units in the country. The Jaguars ranked in the top five nationally in punt return yardage three straight years (2016-18), including the No. 1 spot in 2017 and No. 4 ranking in 2018 when Southern won the SWAC West title. Former Jaguar Willie Quinn was a two-time All-American return specialist, earning first-team honors in 2015 when he led the nation with four kickoff return touchdowns and second-team honors in 2016. Quinn graduated with 10 all-time kick or punt return touchdowns, second-most in NCAA history. Prior to arriving at Southern, Adams spent two seasons at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana. He served as the Colonels' safeties coach and defensive coordinator in 2014 and was special teams coordinator in 2013. A two-year stint at Concord University preceded Adams’ time at Nicholls. While at Concord, he served as the Mountain Lions' defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator as well as the special teams coordinator in 2011 and co-special teams coordinator in 2012. In his last season, the Mountain Lions ranked in the nation's top 10 in scoring defense (ninth, 17.2 ppg) and pass defense (seventh, 163.3 ypg), while finishing 13th in the NCAA Division II in total defense (293.9). All four of his starting defensive backs earned all-conference honors. In 2011, he also helped lead Concord to a conference championship. The defense finished with high marks that season, ranking fifth nationally in turnover margin (+1.4) and sixth in interceptions (22). Three defensive backs earned All-WVIAC honors, with two players also earning all-region accolades. Before joining Concord, Adams had stints with Purdue University (quality control), University of Louisville (director of football operations/quality control), and Western Kentucky University (assistant defensive backs coach).  Adams was a three-year letterwinner who played strong safety at Western Kentucky. Along with being part of the Hilltoppers team that reached the NCAA Division I-AA national quarterfinals in 1997, Adams earned a spot on WKU's Dean's List and was on the Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll from 1998-00. He earned his bachelor’s degree in graphic design from WKU in 2000. Adams and his wife, Sonnee, have one son, Stetson.  

Tim Smith enters his first season as the wide receivers coach at Norfolk State in 2024.   Smith spent the 2023 season as the wide receivers coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Under his direction and mentorship, Tiger-Cats receiver Tim White led the league in receiving yards (1,269) while producing 21 touchdowns to earn a spot on the East Division All-Star Team.   Smith spent one year as the wide receivers coach at Valparaiso in 2022, also overseeing the punt return special teams unit. The Beacons won three league road games that year for the first time 1962, led by a potent passing attack. Valpo accumulated 463 yards of offense against Presbyterian, the program’s highest single-game total in over four years. Smith was part of the program’s first-ever win at Maris, as well as the team’s first win at Morehead State since 2006.   Wide receiver Solomon Davis was selected to the All-PFL First Team under Smith’s guidance, entering the season with one total catch in his three-year career prior. Wideouts Matt Ross and Braden Contreras earned All-PFL Honorable Mention accolades as well.   Smith served as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Lincoln University (Pa.) from 2018-21. Smith’s offense finished fourth in the CIAA in yards in 2019, as freshman wide receiver Dahmear Triplet landed on the All-CIAA Second Team and All-CIAA Rookie Team.   Smith began his coaching career as the wide receivers coach at his alma mater Oscar Smith High School in 2015, before becoming the team’s offensive coordinator. During his time there from 2015-17, Oscar Smith reached the state championship game in all three years and produced multiple all-state, all-region, all-tidewater and all-district players.    A four-year letterwinner at Virginia as a player, Smith finished his career ninth in the program’s all-time history with 1,591 receiving yards. His playing career reached the professional ranks, competing at multiple NFL training camps (Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns) before playing in the CFL for the Edmonton Eskimos and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.   Smith graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology. He and his wife, Kiera, have one daughter, Kassidy.