Western Carolina University Men's Football

An accomplished player who worked his way from walk-on to All-American to the National Football League, and a 12-year veteran head coach who won a combined four conference championships and the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship, Kerwin Bell was named the 14th head football coach at Western Carolina University by Director of Athletics Alex Gary on April 27, 2021. Bell enters 2024 with 110 career victories between his three coaching stops, eclipsing the 100-win benchmark in the 2022 season with a home win over VMI in Cullowhee.  Western Carolina rebounded from a six-game slide to start Bell's first season in Cullowhee in 2021 by winning four of its final five games to finish the Southern Conference slate at 4-4. After being picked ninth in the preseason, the Catamounts finished tied for fourth in the league SoCon standings, defeating both teams amongst the tie including a 43-42 win over Furman in Cullowhee and a 52-24 win over defending conference champion VMI to end the regular-season. In his encore season in 2022, Bell guided WCU to its best regular-season finish since 2017, finishing 6-5 overall after closing the year with three consecutive victories – scoring home wins over Wofford and nationally-ranked Chattanooga and a road victory at ETSU to reclaim the traveling rivalry trophy. The win over UTC also halted an eight-game slide against nationally-ranked NCAA FCS teams. The Catamounts closed 2022 with a 4-4 mark in the SoCon for the second-straight season marking the first consecutive .500-or-better league finishes since the 2014 and 2015 campaigns.  Over the past three seasons – 2021, 2022, 2023 – Western Carolina has eclipsed the program record for most total offense, establishing a benchmark with 5,545 total yards to edge the 2022 (5,339) and 1983 teams (5,333). WCU’s offensive has surpassed the 3,000 passing yard mark for just the fourth time in program history in 2023, throwing for 3,533 yards, second-most in a season ... WCU passed for a school-record 33 TDs in 2023. The Catamounts led the NCAA FCS in total offense, the only program to average over 500 yards per game at the season's end. Bell came to Cullowhee having served as the offensive coordinator at the University of South Florida under head coach Charlie Strong in 2019. He most recently walked off the field as a head coach following the 2018 NCAA Division II national championship, leading the Valdosta State Blazers where he coached for three seasons, twice making playoff appearances. Over a 12-year head coaching career, Bell led the football programs at Valdosta State (2016-18) and Jacksonville University (2007-15). He did this coming on the heels of a 13-year playing career in professional football that included several stops in the NFL and the Canadian Football League. Bell served three seasons as the head coach at Valdosta State where he also guided the offense. He led the Blazers to a 27-7 record during his tenure including a school-record 15 straight victories, two Division II playoff appearances, and won both a conference and a national championship in 2018. He was named the 2018 Don Hansen NCAA Division II Co-Coach of the Year and the Gulf South Conference Co-Coach of the Year after leading VSU to a 14-0 record – the first unbeaten season in program history that included a thrilling 49-47 victory over Ferris State in the D-II National Championship game. Picked fifth in their conference in the preseason and the No. 3 seed entering the playoffs, the Blazers finished No. 1 nationally in the final AFCA D–II poll. Bell’s 2018 offense led the nation in scoring (52.0 ppg), ranked second in first downs (341), and was fourth in total offense (523.9 ypg), red-zone offense (.901), and pass efficiency (167.37). The Blazers scored 728 points on the year, the most in NCAA Division II history, as they posted 7,334 yards (3,676 rushing/3,658 passing) and 7.9 yards per play on the year. Within Bell’s system, VSU sophomore quarterback Rogan Wells finished as the runner-up for the Harlon Hill Trophy, presented to the Division II Player of the Year, and was named both the Region Two and Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Wells accounted for 50 touchdowns on the year (including one receiving), led the nation in points responsible for (300), was second in passing touchdowns (38) and points responsible for per game (21.4 ppg), 10th in passing yards (3,075), 12th in passing efficiency (160.6) and 25th in total offense (271.9 ypg). He finished second on the team with 732 yards rushing and led the team with 11 rushing touchdowns.  Additionally, senior offensive linemen Jeremy King was the runner-up for the Gene Upshaw Award presented to the most outstanding Division II lineman.  Bell led VSU to runner-up conference finishes in his first two years guiding the program and went 8-3 with a playoff appearance in his first season at the helm in 2016 as the Blazers led the nation with 27 interceptions on defense.  Prior to Valdosta, Bell led Jacksonville University for nine seasons, guiding the NCAA FCS program to a 66-35 record and three Pioneer Football League (PFL) championships. Serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach as well as head coach, Bell was named the 2008 PFL Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award after leading the Dolphins to a 9-4 seasonal record and conference title. He also led Jacksonville to a school-best 10-1 record and conference championship in 2010 as the Dolphins led the nation in total (486 ypg) and scoring (42.2 ppg) offense. JU also posted a 9-2 overall mark and won a conference title in 2014.  Before taking over the Jacksonville program, Bell led Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, Fla., for six seasons (2001-06), earning a Florida 2B state title in 2005 and runner-up finish in 2006. His coaching career began in earnest at the end of his professional playing career as he served as the offensive coordinator for two seasons while still a player for the Toronto Argonauts (2000-01).  Originally from Mayo, Fla., Bell was a quarterback at the University of Florida from 1983-87 where he completed over 57 percent of his 953 pass attempts for 7,585 yards and 56 touchdowns. A former walk-on, Bell concluded his collegiate career as the SEC Player of the Year in 1984 after leading Florida to a 9-1-1 record and a conference championship, and both a first-team All-SEC selection and All-America honorable mention in 1985, a season that saw the Gators earn the programs first-ever No. 1 national ranking in the Associated Press poll. Garnering a second honorable mention All-America honor in 1986, Bell was a 1987 team captain and earned the program’s Fergie Ferguson Award.  Bell was ranked the No. 26 Greatest Gator of all-time from the first 100 years of football at Florida in 2006 by The Gainesville Sun. Bell later served as a graduate assistant for the 1990 season under Steve Spurrier at Florida after earning a degree in psychology in 1987.   He was selected in the seventh round of the 1988 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, beginning his 13-year professional career that saw stops with the NFL teams in Miami, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and Indianapolis as well as stops in the Canadian Football League, where he passed for 19,538 yards and 101 touchdowns in nine seasons, and the World League of American Football (WLAF).  Married in 1986 while both students at Florida, Bell and his wife, Cosette, have three children: sons Kade and Kolton, and a daughter, Kenzley.   WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT KERWIN BELL:   “Western Carolina is getting a good one in Kerwin Bell. If you look at his track record, he wins. He won the national championship at Valdosta State and will bring championships to Western Carolina.” - Steve Spurrier, former Univ. of Florida and Univ. of South Carolina head coach   “Kerwin is a winner! The majority of my development as a coach came during my time working for Kerwin Bell. He is a man of high character, high integrity, and high intelligence. His development of players and coaches is second to none. Having coached both defense and offense for him, I was able to witness his brilliant football mind. The Western Carolina University fan base should be ecstatic about their new head ball coach.” - James Rowe, Defensive Backs Coach for the Indianapolis Colts   “I’m excited for Kerwin and for the Catamount fans. Kerwin will bring an exciting brand of football to Western Carolina and I fully expect that he will revitalize Catamount football. The folks of Cullowhee will enjoy getting to know him. Kerwin joins women’s basketball head coach Kiley Hill as former Blazer head coaches that are now at WCU.” - Herb Reinhard, Director of Athletics at Valdosta State University    “I’m so excited for Kerwin and his family. The Catamounts are getting one of the best leaders and coaches I’ve ever been around in my career. Buckle your seatbelts, WCU fans. Points and wins are about to come your way.” - Alan Verlander, former Director of Athletics at Jacksonville University        

Western Carolina special teams coordinator during the 2021 season, Kerry Webb reunited with Catamount head coach Kerwin Bell ahead of the 2025 season, returning to WCU's program after spending two seasons at Samford and one in Blacksburg, Va., at Virginia Tech.  Ahead of spring practice in 2026, Webb was elevated to the title of Associate Head Coach by Bell.   In his first season at Samford in 2023, the Webb-led Bulldog special teams ranked second in the Southern Conference in return yards. Last fall, the Bulldogs led the SoCon in kickoff return average at 25.2 yards per game with one return for a touchdown. Samford was also third in the league in punt returns, while ranking second in punts downed inside the opposition's 20-yard line, with 24 coming on the team's 70 punts.  Samford's DJ Rias finished 2024 ranked second in the SoCon with an average of 26.6 yards per return, including a 100-yard return for a touchdown late in the second quarter against Chattanooga. Jaylon Barden ranked fourth in the SoCon with 16 punt returns in 2024   Webb spent the 2022 season as a special-teams analyst at Virginia Tech under head coach Brent Pry, who was also a former Catamount assistant coach for four seasons from 1998 through 2021. While in Blacksburg, the Hokies ranked fourth nationally in punt return defense. The Virginia Tech special teams unit held opponents to 32 return yards on 74 punts and set a single-game program record with 188 punt return yards against Georgia Tech.      In his lone season previously on the sidelines in Cullowhee in 2021, Webb was the special-teams coordinator and nickelbacks coach. Under his guidance, WCU ranked in the top 30 nationally in punt and kickoff return average, while placekicker Richard McCollum, who finished second in program history in scoring, led the country in field goal percentage.  Webb first came to Cullowhee after a couple of coaching stints at Valdosta State, starting as a graduate assistant in the mid-2000s before returning as the special teams coordinator and running backs coach from 2017-20. He was the program's recruiting coordinator from 2019-2021 and was named interim head coach in January 2019 during VSU's coaching search.  Webb was on staff with Bell for Valdosta State's 2018 undefeated season, winning the NCAA Division II National Championship. In 2019, VSU also won the Gulf South Conference title as it went 10-0 overall through the regular season and 8-0 in conference play. VSU finished the season 10-1 as it earned a berth in the NCAA Second Round.    Under Webb's guidance, 2018 VSU freshmen running back Jamar Thompkins (first-team) and Seth McGill (second-team) both garnered All-Gulf South Conference honors. In addition, kicker Andrew Gray became the VSU Blazer all-time leading scorer while also being voted second-team All-Gulf South Conference. In 2019, Thompkins and McGill earned first-team all-conference honors, while kicker Fernando Ramirez earned second-team all-league accolades.    Before returning to Valdosta in 2017, Webb took a position at Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tenn., where he spent one year as the associate head coach and special teams coordinator while also coaching the wide receivers. Webb's direction helped produce first-team All-South Atlantic Conference honors for return specialist Jay Boyd in 2016.    On the back end of his time with the Blazers as a graduate assistant in the mid-2000s, Webb transitioned into his fi rst full-time coaching position as a running backs coach and special teams coordinator at Jacksonville University.  Notable accomplishments throughout Webb's career include the guidance of the Jacksonville running backs in 2010, which led the Dolphin offense to a No. 1 ranking in the country. The squad nearly repeated the feat in 2013 with a No. 5 ranking, and the Dolphins ranked 3rd nationally in overall scoring during that same season. Webb also coached Jacksonville University's career all-time leading rusher Rudell Small and second all-time leading rusher Ulysses Bryant. He additionally coached the school's career all-time leader in kickoff return yards and average per return, Colby Walden.    A 2004 graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor of arts degree in sociology, Webb earned his Master's degree in Education Health and Physical Education from Valdosta State in 2006.  

Malik Goodman, who played collegiately at Tusculum University and earned his coaching start at his alma mater, joined the Catamount football defensive coaching staff in January 2024. Goodman will coach the safeties in the Catamount defensive secondary.   Goodman joins former Tusculum head coach – and current WCU defensive coordinator – Jerry Odom on the Catamount defensive staff after serving as the defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator from 2021-23.   Goodman began his career as a defensive graduate assistant for the Pioneers in the COVID-abbreviated Spring 2021 season. Guided by a defense that limited opponents to just 17.6 points and 311.2 yards per game, Tusculum posted a 4-1 record and won the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) championship. The Pioneers allowed a league-low 84 rushing yards per game.   Between the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Tusculum’s defense recorded a combined 36 interceptions including a SAC-leading 19 in 2022 that ranked third in the NCAA Division II rankings. The Pioneers ranked second in the conference with 17 picks in 2023 – a mark that also ranked among the Top 15 nationally. The 2022 Tusculum defense limited opponents to just 159.6 passing yards per game, ranked 15th in the country.   During his three seasons at Tusculum, he mentored two-time All-South Atlantic Conference selection in nickelback Ryan Dolce, with safety Jermaine Witherspoon, and cornerbacks Andrae Robinson and Tykorian Brown also earning postseason plaudits.   Originally from Jacksonville, Fla., Goodman was a two-time All-South Atlantic Conference (SAC) standout where he played in 39 career games for the Pioneers. He recorded 193 career tackles including 14 for loss with three sacks. He accounted for 19 passes defended, finishing his career tied for the 10th in program history. He added five career takeaways with three interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries while also forcing two fumbles.   Goodman earned All-Super Region 2 honors in 2018 as he tallied 48 tackles including five for loss with a sack, an interception, a fumble recovery, and two pass breakups. He was awarded SAC Defensive Player of the Week after posting eight tackles and forced a critical fourth-quarter force with the recovery to preserve a 31-28 win over Mars Hill in October 2018.   As a senior, Goodman collected All-SAC plaudits for a second consecutive season as he recorded 47 stops with an interception and three passes defended.   Goodman graduated from Tusculum in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He also earned a Master of Arts in Organizational Training & Performance Management from Tusculum in 2021.   Malik is married to Yoland Goodman.  

Lane Stroup joined the Western Carolina football staff during the summer of 2023, taking the role as Video Operations Assistant.  Originally from Shelby, NC, Stroup is a 2023 graduate of Crest High School. At Western Carolina University, Lane is pursuing a degree in Sport Management and Marketing, and is expected to graduate in May of 2027.

Corey Headley joined the Western Carolina football staff during the winter of 2024, taking the role as Director of Player Personnel. He came to Cullowhee after spending the previous year on staff as the running backs coach at Tusculum University under former head coach and former WCU defensive coordinator, Jerry Odom. Headley helped the Pioneers to the 2023 SAC Mountain Division Championship while on staff in Greeneville, Tenn. In the spring of 2024, Headley assumed the quarterbacks coach position in addition to his player personnel responsibilities. During the spring of 2026, Headley took over as the wide receivers coach for the Catamount offense.   Before Tusculum, Headley served as the offensive coordinator at Kenyon College, an NCAA Division III program in Gambier, Ohio. On staff, he helped guide the Owls to the third-best season in program history, transforming the offense into a Top 25 unit with an average of 445 yards per game while also breaking multiple school records.   In his first full-time position, Headley spent two seasons on staff at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind., from 2015 through 2017 where he coached the wide receivers and served as the program’s recruiting coordinator in addition to handling football operations. Over his two seasons, he worked closely with one of the top offensive units in NCAA Division III football, helping lead the program to a 2016 conference championship and the school’s first trip to the NCAA playoffs.   In mid-July 2017, Headley took over as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Va., where he helped the passing game excel. Six of his wide receivers collected all-conference honors in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and he also mentored conference Newcomer of the Year Cole Blais.   Prior to Kenyon College, Headley served as the tight ends coach and director of football operations at Gardner-Webb University under former head coach Tre Lamb. He spent two years, from February 2020 until 2022, in Boiling Springs. Headley handled all football operations for the Runnin’ Bulldogs. Originally from Erwin, Tenn., Headley is a 2013 graduate of Carson-Newman College with a degree in education. After earning his professional start as a graduate assistant at his alma mater for a season, Headley spent the 2014 season working with the Unicoi County (Tenn.) High School football program.    

Jeremy King, who spent the 2023 season as an offensive line assistant at the University of Georgia, joined the Western Carolina football coaching staff as the offensive line coach in January 2024.   A four-year starter along the offensive line at Valdosta State from 2014-18, King played three seasons under WCU head coach Kerwin Bell and won an NCAA Division II National Championship in 2018. A three-time team captain, King was an all-conference and All-America selection in 2018, finishing as a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award given to the NCAA Division II lineman of the year.   After graduating, King played in the Indoor Football League with the Green Bay (Wis.) Blizzard before transitioning into coaching back as his alma mater.   King comes to Cullowhee after spending the past year as an offensive line graduate assistant at the University of Georgia. Before moving to Athens, he coached for two years at his alma mater, Valdosta State, earning his start as an offensive line graduate assistant. He earned a full-time coaching role with the Blazers in January 2022 as the running backs coach through February 2023.   Originally from Macon, Ga., King graduated from Valdosta State in December 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and earned a Master of Public Administration from VSU in May 2023.  

Rudi Small, the all-time leading rusher in Jacksonville University football history, has been tabbed to coach the Catamount running backs, joining the Western Carolina coaching staff in the spring of 2021. Over his first three years, Small mentored 2022 SoCon Freshman of the Year, Freshman All-America, and two-time All-Southern Conference selection in tailback Desmond Reid. Reid was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award.   Small earned his coaching start as a graduate assistant at his alma mater in 2014, parlaying that experience into an assistant coaching position at Valdosta State in 2016. Working alongside his former position coach at Jacksonville – current WCU assistant coach Kerry Webb – Small helped coach the Blazers’ running backs at Valdosta State and was on staff during the 2018 undefeated season and national championship run.   Small led the Dolphins in rushing from 2007-2010 with three-consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons in 2008 (1,364), 2009 (1,074), and 2010 (1,145) – six of the top 10 individual season records in program history. A Walter Payton Award candidate in 2010, Small finished his career with 4,073 career rushing yards and 43 rushing touchdowns. He continues to hold the Jacksonville record for all-purpose yards in a career with 5,765, career touchdowns with 49, and career points with 294 scored over his four-year career.   A former Trinity Catholic High product, Small matched a Jacksonville record with five rushing touchdowns against UNC Pembroke on Sept. 22, 2007, a 55-10 home victory for the Dolphins.   Small is a two-time graduate of Jacksonville University, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sports Management in 2012 and his Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree in Organizational Leadership Learning in 2016.   He and his wife, Evelyn, were married on August 3, 2014.  

A former Western Carolina quarterback, Parish Metzger returned to his alma mater during the summer of 2025 to assist with the quarterbacks and wide receivers. He spent the past season working alongside former WCU offensive coordiantor Kade Bell at the University of Pittsburgh. In the spring of 2026, Metzger took control of the Catamount QB room as an assistant coach leading the quarterbacks. A 2024 graduate of WCU, Metzger played in two games as a reserve for the Catamounts during 2022 before moving to the coaching side where he spent the next two seasons. He completed three of his seven career pass attempts for 36 yards and a touchdown. Making his collegiate debut against Presbyterian in '22, Metzger tossed his first career touchdown pass on an 18-yard strike to DeAndre Tamarez late in the third quarter. He was named to the 2022-23 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll as a redshirt freshman. Originally from Matthews, N.C., Metzger began his prep career at Providence High before finishing at Butler High where he threw for 2,534 yards over his final two seasons.

Nick Reveiz (pronounced ruh-VASE), a 13-year collegiate coaching veteran who spent three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Charleston Southern (2023-25), was named to the same position at Western Carolina by Catamount head football coach Kerwin Bell in mid-February 2026.   Reveiz came to Cullowhee after three seasons leading the defense at Charleston Southern, which plays in the Big South/Ohio Valley Football Association. In 2025, the Buccaneers ranked 34th in the NCAA FCS in limiting opponents to just 24 points per game, surrendering 17 points or fewer five times. His defense forced 24 fumbles and ranked eighth in the nation in fourth-down defense. CSU limited Sun Belt Conference foe Coastal Carolina to just 13 points, and upset eventual Celebration Bowl Champion South Carolina State on the way to the Bucs’ best seasonal record since 2019. Charleston Southern boasted the Big South/OVC Freshman of the Year on defense in DB Anthony Paulk, while also featuring two first-team and four second-team Big South/OVC all-conference honorees.   Under the leadership of Reveiz in 2024, Charleston Southern’s defense ranked 54th in the NCAA FCS in total defense, limiting foes to an average of 353.7 yards per game, including 152.8 yards per game against the run (64th) and 200.8 yards per game through the air (45th). The Bucs upset nationally-ranked Furman in the second week of the season.   During his first year at CSU, he mentored first-team all-conference linebacker Malik Barnes, while also overseeing a unit that scored three defensive touchdowns. The 2023 Bucs team led the Big South/OVC in passing defense (173.3 yds/gm) and recorded 25 sacks in league play. The team upset Kennesaw State, which was transitioning to NCAA FBS competition that year.   While at Charleston Southern, Reveiz worked with multiple positions, including the defensive line (2023-24) and defensive backs (2025). During his three seasons in the Lowcountry, CSU only surrendered an average of 26.6 points per outing on defense.   Reveiz has some experience within the Southern Conference, spending 2022 on the sidelines at VMI, where he helped implement their zone scheme. That season, the Keydets finished third overall in the league in redzone defense and were fifth against the pass. Reveiz mentored three-time All-SoCon and All-America selection, linebacker Stone Snyder, who finished third in the nation in tackles with 107 through 10 games in 2022. Reveiz spent five seasons at Albany State in Georgia, four as the co-defensive coordinator. In addition to coaching the linebackers, he also worked with two special teams. His defense finished 2021 ranked first in NCAA Division II in total defense, the only squad to hold opponents under 200 yards of total offense at 199.2 yards per game. Albany State also boasted the best scoring defense, allowing only 75 total points over 12 games for an average of 6.25 per game, as the Golden Rams advanced to the Division II playoffs.   While at Albany State, his defense finished among the national leaders at the NCAA Division II level in total defense, including No. 1 in 2021 (199.2 yds/gm), No. 2 in 2019 (257.9 yds/gm), and 17th in 2017. He also coached the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Player of the Year, Stephan Pierre, who was also selected as the HBCU Gameday National D-II Defensive Player of the Year.   Reveiz earned his coaching start at perennial NCAA D-II power Carson-Newman (2013-16) under head coach Ken Sparks, starting as a graduate assistant coach working with the linebackers. He then spent two years working on the offensive side of the ball, coaching the running backs, where he mentored two Harlon Hill Trophy finalists, Andy Hibbett and Damian Baker, before returning to defense in 2016 with the linebackers and All-SAC performer, Lane Bloom.   A former walk-on who earned a scholarship, Reveiz was a two-time team captain at the University of Tennessee. He collected 168 career tackles, including 81 solo stops and 10.5 for loss, for the Vols from 2007-10. Reveiz was one of 10 Vols to start every game in 2010, finishing with 108 tackles, including 51 solo stops and six TFLs. He posted a career-high 14 tackles in a game three times, including 14 in the Music City Bowl as a senior.   A finalist for the Burlsworth Award in 2010 – an award given to a former walk-on football player who shows outstanding performance on the field – Reveiz was also a three-time Academic All-SEC selection, graduating from Tennessee in May 2010 with a degree in enterprise management.   Reveiz was also a part of the preseason roster for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2011, playing at linebacker and fullback through training camp and in all four preseason games. He also earned the NFL’s Bill Walsh Minority Defensive Intern position with the Los Angeles Rams in the summer of 2018. Originally from Farragut, Tenn., Nick is married to the now Brittany Reveiz, and they have four children - Zeb, Zane, Zeal, and Zadie. Nick Reveiz – Coaching Experience: 2026-present: Western Carolina Defensive Coordinator 2023-2025: CSU Defensive Coordinator 2022: VMI Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers 2018-2021: Albany State Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers 2017: Albany State Assistant Coach - Linebackers 2016: Carson-Newman Assistant Coach - Linebackers 2013-2015: Carson-Newman Assistant Coach - Running Backs 2013: Carson-Newman Graduate Assistant - Linebackers  

Rylan Wells joined the Western Carolina football coaching staff in the spring of 2021, working with the Catamount tight ends and fullbacks. He was later named the program's recruiting coordinator. In January 2024, Wells was promoted to the position of Offensive Coordinator by WCU head coach Kerwin Bell. A former college quarterback under Bell, Wells has experience coaching across the field having worked with nearly every position group during his career. Wells came to Cullowhee initially after a year at Tusculum University. Over the past three seasons at WCU, Wells has been a part of the Catamount offensive coaching staff that has broken the school record for total offense twice with 5,339 yards in 2022 eclipsed by a record 5,545 yards last fall. WCU has scored an average of 33.9 points per game on an average of 486.8 yards of total offense since 2021. Wells has been an integral part of the staff as one of the coaches in the press box each week. His younger brother, Rogan, finished his collegiate career at WCU in 2021 with the sixth-most passing yards in a single season at 2,595 yards, capping a career that included stops at Valdosta State and Tusculum.   While coaching at Tusculum University with Kade, Wells mentored the Pioneers’ running backs. He was a part of claiming the 2021 spring South Atlantic Conference championship. He also served as the video coordinator while at Tusculum.   In the five-game 2021 spring schedule, Tusculum averaged 37.6 points per game and over 530 yards of offense per game including 139.2 yards per game on the ground. Under Wells’ tutelage, the junior running back tandem of TJ Jones and Maurice Gomillion accounted for 501 rushing yards and nine of the team’s 12 scores on the ground. The duo also recorded 26 receptions for 368 yards in five games, an average of 73.6 receiving yards per game, and amassed 173.8 yards of total offense per game.   Wells earned his coaching start on staff at his alma mater Jacksonville University for two seasons (2018-2019) where he was an offensive graduate assistant. With the Dolphins, he coached the offensive tackles in 2018 and the wide receivers in 2019. The 2018 Jacksonville offense ranked third in the nation in rushing, averaging 345.3 yards per game while boasting the nation’s fifth-ranked individual rusher in Calvin Turner, who ran for 1,431 yards in 10 games and posted the nation’s third-best average per game (143.1). Wells additionally served as the film coordinator for JU during the 2019 campaign.   Originally from Tega Cay, S.C., Wells was a member of the Jacksonville football team from 2013-2017 where he started at quarterback for 34 games. He finished his collegiate career ranked among the top five in Jacksonville history in rushing touchdowns (20), pass completions (257), passing attempts (444), completion percentage, and total offense (5,519 yds).   A 2017 team captain at Jacksonville, Wells started in all 11 games under center, passing for 1,480 yards and 11 touchdowns while also rushing for 472 yards and eight scores. A three-time Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Week honoree, he was recognized as an Honorable Mention for the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Week following a performance against Davidson College that included five combined touchdowns and a Dolphins win.   In 2016, he became the first Jacksonville player to lead the Dolphins in both rushing and passing yards in the same season, accumulating 1,744 passing yards and 614 yards on the ground in 10 games. He scored 11 touchdowns and fell one score shy of the program single-game record against Marist, rushing for four scores in one game.   Wells earned a bachelor's degree in business management from Jacksonville in 2018 and completed his master’s degree in sport management in 2020.

Kyle Dickey, the former offensive coordinator at Tusculum University, joined the Catamount football offensive coaching staff as the tight ends coach in January 2024. During the spring of 2026, Dickey was entrusted with the additional responsibilities as the pass game coordinator for the WCU offense.  On staff at his alma mater, Tusculum, since 2019, Dickey worked on the coaching staffs of former head coach – and now WCU’s defensive coordinator, Jerry Odom – and coached alongside former Catamount offensive coordinator Kade Bell who ACC-member Pittsburgh hired in December 2023.   Most recently, Dickey was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tusculum, also carrying the title of interim head coach upon Odom’s departure for Cullowhee. While Dickey was on staff in Greeneville, Tenn., the Pioneers won two South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Mountain Division titles and finished in the top four of the conference in each of his five seasons. Tusculum posted back-to-back winning seasons in 2022 and 2023 with the team’s 8-3 record in 2022 marking the program’s best since 2008. During his tenure, Dickey also mentored 16 All-South Atlantic Conference standouts on offense.   The 2020-21 Tusculum offensive unit generated some outstanding numbers as the Pioneers went 4-1 and claimed the SAC Mountain Division title and posted a thrilling 28-23 win at defending league champion Lenoir-Rhyne as TU won its third SAC Championship. The Pioneers led the league in scoring offense (37.6 ppg), total offense (533.4 yds/gm), and passing offense (394.2 yds/gm).   He took the reins as offensive coordinator in 2021 when Kade Bell joined his father on staff at WCU. In his first season, the Pioneers scored 366 points (33.3 points per game – 2nd in SAC, 38th in NCAA II), representing the fifth-highest season total in program history. The offense was a balanced attack with 21 rushing touchdowns and 21 passing TDs. All told, Tusculum finished the season third in the league in total offense at 400.5 yards per game including 257 passing yards per game – second in the SAC and 31st nationally.   The following season, the Pioneers went 8-3 in 2022 and finished runner-up in the SAC Mountain Division. Tusculum averaged 30.5 points (4th in SAC 50th in NCAA II) and 395.6 yards of total offense per game (2nd in SAC / 49th in NCAA II). Tusculum also finished second in the SAC averaging 235.2 passing yards per contest (39th in NCAA II).   Dickey has experience in Western North Carolina as he earned his coaching start on the sidelines at nearby Brevard High. From 2015-2018 as an assistant coach and the offensive coordinator for the final three years, he helped the Blue Devils to three North Carolina state playoff appearances (2016-2018) including a 2016 conference championship – the program’s first in 10 years.   Leading Brevard’s offense, the Blue Devils posted a 27-13 record that included a regional runner-up finish. His 2016 unit averaged 37.2 points per game while amassing 332.3 yards offensively per contest. Over three seasons, BHS averaged 31 points per game on offense before he returned to Tusculum as the offensive graduate assistant coach in June 2019.   A versatile student-athlete, Dickey played at Tusculum from 2011 to 2014 where he saw action at quarterback, wide receiver, and tight end. He was the first player in program history to record a touchdown pass, catch, and scoring rush in a career. His 61.9 completion percentage remains the fourth-best in Tusculum history.   As a senior in 2014, Dickey led Tusculum to four straight come-from-behind wins to end the season including a 14-10 road win at Wingate. That was followed by a 20-17 overtime win over UNC Pembroke the next week as he completed a 27-yard TD pass on fourth down for the game-winner. In his final collegiate game, Dickey rallied Tusculum from a 12-point deficit with 3:29 left in the contest with two TD passes in a 38-35 win at Mars Hill, earning SAC Offensive Player of the Week honors.   A native of McDonough, Ga., just southeast of Atlanta, Dickey played his prep career at Luella High in Locust Grove, Ga., where he garnered All-Region honors while passing for 3,500 yards and 35 touchdowns. He led the 2009 team to its first-ever playoff appearance in program history.   Dickey graduated from Tusculum in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sports science while minoring in coaching. He earned his master's degree at Tusculum in 2020 in organizational training and performance management. While a student-athlete, he was a member of the Tusculum Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.  

Todd Shealy joined the Western Carolina football staff as the Director of Football Operations in the spring of 2021 and assumed the title of General Manager during the spring of 2026. Shealy’s background includes extensive managerial experience and eight years at the intercollegiate level working at his alma mater, the University of Florida in athletics’ administration. He also spent a season in administration with the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte.   Shealy’s background includes 20 years of experience in the private sector, managing teams in real estate brokerage and professional staffing. Since 2006, he owned and operated the Focus Real Estate Group, Inc., based in Gainesville, Fla., developing and sharpening leadership, business, and operational skills.   Shealy’s professional career began at Florida in 1988 working in athletics administration that included responsibility for the Student-Athlete Insurance Program which set the standard for other NCAA Division I programs to follow. While with the Gators, Florida won five national championships in women’s indoor track & field (1992), women’s tennis (1992), men’s golf (1993), women’s tennis (1996), and football (1996). He was also on staff for five SEC football championships (1991, 1993-96) and he also aided and supported the NCAA Regional Championships across multiple sports including the 1994 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four.   Shealy is a 1988 graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor’s in sports administration. He is married to the former Beth Watkins and the couple has four children; Austin, Hayley, Hunter, and Jaron.    

Madelyn Lee joined the Catamount football support staff as the Director of Recruiting on August 26, 2025. Lee, a 2024 graduate of WCU, returns to Catamount Country after spending four years in various roles with the Catamounts in both Football Operations and Recruiting.    Lee spent the last year working with the football coaching staff at East Carolina University, serving as the graduate assistant for on-campus recruiting. In that role, Lee worked closely with the Director of Recruiting and On-Campus Recruiting to ensure all official visits were handled effectively. She was also involved in the unofficial and official game-day visits.  Prior to her stint in Greenville, she spent almost four years in multiple roles with the Catamounts working with both Football Operations and Recruiting. In her various roles with WCU, she assisted in coordination of hotel and food & beverage contracts for road trips on away games as well as assisting in post-game meals for home games and ensured that recruiting events run smoothly, hosting recruits and their families during their time on campus, as well as giving recruits and families tours of the campus and the facilities, as well as assisting with transcript evaluations. Lee is a 2024 graduate of Western Carolina with a bachelor's degree in marketing and sport management and is expected to earn her master's degree in sport management in December 2025.