KENT, Ohio — Kent State Head Football Coach Darrell Hazell took another step towards completing his coaching staff Tuesday (Jan. 25) with the announcement that Jon Heacock (defensive coordinator/cornerbacks), Chris Bache (recruiting coordinator/offensive line), Jafar Williams (running backs) and Doug Davis (strength & conditioning coach) have joined the Golden Flashes staff.

"These four talented coaches bring experience and a commitment to winning to our staff," says Hazell. "They are men of character, class and wisdom whom I fully trust with the young men in our program."

Heacock (pronounced HAY-cock) brings nineyears of head coaching experience at nearby Youngstown State (2001-09). He took over the reigns at YSU when current Ohio State coach Jim Tressel left for Columbus, compiling a record of 60-44 with the Penguins while earning Gateway Conference Coach of the Year honors in back-to-back seasons (2005 & '06). His tenure was highlighted by a 2006 run to the national semifinals that saw YSU finish 11-3 on the year. As an assistant on Tresell's staff (1990-96 & 2000), Heacock was part of three Division I-AA national titles, including serving as the defensive coordinator for two of them. He spent the 1997-99 seasons on the Indiana staff, was at the United States Military Academy for two years (1990-91) and was a graduate assistant at Michigan from 1988-90 under Bo Schembechler. The Alliance, Ohio, native earned his bachelor's degree from Muskingum College in 1983.

Hazell has a long history with the Heacock family, as he played with Jon and was coached by Jon's brother, Jeff, at Muskingum (1982-85). More recently, he was on the Ohio State staff for seven seasons with the oldest brother, Jim, who is the Buckeyes' defensive coordinator.

Bache (pronounced bay-jay) comes to Kent after spending the 2010 season as the assistant head coach and offensive line coach at Adrian (Mich.) College. Prior to that, he spent five seasons mentoring the offensive line and heading up the recruiting efforts at Youngstown State, where the Penguins ranked fifth in the nation in sacks allowed (0.82 per game) in 2007 and running back Marcus Mason rushed for a school-record 1,847 yards in 2006. He coached a pair of All-Americans during his time at YSU. Bache previously was a member of the staffs at Indiana (Pa.) (1999-05), Kutztown (1995-98) and Wooster (1990-94). He is a 1987 graduate of Indiana (Pa.) and went on to earn his master's degree from Temple University in 1991.

Williams, a Philadelphia native, joins the staff on the heels of serving as the special teams quality control assistant for Northwestern in 2010. He also spent time at Howard (2009), Illinois State (2007-08) and Moravian (2005-06) after a four-year career at Maryland where he received his bachelor's degree in 2003. While playing for the Terps, Williams compiled 90 receptions and 1,301 receiving yards, both of which rank 14th in the Maryland career annals.

Davis spent the past four years as a strength assistant at Ohio State. The Columbus, Ohio, native designed and implemented the year-round strength, speed, and conditioning program for the Buckeyes, specifically training the Ohio State wide receivers and defensive backs on a daily basis while preparing a number of Buckeyes entering the NFL Draft. Prior to his stint at Ohio State, Davis was a strength and conditioning coach at the University of South Florida. Davis earned his bachelor's degree from Ohio Dominican University in 2004 and his master's degree in exercise science from California University of Pennsylvania in 2009.

With today's announcement, Hazell has just three more assistant positions to fill: defensive line, safeties and tight ends. This group joins Brian Rock (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks), Marcus Freeman (linebackers) and Thad Jemison (wide receivers), who were brought on board earlier this month.

Hazell was named Kent State's 20th head coach on Dec. 20 after spending the past seven seasons at Ohio State. He inherits a squad that went 5-7 overall and 4-4 in the Mid-American Conference in 2010.