Robb Smith Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach
Smith, who is originally from Pittsburgh, PA, was promoted to defensive coordinator after spending the last three seasons as a defensive assistant and special teams coordinator under Greg Schiano. Prior to his time at Rutgers, Smith was an assistant at Maine for 8 seasons, spending the last three as defensive coordinator after coaching linebackers for the first five. According to scarletknights.com, Maine finished in the top 3 in total defense in all 3 of his seasons as coordinator. He also previously coached as a grad assistant under Kirk Ferentz at Iowa.
Schematically, Smith will keep the fast, attacking defense Greg Schiano ran in place. Kyle Flood wanted to keep this defensive philosophy the same, and Smith's familiarity with the X's and O's and personnel earned him this job. Smith has also been a solid recruiter, doing most of his work down the shore. There were bigger names connected to this position, but Smith is a fine choice for the afore mentioned reasons.
Dave Cohen Linebacker Coach
Cohen, a Huntington, NY native, was the last head football coach at Hofstra, leading the Pride to a 18-27 record in his four seasons as head coach. When the Pride terminated their football program following the 2009 season, he moved on to Western Michigan, where he served as defensive coordinator. His defenses were amongst the worst in the nation statistically, but the Broncos had very young defenses in the wild, wild MAC. Prior to becoming a head coach, he was the defensive coordinator at Delaware and Fordham and a linebacker coach at Albany, Lafayette, and Delaware. I can't find any information on him as a recruiter. This may be a questionable hire because of his head coaching and coordinating past, but he does have experience and Flood has worked with him before (at Delaware), so he knows him as a position coach.
Jim Panagos Defensive Line Coach
Panagos, a Brooklyn, NY native and East Islip resident (that's the rich side, right?), was Central Florida's defensive line coach from 2007-2011, after serving as a quality control coach and assistant defensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings from 2002-05. Panagos, the former Maryland player, lead one of the best defensive lines in the country (statistically) and earned All Star Coaching honors from Rivals and Football Scoop during his time at UCF. He has a strong recruiting background, having recruited mainly Florida and New Jersey in addition to some forays in Texas and California. Flood met Panagos in the week leading up to the 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl, and was very impressed with him. NFL experience, ties to the area, and productive units make Panagos a fantastic hire.
Norries Wilson Running Back Coach
Wilson, who originally hails from Markham, Illinois, is coming off a pretty bad tenure as the head coach at Columbia (going 17-43), but that program is historically awful and he has a great resume as an assistant coach. Prior to his time in the Ivy League, he was Connecticut's offensive line coach from 1999-2001 and offensive coordinator from 2002-2005. His fine work earned him national recognition, as he was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2004, when the Huskies lead the Big East in both scoring and total offense. Prior to his tenure at UConn, he coached at three small schools, including Bucknell, after his playing career at Minnesota ended. I have no idea how he is as a recruiter, but he has a lot of experience coaching in the north east. This is a pretty good hire, especially considering how late it was.
Joe Rossi Special Teams Coordinator
Rossi actually coached with Smith at Maine, and replaced him as defensive coordinator when he left for Rutgers. His defenses were among the best in the country at Maine, and he has been a special teams coordinator in the past.
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