Stetson University head football coach Brian Young has been busy over his first few weeks on the job, and he has gotten even busier since camp started for the Hatters.
 
Before the start of training camp, Coach Young assembled his new coaching staff, which has already started making an impact on the team.
 
Here are short biographical sketches on each member of the Stetson football coaching staff for the coming year, starting with the four returning members of the staff.
 
Steve Davis – Defensive Coordinator
Entering his third season as a member of the Stetson coaching staff, Davis took on the defensive coordinator duties when Young left for Georgia Southern last year. Davis has spent more than 50 years in college football, starting during his playing career at the University of West Alabama where he had a Hall of Fame playing career, helping the Tigers to a 1971 NAIA National Championship. He jumped right into coaching at his alma mater after his playing career ended. His coaching career has included stops at East Mississippi Community College, the University of North Alabama, Southern Miss, LSU, Auburn, Troy, Tulane and Middle Tennessee State. Prior to joining the Stetson staff, he spent 14 seasons as defensive coordinator at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, helping that program to a junior college national championship in 2007. He and his wife, Brenda, have a daughter and four grandchildren.
 
Jonathan Johnson – Linebackers
JJ is in his second stint as a member of the Hatters' coaching staff, originally serving as the defensive line coach during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. A native Georgian, Johnson played college football at Belhaven College in Jackson, Miss., and started his coaching career there as a graduate assistant in 2013, coaching defensive ends, tights ends and the offensive line over two seasons. He moved on from there to work as an offensive assistant coach at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for two seasons before joining the Stetson staff. He returned to the Mississippi junior college ranks in 2018, coaching defensive line and serving as defensive coordinator at Pearl River Community College. He left to coach defensive line at UNC Pembroke before the pandemic started in 2020 but returned to Stetson this past spring to coach linebackers. He tied the knot with his now wife, the former MaddieBeth Robertson of Steamboat Springs, Colo., over the summer and the couple lives with their Australian Shepherd, Buck.
 
Jeremy Perkovich – Defensive Line
Perk joined the Stetson coaching staff in 2018 after spending the previous season at Pioneer Football League rival San Diego. A native of Auburn, Wash., Perk played at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, which is also where he got his start as a coach. Despite being small for a defensive lineman, he was selected as the team defensive lineman of the year in 2015. Entering his fourth season at Stetson as the defensive line coach, he has helped groom the players at the point of attack on defense into a force on the field. He has also proven himself to be a tremendous asset in terms of recruiting players into the Stetson program.
 
Harry Richards – Running Backs
Harry arrived at Stetson from Mississippi State where he worked with then MSU head coach (now Florida head coach) Dan Mullen as an offensive play signaler during the 2017 season. The Bulldogs posted a 9-4 record during that year, including a bowl victory over Louisville. A native of Virginia Beach, Va., he attended James Madison University and worked as an offensive intern during the 2015 season, working with both the running backs and quarterbacks for the Dukes. While still an undergrad, he worked as assistant running backs coach at Rutgers University in 2016. Since arriving at Stetson, he has helped both Jareem Westcott and Jalen Leary to PFL Offensive Freshman of the Year awards and mention on the Jerry Rice Award watch list for the best freshman offensive player in all of FCS football. Westcott rushed for 774 yards and a program record 13 touchdowns in 2018 and Leary followed up in 2019 by rushing for a program record 1,013 yards. This past spring it was sophomore transfer Jordan Younge-Humphrey who finished second in the PFL in rushing yards per game, averaging 89.8 yards per outing.
 
Buddy Blevins – Receivers/Pass Game Coordinator
The first of seven new members on the Stetson coaching staff, Blevins is a native of Wildwood, Mo., and played collegiately at Colorado-Mesa University as a receiver. He started his coaching career at his alma mater before moving to the University of Northern Colorado in 2012. He went on from there to play and coach in the Canadian Indoor Football League for the Oklahoma Defenders while, at the same time, coaching first at Midwestern State University, then at Texas A&M Kingsville and then, finally, at Oklahoma Panhandle State. In 2018 he coached at Trinity International University before moving on to Fort Valley State in 2019. He was hired as offensive coordinator for the 2020 season at Western New Mexico, but the Mustangs only got to play one game. He is a triplet and his brother, Woody Blevins, who is a defensive assistant coach at Assumption University, while his sister Cassie lives in Oklahoma. He is married to the former Morgan Scott, a native of Newcastle, Okla.
 
Darrell "DP" Eyman – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
A former standout receiver at the University of Northern Iowa, Eyman comes to Stetson from the University of Mississippi where he worked as an offensive analyst for Rebels head coach Lake Kiffin. As a player, Eyman led UNI with 42 receptions during his senior season, piling up a team-high 540 yards with four touchdowns. After receiving his degree in Political Science in 2010, Eyman embarked on his coaching career as an assistant at the Colorado School of Mines in 2011 and then at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn., where he worked as an offensive graduate assistant while getting a Master's degree in Sport Management. Eyman spent time at San Jose State and Florida Atlantic before returning to Northern Iowa to work with the running backs in 2017.
 
John Jefferson – Cornerbacks
A native of Wilmington, Del., Jefferson was an all-around player at Delaware State after earning honorable mention All-America honors as a high school quarterback. He played all over the field in college, spending time at quarterback, receiver and cornerback while also playing on special teams, earning comparisons to the likes of Antwann Randle El. After graduating in 2002, Jefferson played in the Arena Football League for six seasons. He began his coaching career at Woodrow Wilson HS in New Jersey in 2008 before spending a number of seasons coaching at post-graduate academies. He joined the coaching staff at Morehouse College in Atlanta in 2018 and spent two seasons coaching the Maroon Tigers' linebackers. Jefferson has a son, Jadon.
 
Jake Reed – Offensive Line
A native of Columbus, Ind., Reed played in 40 games, starting 22 at center and guard, at Indiana University where he earned the program's Harold Mauro "Loyalty to IU Football" Award in addition to earning the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. During his senior season, with him starting all 13 games, the Hoosiers led the Big Ten in total offense, passing offense and scoring offense. IU became the fourth college team in history to have a 3,500-yard passer, two 1,000-yard rushers and a 1,000-yard receiver in the same season. He was an All-State player in high school, earning Indiana's Mr. Football as a tight end as a senior. Following his playing days at Indiana, Reed was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent, appearing in one preseason game before suffering an injury during the very next practice. He was given an injury settlement and released. After recovering from his injury, he became a graduate assistant in the weight room at the University of Kentucky, becoming certified as a strength coach. From there he spent the 2020 season as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Memphis, working with the Tigers' offensive line.
 
Brandon Tate – Safeties
A former Mountaineer at the University of West Virginia, here he played for three seasons (2004-07) as a tight end, Tate comes to Stetson from West Liberty University, which is located in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. He spent two seasons with the Hilltoppers, coaching receivers and tight ends after starting his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater in 2009. He also spent a year as a GA at rival Marshall University in 2010. He spent six seasons as a high school coach and guidance counselor before returning to Marshall in 2017 to serve as an Academic Counselor in the Athletics Department. Tate received his undergraduate degree in Physical Education from West Virginia in 2007 and his master's degree in Secondary Education and Guidance Counseling from Alcorn State University, where he played his final year of college football, in 2009. He and his wife, Rebecca, have four children – Braylon (9), Braxton (7) and twins Kaden and Kenna (13).
 
Trent Wessel – Tight Ends
A Tampa native, Wessel played at Florida Atlantic University from 2016-19 before transferring to Louisiana Tech for his graduate season in 2020. At Florida Atlantic he was a backup quarterback under coaches Lane Kiffin, Kendal Briles and Travis Trickett. He served as a player-coach, signaling in plays, breaking down film and teaching the other players how to run the offense. He is the son of Joe Wessell, who played collegiately for Bobby Bowden at Florida State and then went on to a coaching career that included stops at LSU (1985-90), Notre Dame (1991-93) and in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals.
 
In addition to this group of 10 coaches, the Hatters will be aided this fall by a group of quality control and student assistant coaches. This group includes:

• Jeffrey Eberhardt played football and lacrosse at Seminole High in Sanford before graduating from UCF in 2021. Was a volunteer coach at Seminole High and at Florida High in Tallahassee. Serves as a Quality Control assistant for the Hatters' defense.
• Jesse Marsh, who has worked as a defensive quality control assistant for Stetson in the from 2014-19 after spending the previous 11 years as a high school coach, returns as an administrative assistant working directly with head coach Brian Young on fund raising, alumni relations and community relations.
• Jake Martinez comes to Stetson from Oklahoma where he played at Oklahoma Panhandle University. He has served as an intern at Texas Tech and as a high school receivers coach. He is certified in the Hal Mumme "Air Raid" offensive attack and is working as a Quality Control assistant for the offense.
• Alek Nikolich is a junior at Stetson and is transitioning from player to coaching staff. He is assisting Coach Reed with the offensive line.
• Colin Ibison is also a junior at Stetson who came in as a kicker but transitioned to an off-field role, first as a video assistant and now as a student assistant working with the specialists.
• Darrien Steadwell is in his second season as a student assistant coach for the Hatters. He works with the equipment staff and trainers during practice and is responsible for organizing the filming and editing of practice and game film.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.