Jan. 4, 2010

LAS VEGAS - New UNLV football head coach Bobby Hauck went a long way toward filling out his first Rebel staff Monday as he announced seven of his nine full-time assistants.

"The majority of our staff is now in place and we're excited to get on the road to recruit the best possible class for UNLV football," said Hauck, who was hired on Dec. 23 after having led the University of Montana for the past seven seasons. "Most of these coaches bring with them Pac-10 or Mountain West Conference experience or ties. I also have a strong history with all of them, which will translate into a smooth transition as we get going."

Two full-time positions remain to be filled but Hauck said there is less immediacy for those hirings as the staff concentrates on building a class in time for national signing day, which is Feb. 3.

A coach familiar with the Mountain West, J.D. Williams comes from the University of Utah to serve as UNLV's assistant head coach, pass defense coordinator and defensive backs coach. Williams coached the Ute cornerbacks in 2009 as the team ranked 17th in the nation in pass defense and went on to a Poinsettia Bowl championship. He joined Utah after seven years working in Pac-10 secondaries (2006-08 at Washington and 2002-2005 at California). Prior to that, Williams served two seasons as secondary coach at his alma mater, Fresno State, from 2000-01. He also coached the secondary at San Jose State in 1999 and Cal Poly in 1998. He began his coaching career in 1997 as a Fresno State graduate assistant. A second team All-American at corner for the Bulldogs, Williams was a first round NFL Draft pick in 1990, going to the Buffalo with the 16th selection. He went on to play in four Super Bowls with the Bills and also played for the Cardinals and 49ers before his pro career ended after the 1996 season.

Rob Phenicie (pronounced FEN-ah-see) will be UNLV's offensive coordinator during what is actually his second stint at the school, as he spent one year assisting John Robinson's first Rebel staff in 1999. In 2009, Phenicie's offense ranked second in the nation among FCS teams with 35.8 points per game and ninth in total yards with 427.4 per game while Griz quarterback Andrew Selle ranked fourth in the country in pass efficiency. Prior to joining UM, Phenicie spent three seasons coaching at MWC member Wyoming from 2000-02. He coached the Cowboys' receivers and was the program's recruiting coordinator in 2001 before becoming co-offensive coordinator for one campaign. He was also offensive coordinator at Cal State Northridge from 1997-98 after serving as a graduate assistant coach at UCLA and his alma mater, the University of Memphis.

Kraig Paulson will serve as defensive coordinator for the Rebels and oversee the team's defensive ends as well. Paulson spent the last six seasons as Hauck's defensive coordinator at Montana while also coaching the ends. He also served as UM's assistant head coach for five years. Paulson's 2009 defense led the FCS in turnovers gained with 37, including bringing in a stunning 26 interceptions last fall. Paulson boasts two-plus decades of college coaching experience, including serving as defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Utah State from 2000-03. The former Montana fullback actually had two stints coaching at his alma mater. He worked with the linebackers, defensive line and secondary from 1987-99, moving from graduate assistant to defensive coordinator during his first stop in Missoula.

Charged with coaching UNLV's linebackers as well as serving as recruiting coordinator is Ty Gregorak (pronounced GREG-or-rak), who just completed his seventh season at Montana. In 2009, he coached first team All-Big Sky Conference linebacker Shawn Lebsock, who led UM's defense with 104 tackles. Gregorak spent six years coaching the Griz linebackers and was the program's recruiting coordinator in 2009. Previous to moving to Missoula, Gregorak spent two years as graduate assistant coach at the University of Washington from 2001-02. He was a three-year letterman at linebacker for the University of Colorado in 1998-2000.

Cedric Cormier (pronounced cor-mee-AIR) comes from Miami (Ohio) University to take over the Rebel receiving corps. He spent the 2009 season coaching the RedHawk wide receivers after working the previous two seasons in the same capacity at Montana. In Missoula, he coached UM star wideout Marc Mariani who in 2008 was a second team All-American with 1,308 receiving yards, 15 touchdowns and a school-record 2,265 all-purpose yards. Prior to Montana, Cormier was an assistant coach at Baytown (Texas) High School for two seasons after starting his coaching career at Channelview (Texas) High School in 2004. The Houston native was a four-year letterman at receiver Colorado from 1998-2001.

Chad Germer (pronounced JUR-mur) has been hired as offensive line coach after serving in that same capacity at Montana last season. In the past two years, his lines opened holes for standout running back Chase Reynolds as the 2009 second team All-American rushed for a combined 44 touchdowns and 3,085 yards in 2008-09. Last season, the Grizzlies ranked 18th in the FCS in fewest QB sacks allowed. Germer is also a veteran of the MWC after coaching the line at Wyoming from 2003-08. A 1991 All-American center at Montana, he began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1998 and went on to coach four All-Americans during his first stint at UM.

Former Pac-10 player and coach Dominic Daste (pronounced DOS-tee) is slated to coach UNLV's tight ends after seven seasons as an assistant at Montana. He coached the Grizzlies' tight ends for the last four years and also spent 2009 as running game coordinator for the high-powered UM offense. He began his tenure coaching the offensive line. Daste went to Missoula after two seasons as graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Washington, after lettering four years for the Huskies at guard.

UNLV FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF (AS OF 1-4-10)
Head Coach/Special Teams                Bobby HauckAsst. HC/Pass Defense Coordinator/DBs   J.D. WilliamsOffensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks      Rob PhenicieDefensive Coordinator/Defensive Ends    Kraig PaulsonLinebackers/Recruiting Coordinator      Ty GregorakWide Receivers                          Cedric CormierOffensive Line                          Chad GermerTight Ends                              Dominic Daste