Chris Murray

Reno Gazette Journal

Wolf Pack football coach Jay Norvell officially named Matt Mumme and Jeff Casteel as his offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively, in a news release Tuesday.

A disciple of the “Air Raid” offensive attack, Mumme comes to Nevada after three-plus seasons as the head coach of LaGrange College in Georgia. He played quarterback at Kentucky under his father, Hal, one of the architects of the pass-happy offensive system.

Casteel has been a coordinator for 25 of his 31 seasons as a coach. He's an expert in the 3-3-5 alignment that Nevada will employ next season. Casteel was previously the defensive coordinator at West Virginia and Arizona.

“In hiring both of these coordinators, I wanted men who have been running these systems for a long time,” Norvell said in the news release. “They know exactly what they want to do and how they want to do it, so we can hit the ground running.”

Wolf Pack to hire Matt Mumme as offensive coordinator

Pack hires veteran defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel

Timmy Chang headlines five additions to Pack staff

Matt Kirk to join Wolf Pack football staff

While the Air Raid is typically a pass-heavy offense, Norvell said he wants Nevada to be able to run the ball as well. The Wolf Pack has been a strong running team since 2005 when Chris Ault installed the Pistol offense. Norvell's predecessor, Brian Polian, also emphasized the run during his four-year tenure.

“We want to be a dynamic team that is equally adept at throwing and running the football,” Norvell said in the news release. “The Air Raid runs best with great backs and a great running game and we want to continue that great tradition at Nevada. Coach Mumme has been an offensive coordinator for 10 years running the same system. He knows how to install it, with every detail from a time player walks on the field to the time he leaves practice.”

Mumme arrives in Reno with 14 years of coaching experience under his belt, including 10 as an offensive coordinator at New Mexico State, Southeastern Louisiana, McMurry, Davidson and LaGrange. In his coaching career, he has guided a top-10 passing offense in the nation 11 times, including three times as the top passing offense in the nation.

“(My wife) Fayedra and I are very excited and blessed to be joining the Wolf Pack family,” Mumme said in a news release. “Coach Norvell has a wealth of knowledge and experience in this business I am honored to be joining his staff. I'm also excited about getting to spend some time with Coach Ault who has been an icon in not only the history of Nevada but also the football world. Several years ago after competing against Coach Ault while we were at New Mexico State, I realized the value of his 'Pistol' style. Once I incorporated into the Air Raid it gave us more versatility in the run game as well as the passing game.”

Casteel’s expertise in the increasingly popular 3-3-5 defense was one of his draws to Nevada. Casteel was named the 2007 Defensive Coordinator of the Year by Rivals.com; the 2008 Big East Coordinator of the Year; is a four-time nominee for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation’s top assistant coach; and was named the 2014 Linebackers Coach of the Year by FootballScoop.com.

“Jeff is exactly what I was looking for in a DC,” Norvell said. “In 25 years as a coordinator, he’s seen it all and done it all. I’ve played against his scheme, and it is one of the most difficult schemes in football to prepare for and play against. His teams have always been fundamentally sound, extremely physical and incredibly disciplined. His defenses epitomize the edge and grit that I want our team to play with defensively.”

Norvell, who was officially announced as Nevada’s coach on Dec. 9, plans to have the bulk of his coaching staff in place this week.

Norvell has added six more assistants coaches in Timmy Chang (inside receivers), Eric Scott (outside receivers), Mason Miller (offensive line), David White (running backs), Matt Kirk (safeties) and Courtney Viney (cornerbacks). That leaves one more full-time assistant position to fill on the staff.