Louisiana-Monroe has hired Florida assistant Joey Fitzgerald as wide receivers coach.

Fitzgerald, who worked for Dan Mullen at Florida and Mississippi State, spent the 2018 season as a recruiting specialist for the Gators. Prior to reuniting with Mullen, Fitzgerald coached the wide receivers at Southeastern Louisiana.

“We’re glad to add Coach Fitzgerald to the staff and we think he’s going to do a really good job,” ULM head coach Matt Viator said. “He’s been around some good coaches and he brings us some recruiting experience in Mississippi.”

A college quarterback at Hampden-Sydney College, Fitzgerald began his coaching career at Florida Atlantic. After three seasons as a defensive graduate assistant, Mullen hired Fitzgerald as an offensive graduate assistant at Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs averaged 513 total yards and set school records with 21 receiving touchdowns 3,196 receiving yards in 2014.

In 2015, Fitzgerald left Mississippi State to coach tight ends at Eastern Kentucky and was the wide receivers coach at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise in 2016.

Fitzgerald replaces John Carr, who joined Chip Lindsey’s staff at Troy after one season as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at ULM.

Viator said he made it a point to look for a coach with Mississippi ties during the hiring process.

“We needed someone who had experience in the junior colleges there and Joey has a grasp of that from his years at Mississippi State and recruiting at Eastern Kentucky and Southeastern Louisiana,” Viator said.

Under Carr’s tutelage, wide receiver Marcus Green finished third in the Sun Belt Conference with 50 receptions for 855 yards and eight touchdowns. ULM had four wide receivers make at least 20 receptions while six caught touchdown passes.

Fitzgerald will have an experienced group of wideouts to work with in the fall. Xavier Brown, Jonathan Hodoh, Markis McCray and R.J. Turner all return for their senior seasons, alongside juniors Brandius Batiste and Darius Rodrigue and sophomore Zachari Jackson.

“I think we have an opportunity to continue to be good in that room,” Viator said. “We knew whoever came in was going to have four seniors and it’ll be about coming in and working with them and developing our younger guys.”

Brown played in four games in 2018 before redshirting due to a shoulder injury. He had his most productive season as a sophomore in 2016, catching 25 passes for 426 yards and four touchdowns.

The Duncanville, Texas-native has 61 career receptions for 798 yards and seven touchdowns.

Turner missed one game last season, but still finished second on the team with 36 catches for 526 yards and a touchdown. His best game of the year was a five-reception, 112-yard performance at Ole Miss.

ULM secured the services of Zachary (La.) wide receiver Chandler Whitfield on National Signing Day. The 5-9, 160-lb. speedster caught 60 passes for 1,349 yards and 14 touchdowns, helping Zachary capture back-to-back Class 5A state championships.

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