Delaware State hires FBS veteran to coach football team

Delaware State University has hired Kenny Carter, a longtime Football Bowl Subdivision assistant coach, to become its new head football coach, the school announced Wednesday.

Last season, Carter coached wide receivers while serving as passing-game coordinator and co-special teams coordinator at Youngstown State. But last month Youngstown State hired former Nebraska coach Bo Pellini to take over as head coach.

Prior to last season, Carter spent the last four seasons as a member of the University of Louisville's staff. Carter coordinated special teams and coached running backs at U of L in each of former coach Charlie Strong's four seasons. Strong is now the head coach at Texas.

Carter, who followed Strong to Louisville from Florida, was thought to be in line for a head coaching position at Louisville. But that job went to Bobby Petrino. Carter interviewed at Eastern Michigan and reportedly also pursued the Massachusetts opening before landing at Youngstown.

The announcement came almost a month after it was decided that former head coach Kermit Blount's contract would not be renewed for the 2015 season. Blount compiled a 16-29 overall record, and was 13-19 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Hornets finished last season with a 2-10 record, and were 2-6 in the MEAC.

Andrew Faison held the position of interim head coach until Carter was introduced at a press conference at the school on Wednesday.

This is Carter's first college head coaching job.

Material from The (Louisville) Courier-Journal was used in this article.

Coaching Highlights

Louisville

•Coached running backs Jeremy Wright and Senorise Perry to combine for 1,529 yards and 21 touchdowns.

•John Wallace booted 16-of-21 field goals, which was the second-best total in school history.

•Recorded two special teams touchdowns in 2011, and the Cardinals led the nation in punt return defense, allowing seven yards for an average of 0.54 yards a return.

•In 2010, Carter guided running back Bilal Powell to earn first team All-BIG EAST Conference accolades and also earned All-America recognition.

•Powell was a fourth-round selection by the New York Jets. Powell rushed for 1,405 yards, which was the second-best total in school history and registered consecutive 200-yard rushing games in 2010, becoming the first U of L player to accomplish such a feat.

Florida

•Helped guide the Gators to the 2008 BCS National Championship.

•In 2008, Carter guided a running backs group that amassed over 1,800 yards on the ground with 16 touchdowns. Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey combined to rush for over 1,200 yards in their respective freshman campaigns.

•Florida led the SEC in rushing offense in 2008 when they won the national championship, averaging 231.1 yards per game, which was the highest in school history since 1989.

•The Gators also posted a school-record 42 rushing touchdowns and Demps and Rainey were named Freshmen All-SEC.

Vanderbilt

•In 2007, Cassen Jackson-Garrison went on to finish in a tie as the eighth-leading rusher in Vanderbilt history with 1,814 career yards.

•Mentored tailbacks Cassen Jackson-Garrison and Jared Hawkins, a duo which combined for more than 900 rushing yards and eight touchdowns from the Commodores' one-back set.

Penn State

•As the wide receivers coach, Carter was instrumental in the development of Bryant Johnson, a first-team All-Big Ten pick in 2002 and first-round 2003 NFL draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals. Johnson ranks among the all-time Penn State leaders with 110 career receptions and 2,008 career receiving yards.

Pittsburgh

•Serving as the running backs coach, Carter mentored Kevan Barlow, Nick Goings and Lousaka Polite, who have gone on to enjoy solid NFL careers.

LSU

•Coaching outside linebackers, Carter coached Norman Lejeune to earn Freshman All-SEC accolades.

Source: University of Louisville