HOUSTON – Houston Football Head Coach Dana Holgorsen named the first six members of his inaugural Houston staff Friday.

Holgorsen named the first four of his 10 assistant positions with the addition of Doug Belk (Co-Defensive Coordinator & Cornerbacks), Marquel Blackwell (Co-Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks), Blake Gideon (Safeties & Special Teams) and Shannon Dawson (Offensive Assistant Coach).

Belk and Blackwell join Holgorsen on making the trip from West Virginia while Gideon joins the Houston staff from Georgia State and Dawson from Southern Miss.

In addition to the four assistant coaches, Holgorsen also named Ryan Dorchester the program's Assistant Athletics Director for Football Operations and Daikiel Shorts Jr. the program's Director of Player Development.



Doug Belk | Co-Defensive Coordinator & Cornerbacks

• Doug Belk was named Co-Defensive Coordinator and Cornerbacks coach at Houston on Jan. 11, 2019 after two seasons as cornerbacks coach at West Virginia.

• The 2018 season saw Belk's cornerbacks play a pivotal role in West Virginia ranking second in the Big 12 and No. 20 nationally with 15 interceptions. Cornerback Keith Washington Jr. tied for fifth in the Big 12 with three interceptions on the year.

• In Big 12 play, WVU hauled in 12 interceptions, ranking No. 1 in the conference

• The 2017 defense ranked No. 16 nationally in most defensive three-and-outs per game and No. 24 in best third-down defense.

• Prior to his time at West Virginia, Belk served as the defensive graduate assistant coach at Alabama for two years, working with the defensive backs. He worked directly with Head Coach Nick Saban and defensive coordinators Kirby Smart and Jeremy Pruitt, assisting with all aspects of the defensive secondary as well as with special teams.

• During his tenure at Alabama, the Crimson Tide was 40-4, earning three College Football Playoff appearances, winning the 2015 National Championship, finishing as national runner-up in 2016 and winning three Southeastern Conference titles (2014-16).

• The 2016 defense was No. 1 nationally in scoring defense and No. 2 in total defense. The unit also was No. 9 nationally and No. 2 in the SEC in pass efficiency defense, No. 14 in interceptions and No. 24 in passing yards allowed. Belk helped develop cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick, who earned consensus All-American honors, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who earned All-America First-Team honors and safety Eddie Jackson, who was an All-SEC First-Team member.

• The 2015 defense was No. 3 nationally in scoring defense and total defense, No. 10 in interceptions and No. 30 in passing yards allowed. Jackson earned All-America honors, while Fitzpatrick and Humphrey were named to freshman All-American teams. Cornerback Cyrus Jones was drafted in the second round by the New York Giants.

• The 2014 defense was No. 6 nationally in scoring defense and No. 12 nationally in total defense. Belk helped develop Landon Collins, who finished his senior season as a unanimous All-American selection and was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round.

• Prior to Alabama, Belk was the defensive secondary coach at Valdosta State in 2012-13. He was a defensive assistant and worked with special teams in 2011. During his tenure, Valdosta State produced a 24-10 record and won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2012. Belk helped develop two All-Americans, two Academic All-Americans and three All-Gulf South Conference selections. Cornerbacks Dominique Wheeler and Matt Pierce signed free agent contracts in the NFL with Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans, respectively.





Marquel Blackwell | Co-Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks

• Marquel Blackwell was named Co-Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks coach at Houston on Jan. 11, 2019 after one season as running backs coach at West Virginia.

• In his lone season at West Virginia, Blackwell helped lead a Mountaineer offense that eclipsed the 500-yard and 40-point marks eight times during the season including 704 yards and 56 points vs. Oklahoma.

• West Virginia had three different running backs register 100-yard rushing games during the 2018 season in Leddie Brown, Kennedy McKoy and Martell Pettaway. Brown became the first WVU true freshman to record multiple 100-yard rushing games since Noel Devine in 2007.

• Blackwell arrived in West Virginia after serving as the running backs coach at Toledo in 2016-17. He was part of a staff that led the Rockets to a 20-7 mark during his tenure, including an 11-3 record in 2017, the 2017 Mid-American Conference championship and two bowl appearances.

• Terry Swanson led the Mid-American Conference with 1,363 rushing yards and was third in the league with 14 touchdowns.

• That same season saw Shakif Symour run for 704 yards and had 12 rushing touchdowns, No. 3 in the MAC and No. 4 among all freshman in FBS. Against Bowling Green, Seymour tied a school record with five rushing touchdowns.

• In 2016, Kareem Hunt led the MAC and was No. 15 nationally with 1,475 yards while rushing for at least 100 yards eight times.

• A third-round NFL Draft selection by the Kansas City Chiefs, Hunt finished with a Toledo-record 4,945 yards, ranking No. 3 in MAC history.

• Under Blackwell's guidance, Toledo ranked fourth in the MAC in rushing offense (195.0 ypg) in 2016. He helped four running backs to gain 200 yards or more rushing during the season. Swanson was second on the team with 600 rushing yards.

• Prior to his time at Toledo, Blackwell coached 20 high school players who earned Division I scholarships, as well as three college players who became first-round NFL draft picks.

• Blackwell's first coaching positions came at Freedom High in New Tampa, Florida, first as the offensive coordinator in 2006, then as the head coach from 2007-08. He returned to USF from 2009-11 as a quality control coach.

• Following a year as the running backs coach at Western Kentucky in 2012, Blackwell returned to USF, as the director of player development in 2013. He returned to the high school ranks in 2014 as the offensive coordinator at Lakewood High, before spending the 2015 season at Florida as a quality control specialist, working with the Gator quarterbacks.

• As a player, Blackwell was USF's starting quarterback for four years and led the Bulls to a 30-12 mark. He threw for 9,108 yards and 57 touchdowns and had 1,235 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns in his career. He set most of the Bulls' career passing records and is among the tops in rushing yards and touchdowns. The three-year captain led the Bulls to a 9-2 record as a senior before playing in the NFL with the New York Jets.





Blake Gideon | Safeties and Special Teams

• Blake Gideon was named Safeties and Special Teams coach at Houston on Jan. 11, 2019 after one season as cornerbacks coach at Georgia State.

• Gideon joined the Georgia State staff after two seasons as the defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator at Western Carolina. In 2017, Gideon helped coach a Western Carolina defense that ranked No. 15 nationally in passing yards per game allowed and No. 20 in pass efficiency defense.

• In Gideon's two seasons at Western Carolina, he worked with All-American safety Marvin Tillman in 2017 and all-conference defensive backs Fred Payne and Trey Morgan the previous year. In 2016, he also served as interim defensive coordinator for the final three games of the season.

• He then spent 2015 as a defensive graduate assistant at Auburn, where he was elevated to interim defensive backs coach for the Birmingham Bowl vs. Memphis, which featured future first-round draft pick Paxton Lynch at quarterback. The Tigers held Lynch to just 108 yards passing and limited Memphis to 205 total yards.

• Following that season, he began a graduate assistantship at South Carolina in January 2016 before he was able to land a full-time coaching position at Western Carolina in April.

• Gideon began his coaching career as a defensive quality control assistant at Florida in 2014.

• Gideon was a four-year starter at safety and two-time team captain at Texas, where he played under head coach Mack Brown and defensive coordinators Will Muschamp and Manny Diaz.

• He then enjoyed a brief professional career, signing a free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals following the 2012 NFL Draft. He was signed to the Denver Broncos practice squad in October 2012 and trained with the club until retiring in May 2013.





Shannon Dawson | Offensive Assistant Coach

• Shannon Dawson was named an offensive assistant coach at Houston on Jan. 11, 2019 after three seasons as offensive coordinator at Southern Miss.

• His final year at Southern Miss saw the Golden Eagles as the No. 3 team nationally in completion percentage, completing 69.2 percent of their passes. Sophomore quarterback Jack Abraham ranked third in the league and 22nd nationally with an average of 260.8 passing yards per game while leading the nation with a completion percentage of 73.1 percent and ranking fourth nationally with 24.8 completions per game. Sophomore receiver Quez Watkins earned first team All-Conference USA honors after finishing second in the league with nine touchdown receptions while true freshman center Trace Clopton earned FWAA Freshman All-America honors.

• Despite missing his starting quarterback for three games and in limited action in two more contests in 2017, the Golden Eagles were still able to amass 424.6 total yards per game, just behind league champion Florida Atlantic and West Division champ North Texas. His efforts also helped former Golden Eagle Ito Smith become just the 10th running back in FBS history to rush for over 4,000 yards and collect at least 1,000 receiving yards.

• In his first season with Golden Eagles, he mentored Nick Mullens in his senior season, who ended his career first in passing yards and touchdowns thrown. Mullens signed a free-agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers heading into this season. Southern Miss also set a school record for total offensive yards in a game with 702 against Rice.

• He also helped build some of the nation's most prolific offenses at West Virginia, where he spent four seasons, including his last three as offensive coordinator. In his last season in Morgantown, WVU ranked 12th in the nation in total offense, averaging 499.8 yards per game, and was ninth nationally in passing offense at 317 yards per contest. The Mountaineers averaged 33.5 points per game and set a school record by scoring at least 30 points in eight consecutive games. WVU also averaged more than 182 rushing yards per game.

• A native of Clinton, La., Dawson played his college football at Wingate (N.C.) University as a quarterback and wide receiver. He began his coaching career as receivers coach at his alma mater in 2002.

• Dawson linked up with former Kentucky head coach Hal Mumme in 2003-04 to help revive a program at Southeastern Louisiana that had been dormant for 17 years. He also coached with Mumme at New Mexico State in 2005.

• Dawson went to Millsaps College as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2006-07. The Majors won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship both years, the first back-to-back titles in school history, and quarterback Juan Joseph was two-time SCAC Offensive Player of the Year. Millsaps played in the NCAA Division III playoffs in 2006.

• Dawson moved to Stephen F. Austin University as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2008-10. With the Lumberjacks averaging only 16 points a game during a winless 2007 season, Dawson helped orchestrate an amazing turnaround in SFA's offensive fortunes. In his first season, the Lumberjacks ranked third in the nation in passing offense, 13th in total offense and 14th in scoring offense.

• SFA won or shared the Southland Conference championship the next two seasons, advancing to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs both years. In 2009-10, SFA led the nation in passing offense while ranking in the top six nationally in total offense and scoring. Quarterback Jeremy Moses was a two-time All-American, two-time Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year and won the Walter Payton Award as the FCS National Player of the Year. Wide receivers Dominique Edison and Contrevious Parks went on to play in the NFL





Ryan Dorchester | Assistant Athletics Director for Football Operations

• Ryan Dorchester was named Assistant Athletics Director for Football Operations at Houston on Jan. 11, 2019 after 14 seasons at West Virginia, his last five as Director of Player Personnel.

• In his last role at WVU, Dorchester served in an administrative capacity, overseeing the organizational aspects of recruiting and managing the personnel of the current members of the program. He served as the liaison to coach Dana Holgorsen on all recruiting issues while coordinating Holgorsen's recruiting efforts, including correspondence and in-person visits. He maintained status of scholarship offers, recruiting targets and commitments and updated the staff on recruiting issues. He also communicated eligibility and admissions status with prospective student-athletes and coaching staff.

• He served as the liaison with the University admissions office, the primary contact with the athletic compliance office regarding recruiting and oversaw the correspondence with prospects and high schools to facilitate the admissions process.

• Dorchester also coordinated the coaches' travel schedule for recruiting and oversaw and organized the program's records, checklists, calendars, research and recruiting boards. He monitored the recruiting expenses and budget and assisted the director of football operations with the overall budget, including planning, purchases and monitoring expenditures.

• Dorchester managed player personnel issues such as eligibility status and tracked participation and position depth. He also assisted the Associate Athletic Director/Football with individual student-athlete concerns and ensured student-athletes housing and financial aid process was completed.

• He started working with the Mountaineer football program in 2004 as a student equipment manager and served in that capacity for four years. He then was a graduate assistant for recruiting and assisted with the day-to-day operations of the program's recruiting efforts.





Daikiel Shorts Jr. | Director for Player Development

• Dakiel Shorts Jr. was named the Director for Player Development at Houston on Jan. 11, 2019 after one season as a program assistant at West Virginia.

• A receiver at West Virginia under Holgorsen, Shorts spent the 2017 season as a member of the Buffalo Bills' practice squad.

• During his time at WVU as a player, Shorts led the Mountaineers in receiving in three of his four years and was named a team captain in 2016. He also earned the 2016 Iron Mountaineer Award, the same season he earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors after leading the Mountaineers with 63 receptions for 894 yards and five touchdowns.

• Shorts led WVU in receiving in 2015 with 45 receptions for 528 yards and five touchdowns and in 2013 with 45 receptions for 495 yards and two touchdowns. He added 24 receptions for 346 yards and two touchdowns in 2014.

• He closed his career ranked fifth on the WVU career chart with 177 receptions and sixth with 2,263 receiving yards. He owns the program's freshman receptions record with 45 in his first year with the program.