From IUP Sports Information
IUP head football coach Paul Tortorella has his first coaching staff completed. Tortorella has announced the addition of three assistant coaches for the 2017 season: Tate Gregory will take over as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; Christian Bryan will coach the wide receivers; and Jameson Zacharias will coach cornerbacks.
Gregory comes to IUP from the University of Charleston, where he coordinated the Golden Eagles offense from 2013-16. An 11-year member of the UC coaching staff, he helped the offense set numerous school records in 2015, as the Golden Eagles averaged 41.1 points per game and earned a berth in the NCAA playoffs.
“Coach Gregory is a guy who has had great success at the University of Charleston,” said Tortorella. “His philosophy and offense are very similar to what we do here. Two years ago we had to defend his offense and it was extremely challenging.
“We are excited to have Tate, his wife Tiffany, and his daughters Blaire and Paige ‘ALL IN’ with us at IUP.”
Bryan spent the 2016 season at Carnegie Mellon University, where he coached the wide receivers and oversaw the Tartans recruiting efforts. A former receiver at Youngstown State, his first coaching job was as a student assistant under Bo Pelini in 2015.
“Coach Bryan comes highly recommended from coaches that we have a great deal of respect for,” said Tortorella. “He is an energetic coach who was also a very productive wide receiver at Youngstown State. We feel he will do a great job coaching our receivers, and we are excited that he is ‘ALL IN.’”
Zacharias comes to IUP from Central Michigan University, where he spent the last three years as a defensive graduate assistant on Coach John Bonamego’s staff. He’s also previously spent time on the offensive side of the ball at Towson University.
“Coach Zacharias comes to us from Central Michigan where he worked on the defensive side of the ball,” said Tortorella. “He comes from a coaching pedigree, as his dad has coached in both college and the NFL, and is someone I have known since 1989. ‘Zach’ is excited to be ‘ALL IN’ and will bring some new ideas to our defense.”
Tate Gregory – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
In Gregory’s four seasons as the offensive coordinator at Charleston, the Golden Eagles became one of the highest scoring teams in the Mountain East Conference (MEC). In 2015, UC set program records with 41.1 points and 465.1 total yards per game, 2,685 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, and 64 total touchdowns. The Golden Eagles scored 56 points four times and eclipsed 30 points nine times. Quarterback Jeremy Johnson totaled 2,747 yards and 25 touchdowns, while throwing just four interceptions, and was a nominee for the Harlon Hill award.
UC made its first ever appearance in the NCAA playoffs in 2015, falling to IUP 47-21 in the opening round. Its 10 wins were the most in program history, while its 9-1 MEC record was the best ever for a UC team.
Gregory was an assistant under UC head coach Pat Kirkland for six seasons, helping the Golden Eagles to a 76-46 overall record during that time. He joined the staff in 2006 after his graduation from Ohio University, and coached the running backs for three seasons (2006-08), all of which UC finished in the top two of the now-defunct West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) in rushing yards. He transitioned to wide receivers in 2009, coaching record-setting wideout Andre Higgins for two seasons, before making his move to offensive coordinator prior to the 2013 season.
Christian Bryan – Wide Receivers
Coach Bryan helped Carnegie Mellon to a 7-4 record in 2016, including an ECAC Legacy Bowl berth against Salisbury. Under his guidance, receiver John Prather had team-bests of 66 receptions for 1,125 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 102 yards per game and 17 yards per reception.
Graduating from YSU with his bachelor’s degree in 2015, he started that season after wrapping up a successful playing career. With the Penguins, Bryan caught 110 passes for 1,511 yards and 11 touchdowns. Those numbers rank eighth, 14th, and 13th, respectively, on YSU’s all-time lists.
Bryan was a 2014 captain for YSU and was named a recipient of the Dr. Neal R. Frost Outreach Man of the Year award as a junior, an award annually given by the coach staff. Following his freshman season, he was named a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, top freshman wide receiver in the FCS, after leading all freshman wide receivers nationally in receiving yards.
Jameson Zacharias – Cornerbacks
Coach Zacharias helped coach the outside linebackers and cornerbacks the last three seasons at Central Michigan, working with defensive coordinator Greg Colby and defensive backs coach Archie Collins.
The Chippewas owned the sixth-ranked pass defense in the Mid-American Conference last season, giving up just under 223 yards per game through the air. Junior cornerback Amari Coleman tied for the MAC-lead with four interceptions, returning two for touchdowns, and earned first team All-MAC honors.
Prior to his time in Mount Pleasant, he spent two seasons as the offensive quality control coach at Towson under Coach Rob Ambrose.
