By Conor Nevins
Order was officially restored to the Northeastern football program upon the arrival of former Temple assistant Rocky Hager, who replaced Don Brown and immediately set out to bring the football program back on track with his aggressive and disciplined approach.
With the head coaching position now established, it fell on Hager’s shoulders to bring the rest of the pieces into place. He responded by announcing the new additions to his coaching staff including defensive coordinator John Cervino, offensive coordinator Eddie Davis, offensive line coach Brian Surace and secondary coach James Salgado last week.
Cervino returns to Northeastern after serving as a defensive assistant coach on the Huskies’ staff under Don Brown from 2000 to 2002. He had been with Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Va. the past two years serving as a defensive coordinator on a team that finished 10th in the nation in Division III in total defense. Cervino returns to the NU football staff eager to continue with the success he helped to build during his time on coach Brown’s staff.
“I loved my time here. I have a lot of respect for the players here,” he said.
Cervino is excited about his return to NU as he takes on more responsibility now as a coordinator.
“I’m really looking forward to returning to A-10 competition and competing at such a high level,” he said. “My job now as a defensive coordinator brings more responsibility and I am excited to meet those challenges.”
Eddie Davis joins the NU coaching staff as the new offensive coordinator. Davis brings his play-calling skills from A-10 rival James Madison University, where he served as offensive coordinator for five years, winning the A-10 crown in 1999.
Brian Surace comes to Northeastern as the new offensive line coach from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he served for five years as an assistant coach. The former Princeton and Gettysburg center will take over an offensive line that helped produce one of the most potent running games in the A-10 conference. Surace is provided with even more depth on the O-Line as three new incoming recruits clock in at over 310 pounds.
The final piece to Hager’s coaching puzzle is another member of coach Brown’s old staff. Brian Salgado served as NU’s defensive secondary coach from 2000 to 2002 before heading to Hofstra for the same position. Salgado joins NU once again as the defensive secondary coach.
Among the new faces on coach Hager’s new staff, there returns some familiar ones as well. Cervino and Salgado are familiar with Northeastern’s system and many of its players. Cervino believes such familiarity will help the players with the transition from one coaching staff to another.
“The fact that me and Salgado are back with the defense makes it easier on the players I think,” he said. “We shared some stories from the past years, and we’re now really starting to get back on track. As a whole the defensive staff feels good to be at this point.”
The Huskies have a long road ahead as they gear up to reclaim their A-10 crown. As they prepare for the upcoming season, transition and change will challenge the Huskies but Cervino feels they are up to the task.
“I think all those problems will take care of themselves once we get back on the field and get back to playing,” he said.
