Vandy coach hires former teammate as run game coordinator

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt has hired Norval McKenzie as run game coordinator and running backs coach.

Coach Clark Lea announced the hiring of his former Commodores' teammate Tuesday along with Lea Ryan Bellerose as an assistant strength coach. Lea also retained Fahd Jindani as an assistant strength coach.

McKenzie, who played running back from 2001-04 with Lea a teammate the final three seasons, spent the past two seasons at Louisville. He coached Louisville running back Javian Hawkins to a school-record 1,525 yards rushing as a freshman in 2019 and a team-high seven TDs in 2020.

He started his coaching career at Hiram high School in Georgia after graduating from Vanderbilt. He returned to Vandy as a graduate assistant coach at Vanderbilt in 2008-09 and was assistant recruiting coordinator in 2010 when he finished his master’s degree in education.

McKenzie coached three seasons at Arkansas State and five at Furman as running backs coach, special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator.

Bellerose spent 2018 and 2019 at South Carolina as associate director of strength and conditioning and worked for the NFL's Carolina Panthers in 2020 as an assistant on the human performance staff.

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