March 27, 2008
DAVIS, Calif. - UC Davis head football coach Bob Biggs announced assignment changes to the Aggie football coaching staff on Thursday, including naming Keith Buckley as assistant head coach, as well as the addition of four assistant coaches.
Buckley has been given the role of assistant head football coach, replacing in that role longtime coach Fred Arp who retired after last season. Buckley, who will continue to coach the safeties, also oversees recruiting and camp efforts for the Aggies. He has been an assistant with the Aggies for six seasons.
Sixth-year coach Rich Scangerello will move from coaching the receivers to coaching the quarterbacks and becoming co-offensive coordinator. He was also the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at Carleton College (Minn.) before coming to UC Davis and also previously coached the quarterbacks at Idaho. He will serve as co-offensive coordinator with Mike Moroski, who will continue to direct the Aggies' offensive line.
New to the staff as coaches are Tres Sullivan, who will direct the receivers, and Jason Gelber, who will coach the defensive line. Additionally, Eric Sanders, who coached at UC Davis in 2006 before joining the Utah State staff last season, has returned and will coach the Aggie linebackers while former standout Nevan Bergan has assumed a coaching position with the cornerbacks.
Sanders returns to the Aggies after spending the 2007 campaign serving as a graduate assistant with the defensive staff at Utah State. He helped coach the UC Davis tight ends and offensive line in 2006 after coordinating video efforts and assisting the defensive staff for two seasons. Sanders graduated from UC Davis in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in psychology with a biological emphasis.
Gelber comes to UC Davis after coaching running backs last season at Tarleton University in Texas. His experience covers several colleges and universities across the country, including serving on the staffs at the Minnesota, Virginia, USC, the University of San Diego, and Occidental College. Gelber also has experience at the junior college and high school levels. Gelber is a 1993 graduate of USC who later earned a master's from Minnesota.
Sullivan was a volunteer administrative assistant with UC Davis last season afer serving as offensive coordinator and quarterback and receivers coach for Kansas City of the Arena Football League. His extensive experience also includes serving as a graduate assistant with the University of Texas-El Paso.
Bergan, who served as volunteer administrative assistant with the defense last season, will assume an assistant coaching role directing the cornerbacks. Bergan concluded his Aggie playing career in 2006 tied for sixth on the program's all-time interception list with 10. He led the Great West Football Conference in 2005 with seven picks.
Leaving the staff besides Arp - who coached more than four decades with the Aggies - are three coaches who made significant contributions to the Aggie program; Mayur Chaudhari (linebackers), Jamie Nelson (defensive line) and Tim Keane (offensive line). Chaudhari is pursuing other coaching opportunities, Nelson resigned for personal reasons and Keane has accepted an offensive graduate assistant position at Tulane.
UC Davis will be playing its second season at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level in 2008.
