Courtesy: UAPB Athletics
PINE BLUFF, Ark. – University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff head coach Doc Gamble has added three coaches to his football staff.
Aaron Anguiano has been named running backs coach / recruiting coordinator, Jackie Cooper has been named cornerbacks coach, and Kenton Evans as quarterbacks coach.
“Each of these men bring great experience to our staff,” Gamble said. “Aaron has already been a part our program and has done a great job on the offensive side of the ball early in his career. Kenton has been an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on the high school and collegiate levels. Jackie brings decades of experience in multiple levels of football and has coached on both sides of the ball. They are all great additions to our football program.”
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No stranger to the Golden Lions’ program, Anguiano (pronounced Ang-Yawn-Oh) spent the previous two seasons as an offensive graduate assistant primarily focusing on wide receivers. During that time, DeJuan Miller earned SWAC Freshman of the Year Honors and FCS All-America honors while averaging 15.4 yards per reception for nearly 1,500 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
In 2017, ‘AR’ was the running back coach at Fullerton (Ca.) College, which won the junior college national championship as RB Gerald Hulett gained more than 1,200 yards total offense and 20 touchdowns while earning JUCO All-America honors.
Anguiano was wide receivers coach at Buena Park (Ca.) High School, with his unit combining for more than 3,000 yards and scoring 35 touchdowns.
A native of Huntington Beach, Calif., Anguiano began his coaching career at Laguna Beach High School, where his return units set school records for both punt and kickoff returns for touchdown in the same season.
Cooper spent the past two seasons at Southwest Mississippi Community College (Summit, Miss.) as recruiting coordinator and secondary coach, where his unit nearly had four times as many interceptions in 2019 (11) as the year before (three).
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Prior to his time at Southwest Mississippi, Cooper was passing game coordinator and secondary coach at East Jefferson High School (2017) in Metarie, La., defensive back / special teams coordinator at Cincinnati (Oh.) Christian School (2015-16), H.L. Bourgeois High in Gray, La. (2014), and East St. John (La.) High in LaPlace, La. (2013).
Cooper was defensive coordinator at Higgins High in Marrero, La. (2012), linebackers coach at East Jefferson High (2011), and was wide receivers coach at Stillman College (2010).
He began his coaching career in 1993 at Summit Country Day High and next spent four years at Withrow High (1994-97), both in Cincinnati, Ohio. He then spent two years as receivers coach at Mount St. Joseph University, also in Cincinnati.
Cooper also spent two years as a graduate assistant at the University of Cincinnati. While there, he helped guide the Bearcats to the Motor City Bowl, the New Orleans Bowl and the 2002 Conference USA championship. Cooper also spent one year as assistant coach for the Cincinnati Swarm of the Arena 2 Football Team.
His coaching career has also saw him at Lane College, Indiana State, Delta State, East Mississippi Community College, and John Ehret High.
As a player, the Marrero, La. native won a state championship at John Ehret High before becoming a two-year starter at defensive back at the College of the Sequoias. He helped his team to the 1987 Potato Bowl while being named the school’s freshman Athlete of the Year in football and track.
Cooper then spent two years as a defensive back at the University of Cincinnati. A two-year starter for the Bearcats, he received the Brig Owens Award as the team’s Outstanding Defensive Back in 1989.
Drafted in the third round by San Antonio of the World Football League in 1991, Cooper later played for New Orleans and Cincinnati in the Arena Football League.
Evans spent the previous two seasons as offensive coordinator at Central Methodist University, where WR Katavious Taylor was a two-time NAIA All-American and was one of three players to earn all-conference honors in 2019.
Evans joined Central Methodist after spending the 2017 season as the quarterbacks coach at NCAA Div. III Brevard College in North Carolina. He guided a Tornado offense that averaged nearly 28 points/game.
In 2013, Evans spent a season as quarterbacks coach at Valparaiso. QB Eric Hoffman finished with almost 3,000 passing yards and threw for 22 touchdowns. Hoffman also broke single game records for completions (36) and passing yards (495).
Evans also has extensive experience in the high school ranks. Evans had two different stints as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Martin Luther King HS (Lithonia, Ga.), generating among the top offensive in the DeKalb County (2014-15). In his first stint between 2010-12, Evans helped guide the Lions to three straight regional championships. The program produced the second-leading passer in Georgia high school football history, as well as six receivers who earned Division I football scholarships.
Evans also coached at Cedar Grove High (Ellenwood, Ga.), Towers High (Decatur, Ga.) and Georgia Prep Sports Academy (also in Decatur).
On the playing field, Evans excelled as a quarterback. He spent three years Memphis before spending his final season at Tennessee State University. In his senior campaign, Evans threw for nearly 2,000 yards and 19 touchdowns, earning OVC Newcomer of the Week recognition twice. After a 451-yard, four-touchdown performance against Murray State, he was named ESPN/USA Today I-AA Player of the Week .
After his college playing days, Evans spent eight years in the Arena Football League. He threw for 54 touchdowns and over 2,500 yards during his professional career.
Evans finished a legendary prep career at Westwood High in Memphis as the fourth-leading passer in Tennessee high school history with 10,519 career passing yards, as well as 115 touchdowns. He also was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for Tennessee among numerous prep honors.