Courtesy of NCAT Athletics
GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T (NCAT) head coach Shawn Gibbs announced his coaching staff on Monday, with his offensive and defensive coordinators being familiar names and faces to the Aggies.
NCAT graduate Denzel Jones returns to Aggieland as Gibbs’ defensive coordinator. Former Howard quarterback Greg McGhee will serve as A&T’s offensive coordinator.
Gibbs will bring several coaches from previous NCAT staffs, including offensive line coach Ron Mattes, wide receivers Nate Poole, running backs coach Keith Henry, outside linebackers coach Terry Lantz, tight ends coach Stephen Barnette, and assistant linebackers coach Alex Purviance.
Defensive backs coach Tony McRae, one of the best defensive and special teams players in the football program’s history, is another familiar face and name on the staff. Defensive line coach OC Williams II rounds out the coaching staff. In addition, Gibbs announced Theric Holt as his director of football operations.
“I’m excited about the staff we have assembled here,” said Gibbs. “We have several guys who have ties to A&T and have accomplished many things as players and coaches in the HBCU world and in the pros as players.”
Jones played football at A&T from 2012-2105, earning defensive MVP honors at the inaugural Celebration Bowl in 2015. After spending three seasons as Gibbs’ defensive coordinator at Division II Fort Valley State University (FVSU), he returns to his alma mater.
Over the previous two seasons, FVSU had the No. 1 rush defense in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). Last season, the Wildcats had the nation’s best rush defense and total defense. Before coaching under Gibbs at FVSU, he served as A&T’s inside linebackers coach from 2018-2022 under Sam Washington.
In addition to his defensive coordinator duties, Jones will also serve as the Aggies linebackers coach.
Some Aggies will certainly remember McGhee from his playing days as Howard University’s starting quarterback. McGhee is one of the best offensive players in Howard’s history and, without question, one of the best offensive talents the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) has produced thus far in the 21st century.
McGhee won MEAC offensive player of the year in 2013 and 2014, sharing the honor with Aggies legend Tarik Cohen in 2014. He has spent the previous two seasons at Howard serving as the program’s quarterback coach and passing game coordinator. He coached quarterbacks at West Liberty University from 2020-22, earning a promotion to offensive coordinator in 2022.
He was a four-year starter at Howard from 2011-14, earning MEAC Rookie of the Year in 2011. He still ranks as the school’s and the MEAC’s all-time leader in total yards and completions. After his collegiate career, he played professionally for the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the Arena Football League. In 2024, he was inducted into the Howard University Hall of Fame.
In addition to his offensive coordinator duties, McGhee will coach quarterbacks.
Mattes will return for his 10th season as the Aggies offensive line coach. At North Carolina A&T, he coached some of the best offensive linemen in program history, including current Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Brandon Parker. He also coached 2018 MEAC offensive lineman of the year Micah Shaw, 2019 MEAC offensive lineman of the year Marcus Pettiford and 2020 preseason All-American Dacquari Wilson. In 2022, all five A&T starting offensive linemen earned an All-Big South Conference accolade.
Poole has coached wide receivers at NCAT since 2020 and has developed some talented receivers including Zachary Leslie, an All-Big South selection, Taymon Cooke, who received an NFL tryout, and Ger-Cari Caldwell, who led the Aggies in receiving yards and receptions last season.
Keith Henry, who has coached safeties the past two seasons, will coach the A&T running backs in 2025.
Terry Lantz is another familiar name to the NCAT coaching staff, becoming an assistant coach under Rod Broadway at A&T in 2017 before serving in the same capacity under Washington from 2018-22. Over the previous two seasons, he served as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Averett.
Barnette spent one season as the tight ends coach under former NCAT head coach Vincent Brown in 2024. Meanwhile, Purviance spent two seasons under Brown and will return with the A&T football program in 2025.
McRae is a former NFL talent, who was a three-year starter for the Aggies at cornerback and earned significant playing time all four seasons in an Aggies uniform (2012-15). He was also an excellent return specialist. In 2013, he helped the Aggies upset Appalachian State 24-21 with a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He returned three other kicks for touchdowns in his career.
McRae spent the previous three seasons as the cornerbacks coach at N.C. Central University (NCCU), where he helped the Eagles win the 2022 Celebration Bowl and earn a spot in the 2023 NCAA Division I-FCS playoffs.
Williams and Holt will make the trip north with Gibbs from FVSU. He coached defensive linemen and was the assistant head coach at FVSU from 2022-24, helping Jones and the Wildcat defense become the No. 1 total defense and rush defense in Division II in 2024.
Holt coached wide receivers and tight ends at FVSU from 2022-24, where he coached Division II and HBCU All-American Dejuan Bell and All-SIAC tight end Gentry Sparks.
The Aggies open the season on Saturday, August 30, at Tennessee State.