Northern Colorado football makes additional changes to coaching staff

Ahead of Ed Lamb’s second season with the University of Northern Colorado football team, tweaks and changes continue with the Bears’ coaching staff.

UNC, which begins spring practice March 26, recently added a coach to Lamb’s staff and altered the title for another coach.

J.B. Hall Jr. was hired this week to be the Bears’ defensive pass-game coordinator and safeties coach.

James Pazak, will take over as special teams’ coordinator. Pazak, who joined Lamb’s staff in December 2022, previously coached linebackers and safeties.

Michael Smith, previously the Bears’ associate head coach, special teams coordinator and running backs coach, left the program for another coaching position. Offensive graduate assistant Nick Hudgens will be the Bears’ interim running backs coach.

Lamb and the program will conduct a search for a full-time running backs coach. Hudgens may be a candidate for the position full time.

In late February, Lamb hired former BYU player Mike Rigell as the Bears’ wide receivers’ coach in an effort to add stability to the receivers’ room.

Lamb announced other changes and restructuring to the coaching staff in mid-january including:

Defensive coordinator Preston Hadley adding the coaching of Bears’ linebackers to his list of responsibilities; Aaron Fernandez named assistant head coach and added title of NFL liaison while continuing to coach the defensive line; Nick Nissen moving from tight ends to offensive line, and Spencer Patterson switching from offensive line to tight ends.

Lamb promoted Justin Walterscheid to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in late 2023 to replace Blair Peterson, who left the program for other work. Walterscheid was UNC’S special teams coach in 2023.

COURTESY — SIMON FRASER ATHLETICS University of Northern Colorado football coach Ed Lamb announced the hiring of Mike Rigell as the Bears’ new wide receivers coach in a release from the athletic department Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. Rigell is a former Brigham Young University player — as is Lamb. Rigell comes to UNC as a long-time college football coach. His most recent job was as the head coach of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada from 2020-22.

JIM RYDBOM — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER University of Northern Colorado head football coach Ed lamb talks to alumni during a recent practice on the UNC campus August 10, 2023.