SAU’s Clay Jennings Leaves For Sam Houston State

Magnolia, AR--Southern Arkansas University is scheduled to open spring practice Monday in preparation for the 2001 football season. New head football coach Steve Quinn will be without his secondary coach, Clay Jennings, who has accepted a position on the staff at NCAA I-AA Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Tex.

Jennings was at SAU only one year before moving to a larger NCAA classified school. He came to SAU from Morningside College in Iowa, where he was the secondary coach for a year. Before his year at Morningside, Jennings was secondary coach and special teams coordinator at NCAA Division II Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. He had earlier been a graduate assistant coach in charge of cornerbacks and kickoff return specialists at NCAA Division I-A University of North Texas in 1997 after serving as a student assistant in '96.

Jennings is a graduate of North Texas and was a four-year letterman. He graduated from Waco (LaVega) High School in Waco, Tex., in 1992.

Jennings' secondary at SAU played exceptionally well last season in spite of their youth. Only one returning starter was in the defensive backfield when the Muleriders faced such noted passers as Valdosta State University All-American quarterback Dusty Bonner and Delta State University's Josh Bright, who directed his team to the NCAA Division II national championship. The 'Riders two-deep secondary last year had one senior, two sophomores, one redshirt freshmen and four true freshmen. Though inexperienced, SAU ranked fourth in the toughest 12-team football D-II conference in the nation. Delta proved a point last year by breezing through the national playoffs after having to settle for a GSC tri-championship with VSU and State University of West Georgia.

The 'Riders will complete spring practice before getting serious on a replacement for Jennings.