Kevin Higgins is in his eighth season as The Citadel’s head football coach. Formerly the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach with the Detroit Lions and head coach at Lehigh, Higgins is the 23rd head coach in Bulldog football history.

A year ago, The Citadel posted a record of 4-7 with five of its losses coming by 10 points or less. In their second season in the triple option offense, the Bulldogs ranked third in the nation in rushing with an average of 286.6 yards per game while the defense allowed averages of only 23.4 points and 343.8 yards of total offense to rank second and third, respectively, in the Southern Conference.

The Citadel had four players named to the All-SoCon team, including first team berths for center Mike Sellers, defensive tackle Derek Douglas and punter Cass Couey while defensive end Chris Billingslea was on the second team. Couey ranked fifth in the nation with an average of 43.0 yards per punt while the Bulldogs tied an FCS single-season record with nine blocked punts.

Higgins enters the 2012 season with a record of 31-47 at The Citadel and 87-72-1 in 14 seasons overall.

The 2010 season was a transitional year for the Bulldogs as they experienced the loss of All-America wide receiver Andre Roberts, who was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, welcomed nine new coaches and switched to the triple option offense.

Still there were plenty of highlights during the campaign. The Bulldogs ranked second in the FCS in fewest penalties and fewest penalty yards per game. Defensive back Cortez Allen played in the East-West Shrine Game and was selected by Pittsburgh in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, seeing action in 15 games as a rookie for the Steelers.

The previous two seasons saw several challenges for the Bulldog staff, including one of the toughest schedules during Higgins’ tenure in 2008 and a season plagued by injuries in 2009.

The 2009 season was highlighted by 10 players earning postseason all-conference accolades, including five first-year players on the SoCon All-Freshman team. Despite finishing the season with a record of 4-7, the team received seven SoCon Player of the Week honors, the most in school history.

Roberts, one of Higgins’ first recruits at The Citadel, enjoyed an outstanding senior season with 77 catches and eight touchdowns, finishing the year in the No. 2 spot in SoCon history in receptions (285) and receiving yards (3,743). He was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award for the second consecutive season and was on the All-America team for the third time. Roberts was the 88th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, going to the Cardinals in the third round.

In 2008, the Bulldogs played a schedule that included nationally-ranked Clemson and Florida and three-time defending FCS national champion Appalachian State.

Under Higgins’ leadership, quarterback Bart Blanchard finished first in the SoCon in passing yards in conference games with 231.6 per game and was second in total offense with 244.6 yards per game. Blanchard’s 2,609 yards of offense broke the school’s single-season record, and his 19 touchdown passes ranks second for one season.

Roberts was a first team All-American, setting school records with 95 receptions for 1,334 yards while also leading the nation in punt returns with an average of 19.2 per return.

The 2007 season proved to be the most successful to date for Higgins at The Citadel as the team finished 7-4 for the school’s first winning campaign since 1997. The Bulldogs had their second straight winning season in the SoCon, finishing 4-3 in league play, while breaking over 40 school records.

Nationally, the Bulldogs finished fourth in scoring with an average of 39.5 points per game while also placing sixth in turnovers lost and 10th in pass efficiency and leading the SoCon in total defense, allowing only 356.5 yards per game.

After starting off the 2007 season with two wins, The Citadel traveled to No. 7 Wisconsin and was tied with the Big Ten powerhouse at 21 at halftime. The Bulldogs went on to win five more times including a thrilling 54-51 overtime win over Furman with quarterback Duran Lawson setting a school record with 486 yards of total offense. The Citadel also knocked off No. 19 Elon to clinch a tie for third place in the SoCon with a 4-3 league record.

After going 4-7 in his first season in 2005, Higgins led the Bulldogs to a five-win campaign in 2006 including victories over Georgia Southern and Elon that enabled them to finish above .500 at 4-3 in the SoCon.

Prior to his appointment at The Citadel, Higgins served as the quarterbacks coach for his first three years with the Lions (2001-03) and worked with Joey Harrington, Detroit’s third pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. During his fourth season (2004) he coached the wide receivers coach and was responsible for the development of one of the most exciting trios of wideouts in the NFL – Az-Zahir Hakim, Charles Rogers and Roy Williams. That season, Williams set Lions rookie season records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.

Before joining the NFL ranks, Higgins was one of the hottest coaches in FCS football at Lehigh, leading the Mountain Hawks to three straight Patriot League championships and NCAA playoff appearances from 1998 to 2000. Lehigh lost only one regular season game in his final three seasons and posted an overall record of 34-4 during that span.

Higgins had an overall record of 56-25-1 (30-9 in the Patriot League) during his seven seasons atop the Mountain Hawks program. He led Lehigh to four Patriot League championships (1995, 1998, 1999, 2000) and was named Patriot League Coach of the Year three times (1995, 1998, 2000). In 1999 and 2000 he was a candidate for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award.

In 2000, Higgins helped Lehigh accrue its second undefeated regular season (11-0) in three years and its third-straight league title. The team ended the season 12-1 including a win over Western Illinois in the opening round of the Division I-AA playoffs. In 1999, Lehigh finished 10-2 and earned an at-large postseason bid, earning Higgins GTE Regional Coach of the Year honors.

The previous season Lehigh completed its first undefeated regular season (11-0) under Higgins and defeated third-ranked Richmond in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to Massachusetts, which went on to win the national championship.

Under Higgins’ tutelage, Lehigh developed into one of the premier passing offenses in the country and topped the Patriot League in that category five of his last seven years. Three former players – Rabih Abdullah (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Lehigh’s all-time leading rusher, Rich Owens (Kansas City Chiefs) and Phil Stambaugh (Jacksonville Jaguars) – played in the NFL.

During the summers of 1996 and 1997, Higgins did an internship with the Philadelphia Eagles, who held their training camp on the Lehigh campus. It was there that he studied under former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden learning the intricacies of the West Coast offense.

Higgins spent a total of 13 seasons at Lehigh, the first six (1988-93) as an assistant coach before his promotion to head coach in 1994.

Prior to his stint with the Mountain Hawks, Higgins was an assistant coach at Richmond from 1985-87 after beginning his collegiate coaching career at Gettysburg (Pa.) College where he spent the 1981-84 seasons. Previously he was the head basketball and baseball coach and assistant football coach at North Warren (N.J.) High School from 1979-80 and the head basketball coach and assistant football coach at Emerson (N.J.) High School from 1977-78.

A native of Emerson, N.J., Higgins attended Emerson High School where he was captain of the football, basketball and baseball teams during his senior year. In 2004, he was inducted into the Emerson High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

A 1977 graduate of West Chester, Higgins earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education while playing free safety and being named the team’s most valuable defensive back his senior season. He went on to receive his master’s degree in physical education from East Stroudsburg in 1981.

Higgins and his wife, Kay, have three children - son Tim (wife Sarah) and daughters Meaghan and Katie Rose.

Denny Doornbos is in his third season on The Citadel coaching staff and was promoted to assistant head coach in 2011. In March 2012 he added the duties of defensive coordinator, replacing the departed Josh Conklin, while continuing to mentor the defensive linemen.

Last season two of his pupils - tackle Derek Douglas and end Chris Billingslea - were named to the All-Southern Conference team, with Douglas earning first team accolades after ranking fifth in the league with 14.5 tackles for loss. Billingslea was a second-team choice.

Doornbos came to The Citadel from St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisc., where he was the defensive coordinator. In his lone season on the staff in 2009, the Green Knights posted a record of 9-1, finished second in their conference in total defense and recorded two shutouts, the first at St. Norbert since 1952.

Prior to his stay at St. Norbert, Doornbos spent five seasons at Northern Illinois. He coached the linebackers in 2003 before being promoted to defensive coordinator the following year and staying in that role through the 2007 campaign.

In 2003 Northern Illinois became the first Mid-American Conference team to defeat three BCS schools en route to a 10-2 record. The following year the Huskies went 9-3 and won the Silicon Valley Bowl, won a second straight MAC Western Division title and led the conference in scoring defense in 2005 and earned a berth opposite TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl following the 2006 season.

Doornbos, who has over 30 years of coaching experience, spent 13 years at Army (1986-99)and was defensive coordinator and defensive ends coach for nine years. He was the defensive coordinator at UTEP from 1983-85 and also spent time on coaching staffs at  Michigan (1982), Kent State (1981), Boston College (1980) and Illinois (1978-79)

Doornbos received his bachelor of science degree from Western Michigan in 1978 and was a defensive back for the Broncos. He and his wife, Helen, have two sons, Blaik and Darik.

Bob Bodine is in his third season on The Citadel staff and second as offensive coordinator.

Under his direction, the Bulldogs had one of the most potent rushing attacks in the nation last season, ranking third in the country with an average of 286.6 yards per game. He oversaw the transition of Mike Sellers from a high school fullback to a mainstay at center on The Citadel's offensive line, and the 2012 junior was a first team All-SoCon selection and honorable mention All-American last year.

Prior to joining the staff at The Citadel, Bodine spent four seasons (2006-09) as the offensive line coach at VMI, helping the Keydets lead the nation in rushing offense in both 2008 and 2009.

He began his coaching career at his alma mater, Tulane, working with the Green Wave offensive line and long snappers from 1994-96. He then headed to Georgia Southern as a graduate assistant tutoring the defensive line from 1997-98 before earning a fulltime staff position the following year.

He coached the Georgia Southern outside linebackers in 1999 before moving back over to the offense and mentoring Eagle wide receivers (2000-01) and slot backs (2002). His coaching journey then took him to Jackson State as offensive line coach (2003-04) and Bethune-Cookman (2005) as slot backs coach and recruiting coordinator before heading to VMI.

Bodine was a three-time letter winner and two-year starter as an offensive guard at Tulane, earning his bachelor of arts degree in psychology in 1993.

Bodine and his wife, Joy, are the parents of twins Gabriel (Jake) and Gracie.

Aashon Larkins is in his seventh season on the Bulldog staff and third as the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach. Previously he worked with The Citadel's defensive backs.

Last year the Bulldogs had one of the top special teams units in the nation, tying an FCS single-season record with nine blocked punts led by Domonic Jones with five. Cass Couey established himself as one of the finest punters in the nation, ranking fifth in the nation with an average of 43.0 yards per punt and earning first team all-conference honors. The Citadel also ranked fifth in the nation with an average of 15.2 yards per punt return and 21st with an average of 22.9 yards per kickoff return.

Over the past three seasons, The Citadel has blocked a total of 19 kicks, with five going for touchdowns, and pulled off three successful fake punts and one fake field goal.

In 2010 the Bulldogs allowed an average of only 17.1 yards per kickoff return, the ninth-best mark in the nation. The previous season The Citadel was 12th in the country in that category, surrendering only 17.6 yards per return while blocking four punts. Larkins worked closely with All-American Andre Roberts, whose averge of 15.5 yards per punt return placed him sixth in the nation.

Larkins came to The Citadel from Wagner where he served as the defensive backs coach and academic liaison in 2005. His defensive backs were second in Division I-AA in interceptions with 21 that year and Al Phillips was named first team All-American among mid-major schools.

A graduate of Lehigh where he was recruited by Bulldog head coach Kevin Higgins, Larkins began his coaching career as a student assistant at his alma mater in 2003 before moving on to Holy Cross where he coached cornerbacks under former Citadel defensive coordinator Isaac Collins in 2004. Larkins also served an internship with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Larkins was a three-year letterman at Lehigh and helped the Mountain Hawks post a record of 41-8 and garner three Patriot League titles. A double major, Larkins graduated from Lehigh in 2003 with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and sociology. 

Larkins is married to the former Jacquelin Stove.

Nathaniel Hogge is in his fifth season at The Citadel and third serving as the recruiting coordinator. After coaching the wide receivers last year he will once again work with the Bulldog tight ends in 2012. He began his tenure at The Citadel coaching the offensive line and tight ends before switching to the receiving corps a year ago.

Prior to joining The Citadel, Hogge was a member of the Oklahoma State coaching staff for three seasons (2005-07). The last two years he was the graduate assistant coach assisting with the offensive line after working in quality control for the Cowboys' offense his first season in Stillwater.

Before going to Oklahoma State, Hogge spent two years at North Carolina as a graduate assistant coach (2003-04). He began his coaching career as a student assistant at Elon, his alma mater, before spending one season at Fork Union Military Academy as an offensive assistant. 

At Fork Union, Hogge worked with the offensive line and running backs while also serving as operations coordinator for the footbal program. 

Hogge was a member of the Elon football team for four seasons and received his bachelor of arts degree in communications with a double concentration in broadcast and corporate communications in 2002.

Craig Candeto, a former standout Navy quarterback under Paul Johnson and Navy lieutenant fighter pilot, is in his second season at The Citadel coaching the quarterbacks and B-backs (fullbacks).

Candeto came to The Citadel from Georgia Tech where he coached the B-backs in 2010. He spent the 2009 season as a graduate assistant at Austin Peay working with quarterbacks.

Prior to embarking on his coaching career, Candeto spent five years as a fighter pilot as a member of Strike Fighter Squadron 106 “Gladiators” stationed in Virginia Beach, Va., flying T-34, T-45 and F/A-18 jets. The former lieutenant retired from the Navy in 2009 after piloting a $57 million Super Hornet aircraft.

Candeto was a standout quarterback under Johnson at Navy. In 2002, he rushed for six touchdowns in Navy’s 58-12 win against Army, tying the NCAA record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. In total, he accounted for seven TDs in the game.

In his second year as the starter in 2003 he accomplished the rare feat of rushing and passing for more than 1,000 yards in a season and earned the Rubino Memorial Silver Helmet award as the Outstanding Football Player at Navy for the second straight season. As co-captain that year, he quarterbacked a Navy team that won three games the previous three seasons and guided it to an 8-5 record, the top spot in the nation in rushing offense and its first bowl appearance in seven years.

He was the recipient of the Joe Bellino Award presented to the team’s top rusher as well as the Military Quarterback of the Year. Candeto  is a member of the Navy Athletic Hall of Fame.

Candeto was a four-year starter in leftfield for the Navy baseball team and was a first team All-Patriot League outfielder in 2003 along with being named the Thompson Trophy Cup recipient for the Midshipman who did the most during the year to promote athletics at the Naval Academy.

A two-sport prep star, Candeto earned the 1999 6A Florida State High School Player of the Year award in football and was also first team all-state in baseball.

Candeto gained experience coaching while in the Navy. In 2004 and 2005 he was an assistant baseball coach at Navy and in the summer of 2007 he served as volunteer assistant football coach at Northeast Lauderdale High School in Meridian, Miss.

A 2004 U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Candeto earned his bachelor of science degree in economics. He is married to the former Maribeth Robinson.

Bill Mottola is in his second season coaching slot backs at The Citadel.

Mottola has coached every offensive position during his career, including a stint as offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky in 2000 when he also coached the offensive line and tight ends.

That season the Hilltoppers finished No. 1 in the nation in passing efficiency and turnover margin, No. 9 in rushing offense and No. 25 in scoring offense. Western Kentucky was the only Division I team in the country that did not throw an interception that season en route to an 11-2 record, an NCAA playoff appearance and a No. 5 ranking in the final USA Today poll of the year.

His most recent stop before coming to The Citadel was at Miami (Ohio) where he coached the offensive line. In 2010, the RedHawks captured the Mid-American Conference championship and went on to win the GoDaddy.com Bowl with a victory over Middle Tennessee. Miami became the first team in NCAA history to go from double digit losses to double digit wins, improving from 1-11 in 2009 to 10-4 the following year.

Mottola began his coaching career at Maine Maritime Academy in 1990 before spending the next three seasons at Vanderbilt. He also coaching at the University of the South (1994) and Army (1995-99) before heading to Western Kentucky. He then spent the 2001-05 seasons at Kent State, coached at Palmetto Ridge High School in Naples, Fla., (2006) and was the offensive coordinator at Findlay in 2007-08 before heading to Miami.

During his time at Army, the team twice won national rushing titles (1996 and 1998), played in the 1996 Independence Bowl and ended the 1996 season ranked No. 25 in the final AP poll.

Mottola is a 1989 graduate of Springfield (Mass.) College, earning a bachelor of science degree in physical education and health. He later received his master of education degree in health promotion and education from Vanderbilt.

His family includes his wife, Jonilea, and children Ciana, Adia and Dominic.

Gerald Dixon is in his fifth season at The Citadel and second working with the cornerbacks. Previously he worked with the defensive linemen, safeties and outside linebackers.

Dixon was instrumental in the development of Cortez Allen, whom he coached during his senior season in 2010. Following that campaign, Allen was selected in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and played in 15 games during his rookie season.

Dixon was a four-year starter at cornerback at Alabama and was a member of the Crimson Tide's 1999 Southeastern Conference championship squad. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman team and earned All-SEC honors after his senior season.

Following his collegiate career, Dixon signing with the Detroit Lions and later with the Buffalo Bills. He played with the Scottish Claymores in NFL Europe and spent two seasons with the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos, helping them win a Grey Cup.

At the conclusion of his playing career, Dixon joined the coaching staff at Coral Park High School in Miami, Fla., coaching the team's defensive backs and special teams. He also taught 11th grade English and coordinated an afterschool peer counseling program.

Dixon, a native of Jamaica, earned his bachelor of arts degree in communications from Alabama in 2002. He and his wife, Stacia, are the parents of daughter Sakyia.

J.P. Gunter is in his third season at The Citadel and second as a fulltime staff member. He is in charge of the Bulldogs wide receivers after coaching the outside linebackers a year ago.

Gunter joined the staff as a graduate assistant working with special teams quality control in 2010. He spent the previous year as the offensive line coach, run game coordinator and special teams coordinator at Pikeville (Ky.) College, where he actively recruited student-athletes from eight states.

Gunter spent the 2007 season as a graduate assistant at Lenoir-Rhyne, his alma mater, coaching the offensive line and tight ends and was the outside linebackers coach, camp coordinator and academic liaison the following year.

A four-year letterman at Lenoir-Rhyne from 2003-06, Gunter started at center for three years, served as a team captain and was a South Atlantic Conference all-star selection.

A native of Irmo, S.C., Gunter earned his bachelor of arts degree in sports management with a minor in business administration from Lenoir-Rhyne in 2007. He completed his graduate certification in sport management from The Citadel in 2011.

John Hauser joined The Citadel coaching staff in April and will be in charge of the Bulldog safeties.

Hauser was the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Wayne State University in Michigan the past four seasons and spent two months as director of player personnel at the University of Illinois before his desire to return to coaching led him to The Citadel.

While at Wayne State, Hauser oversaw a unit that finished in the top 10 nationally in Division II in scoring defense and produced four all-conference defensive backs and a pair of All-Americans. With Hauser playing an integral role, the Warriors turned the corner from being a program with no prior history of success into one which twice set school records for most wins in a season and advanced to the NCAA Division II title game in 2011.

In addition to his responsibilities managing the Wayne State defense, including developing defensive game plans, Hauser also worked with the special teams, primarily the punt, punt return, kickoff and field goal block units, and coordinated recruiting efforts in Michigan and parts of Ohio. 

Prior to joining the Wayne State program, Hauser spent five seasons at Northern Illinois, where he coached under then Husky and current Citadel defensive coordinator Denny Doornbos. Hauser was a graduate assistant coach for the Huskies from 2003-05 before earning a fulltime position on the staff as defensive backs coach in February 2006.

He was part of a coaching staff that led Northern Illinois to three straight Mid-American Conference Western Division championships and three bowl appearances. Hauser also spent eight months on the coaching staff at his alma mater, Wittenberg University in Ohio, before accepting an offer to go Northern Illinois.

Hauser was a four-year starter at safety at Wittenberg and served as a team captain his junior and senior seasons. He was named to the all-conference team three times and earned a spot on the Division III All-America team in 2002.

Hauser earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from Wittenberg and a master’s degree in adult and higher education from Northern Illinois.

Donnell Boucher is in his sixth year at The Citadel and fourth as the head strength and conditioning coach. He joined the staff as an assistant in the same department in April 2007.

Prior to coming to The Citadel, Boucher was the performance director at Competitive Athlete Training Zone in Auburn, Mass., where he trained athletes of all levels in performance enhancement. Before that he was a volunteer strength and conditioning coach at Iona.

His strength and conditioning certifications include CPR/BLS Health Care Provider and AED along with being a NSCA certified strength and conditioning specialist.

Boucher earned a bachelor's degree in health education from Worcester State where he was a four-year football letterman. A three-year starter, he received the Scholar-Athlete Award in 2004 and 2005.

Boucher completed his master's degree at The Citadel in 2010. He is married to the former Victoria Wayson.

Nelson Burch is in his third season on the staff at The Citadel and serves as the offensive quality control coach.

Burch is a 2010 graduate of The Citadel where he was a defensive back for four seasons.

The Myrtle Beach, S.C., native is pursuing a master's degree in sports management in The Citadel Graduate College.

Chad Wheeler is in his second season at The Citadel as the defensive quality control coach.

Wheeler is a 2004 graduate of Florida State where he walked on as a long snapper. Following graduation, he worked in sales at a local television station in Jacksonville, Fla., before teaching and coaching at Baldwin High School. 

In the summer of 2008, Wheeler joined Eagle's View Academy as an assistant athletic director and high school teacher while coaching football and baseball until 2011.

Wheeler is currently pursuing a master's degree in health, exercise and sport science in The Citadel Graduate College and resides in North Charleston with his wife, Sara.

Mickey McDermott is in his second season on The Citadel coaching staff and will work with special teams quality control this year.

A 2011 graduate of Charleston Southern, McDermott spent the previous four seasons working with the Charleston Southern football staff as a student manager. He specialized working on the offensive side of the ball with the quarterbacks.

McDermott is pursuing a master's degree in physical education from The Citadel Graduate College.

Brendan Wonn is in his third year on The Citadel coaching staff and second as the team's video coordinator.

Wonn worked with quality control during the 2010 season after graduating from The Citadel earlier that year. He is pursuing a master's degree in teaching in The Citadel Graduate College.