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NEW COACHING STAFF PROVIDES A HISTORY OF SUCCESS While UVA's hiring of Bronco Mendenhall made waves, so too did the way the veteran head coach went about putting together his first coaching staff in Charlottesville. Not only did Mendenhall bring six of his BYU assistant coaches with him to Virginia, but he also kept on a single member from the previous staff and added a former head coach that may turn out to be his most valuable asset. On the offensive side of the ball, Mendenhall brought four coaches from BYU including coordinator and inside receivers coach Robert Anae, a veteran play caller with experience in a number of high-octane offensive systems at Arizona, Texas Tech and New Mexico. He also brought quarterbacks coach Jason Beck, running backs coach Mark Atuaia and offensive line coach Garet Tujague. Mendenhall will serve as his own defensive coordinator, with Nick Howell coming over form BYU to coach the defensive backs and Kelly Poppinga working with both the outside linebackers and the special teams units. In addition to naming former BYU graduate assistant Shane Hunter as the team's defensive line coach, Mendenhall also hired two non-Cougar coaches: wide receivers coach Marques Hagans, and inside linebackers coach and as- sistant head coach Ruffin McNeill, the former East Carolina head coach. In six years at ECU, McNeill posted a 42-34 record and notched one bowl victory. Considering that neither Mendenhall nor any of the six assistant coaches that have come with him from BYU have ever coached on the East Coast, each of those last two hires was important. "Coach Ruff has already fought some of the same battles and shared the same loneliness and faced those unique chal- lenges, and he's a confidant," Mendenhall said. "He's someone who understands re- ally tough decisions that really no one else could understand. "But maybe more than anything, it's the quality of person he is and how much fun he is to be around," Mendenhall added. "Everyone migrates to Coach Ruff. Players, coaches, staff members. There's not an area where Ruffin McNeill is weak. "He's strong in every particular area and has made a huge difference on our staff already, and he's been a great hire and he's already become a great friend." Thus far, Mendenhall said, his staff 's ex- perience out on the recruiting trail, de- Ruffin McNeill, who had a 42-34 record in six years at ECU, will serve as UVA's assistant head coach and inside lineback- ers mentor. PHOTO COURTESY EAST CAROLINA