CLARKSVILLE – (ESPN CLARKSVILLE) – Austin Peay State University head football coach Mark Hudspeth has announced Tim Zetts as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Governors, and he has moved Mark Powell to defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
Zetts comes to Austin Peay after serving as the assistant wide receivers/offensive skill quality control coach at Mississippi State last season. He spent the 2017 season as the quarterbacks coach at Davidson.
Prior to that, he was the offensive coordinator at John Carroll. The 2016 Blue Streaks squad claimed the Ohio Athletic Conference title and advanced to the NCAA Division III semifinals. The team averaged a shade under 33 points per game and finished the year with a 12-2 record. In 2015, the offense averaged 31.3 points per game, and five offensive players earned All-OAC honors.
He spent three seasons (2012-14) as the running backs coach at Fordham for current Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead. In 2014, the Rams won the Patriot League championship, and under Zetts’ tutelage, Chase Edmonds won the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the FCS.
A 2009 graduate of the University of Akron with a degree in business and organization communications, Zetts was a backup quarterback for the Zips when they won the Mid-American Conference title in 2005, before leaving in 2007 to compete for the starting job at Saginaw Valley State. He returned to Akron to begin his coaching career as a student assistant at Akron.
“Tim has been an offensive coordinator before and has also been around some of the best offensive minds in college football,” Hudspeth said. “He’ll bring a wealth of ideas and creativity to this offense, and I know that he’ll work well with the coaches we have here.”
Powell, who was initially introduced as the safeties coach, will assume duties of the defensive coordinator. He will be joined by Dominique Bowman, who will serve as co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach.
Powell spent 2018 as a defensive graduate assistant for Mississippi State, the only team in the country to finish in the top 10 of all four major defensive categories, ranking first in total defense (263.1 yards per game), second in scoring defense (13.2 points per game), second in rushing defense (95.0 yards per game) and seventh in pass defense (168.0 yards per game). Powell coached All-SEC performer Jonathan Abram.
Powell served as special teams coordinator, defensive line coach and outside linebackers coach at Christopher Newport University in 2017 after spending the spring as a graduate assistant at Marshall. He coached for two seasons at Villanova: as the tight ends coach in 2016 and defensive assistant in 2015. He coached future NFL players Tanoh Kpassagnon, Malik Reaves and Trey Johnson.
Bowman spent the previous two seasons at UT Martin and was elevated to assistant head coach following the 2017 season after the Skyhawks put up one of the best statistical defenses in the FCS. UT Martin finished the season ranked first in red zone defense (60.6 percent), fourth in scoring defense (14.3 ppg), fourth in first downs defense (168), sixth in total defense (273.8 ypg), sixth in third down conversion percentage defense (28.7 percent), eighth in fourth down conversion percentage defense (28.6 percent), eighth in team passing efficiency defense (104.3), ninth in passing yards allowed (159.9 ypg) and 20th in rushing defense (113.9 ypg) nationally.
Before UT Martin, Bowman served as the defensive backs coach at the University of Arkansas at Monticello for the 2016 season. While leading the secondary unit, the Boll Weevils tallied 11 interceptions on the year along with 34 pass breakups.
“Dominique Bowman will bring a wealth of Tennessee-area recruiting experience to us, as he used to be a high school coach there in Memphis,” Hudspeth said. “His secondaries have consistently been some of the top in the conference. He brings a lot of passion and energy to that position, and I think his demeanor fits our staff well.”
Additionally, associate head coach Marquase Lovings will switch from defensive line coach to running backs coach. He coached running backs at Louisiana for Hudspeth from 2011-16. Under Lovings’ tutelage, former Ragin’ Cajuns running backs Elijah McGuire and Alonzo Harris combined to rush for over 3,800 yards and 48 touchdowns during a two-year span (2013-14) that saw each earn All-Sun Belt Conference honors. In 2014, the tandem combined to rush for 2,071 yards and 26 touchdowns with McGuire earning Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year honors by the Sun Belt Conference.
“After spending time with the coaches and a long, national search, I have decided to name Mark Powell as the defensive coordinator,” Hudspeth said. “He will be assisted by Dominique Bowman, who will be co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach. Marquase Lovings will move to running backs coach where he coached running backs for me for six seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette.”
Stay tuned to the APSU Athletics Communication website for all the latest news on additions to the coaching staff and other news as the Governors prepare for spring football, which begins March 14.