Skrosky Announces Additions to Elon Football Coaching Staff

ELON, N.C. – New Elon football head coach Rich Skrosky has announced the hirings of the majority of his coaching staff today, Jan. 16. The new-look Phoenix staff will return one coach and welcomes in six new members.

Members of the new staff will be:
Scott Browne (returning) – recruiting coordinator and running backs coach
Jerry Petercuskie – defensive coordinator and linebackers coach
Terry Lantz – defensive backs coach
Carlton Hall – defensive line coach
Scott Van Zile – quarterbacks coach
Billy Riebock – wide receivers coach
Cris Reisert – tight ends coach

“The first task, and one of the most rewarding experiences of being named the head coach at Elon, has been the opportunity to construct the coaching staff,” stated Skrosky. “Dave Blank and the administration have been great in providing the resources for us to hire a staff with the qualities needed to guide our student-athletes. At this point we are just about finished filling the staff and anticipate being complete in the very near future.

“My goal when first assembling the staff was to surround myself with coaches that I had a personal relationship with and I’ve been able to accomplish that up to this point. One of the most important elements in building this program will be the ability of the staff to communicate truthfully with the players as well as one another. Because of the familiarity amongst the staff I believe we will be able to achieve this objective. The make-up of the staff is diverse in experience as well as geographic backgrounds. I feel very fortunate to have these coaches join me in bringing Elon’s football program back to the success it deserves.”

Skrosky has retained Scott Browne who will continue to serve as the program’s recruiting coordinator while also coaching the running backs. Browne has been with the Elon football squad since 2007.

Joining the Phoenix staff as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach will be 38-year coaching veteran Jerry Petercuskie who spent six seasons at North Carolina State University as that program’s special teams coach and recruiting coordinator.

In his time at NC State (2007-12), the Wolfpack reached four bowl games. Petercuskie tutored return specialist T.J. Graham to first-team All-ACC honors in 2011 as he set new school and league marks for most career kickoff return yards (3,153). He also coached Steven Hauschka who was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist.

Prior to his time with NC State, Petercuskie spent 10 seasons as the recruiting coordinator and special teams coach at Boston College (1997-2006). While there, the 2006 BC squad rated fourth nationally in kickoff returns. Petercuskie coached Will Blackmon who finished second on the NCAA’s all-time kick return yardage list, earned All-ACC honorable mention honors in 2005 and second-team All-Big East accolades in 2004. During Petercuskie’s tenure, BC reached eight bowl games.

Petercuskie spent two seasons coaching the defensive tackles at the University of Virginia (1995-96) and has previous experience as a defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Liberty University (1989-94). He has also coached on staffs at Rutgers University (1983-88) and Brown University (1978-82). Petercuskie was a graduate assistant at Penn State University (1976-77) and a part-time offensive assistant at Trenton State College (1975).

Over the course of his career, Petercuskie has coached 14 players who have gone on to professional playing careers.

A former center at Boston College, Petercuskie earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from BC in 1975. He earned his master’s degree in counseling from Penn State in 1977.

Petercuskie and his wife, Karen, have three adult children – John, Mark and Alexandria.

Former Wofford College and Ball State University coach Terry Lantz will serve as Elon’s defensive backs coach. Lantz has 23 years of collegiate coaching experience.

Lantz spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons as the safeties coach at Ball State where he coached that program’s all-time interceptions leader to 2011 All-MAC accolades.

During the 2000-10 seasons at Wofford, Lantz tutored the secondary. His Terrier unit ranked first in the Southern Conference in pass defense, pass efficiency defense and total defense in 2010. In his time at Wofford, Lantz coached a first-team All-American as well as the 2003 and 2004 SoCon Defensive Player of the Year. In that span, Wofford claimed three SoCon titles.

Lantz got his start in collegiate coaching as a student assistant at the University of Louisville in 1990, helping the Cardinals to a 34-7 victory over Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl. He has served as a graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee (1991) where he helped the Volunteers to a Fiesta Bowl berth.

Lantz has also made coaching stops at the University of Louisiana-Monroe (graduate assistant, 1992-93), the University of Massachusetts (1994-95), VMI (1996), Glenville State College (1997-98) and Liberty University (1999).

A 1991 graduate of Louisville where he was a four-year letterman as a defensive back, Lantz earned his bachelor’s degree in 1991 and later received his master’s degree from Louisiana-Monroe. Lantz and his wife Meredith have two children – Adam and Olivia.

Joining the Phoenix staff as the defensive line coach will be Carlton Hall who has been a collegiate coach for 11 years.

Hall spent the 2013 season as the defensive line coach at the University of West Alabama where he guided defensive end Mario Gainer to All-Super Region Two accolades. UWA captured the 2013 Gulf South title and his defensive line yielded two all-league honorees.

Prior to his stint at UWA, Hall served two years as the defensive line coach at the University of Houston, helping the Cougars allow nearly 40 yards fewer per game in his first season on the staff. In 2012, the Cougars rated 10th in the nation in sacks per game. In 2011, the team won the West Division of Conference USA, claimed the 2012 Ticket City Bowl crown and finished the year rated 14th in the Associated Press poll.

Hall also spent four years guiding the defensive front at Harvard University. With the Crimson, Hall helped lead the team to a national ranking of 11th in rushing defense, 13th in scoring defense and 16th in total defense in 2010. In 2007 and 2008, Harvard won the Ivy League title. The following two years, the program finished as the league runners-up. In 2009, the Harvard defense allowed just 82.7 rushing yards per game. While at Harvard, Hall tutored current Cleveland Browns’ defensive end Desmond Bryant. In his four years in Cambridge, Hall produced 14 All-Ivy League players, three All-New England selections and two All-Americans.

Hall has also made coaching stops at Georgetown University (2006) and Columbia University (2003-05).

In the summers of 2004 and 2009, Hall worked with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as part of the NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship.

Hall began his coaching career in 1998 as an assistant coach at Asheboro High School before becoming that program’s defensive coordinator in 1999.

Hall was a four-year letterman and three-year starter as a linebacker at Vanderbilt University where he led the SEC in tackles as a senior and collected All-SEC accolades. Following his senior season, he was chosen to participate in the East-West Shrine Game. Hall graduated from Vanderbilt in 1998 with a degree in human and organizational development.

He went on to sign a free agent contract with the San Diego Chargers in 1998.

Joining the offensive staff will be quarterbacks coach Scott Van Zile. Van Zile comes to Elon following 14 seasons on the staff at Monmouth University, the last six as that program’s offensive coordinator.

Van Zile’s offense at Monmouth produced nine All-Northeast Conference players and a pair of Jerry Rice Award finalists over its final three seasons in the NEC. In 2012, Monmouth’s offense led the league in passing and total offense, averaging over 400 yards per game while throwing for nearly 250 yards per outing. That year, quarterback Kyle Frazier concluded his career ranked in the top two in program history in completions, total offense, touchdowns and completion percentage.

In his time at Monmouth, Van Zile has coached two-time All-American running back David Sinisi, who was named the 2008 NEC Offensive Player of the Year, as well as tight end John Nalbone who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins.

Prior to becoming the offensive coordinator, Van Zile mentored the Hawks’ wide receivers for three seasons, coaching current Dallas Cowboys’ receiver Miles Austin in his senior season. That year, Austin averaged 20.4 yards per catch and caught 11 touchdown passes while eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark in receptions. He also oversaw the development of the program’s single-season receptions leader in Adam San Miguel who was a two-time all-league pick.

A 1999 graduate of Towson University with a bachelor’s degree in sport management, Van Zile played on both sides of the ball in college. As a freshman and senior he was a wide receiver. During his sophomore and junior campaigns, Van Zile was a starter in the Tigers’ defensive secondary. Van Zile twice earned Patriot League Academic Honor Roll recognition.

Van Zile and his wife, Kelly, have two daughters – Payton and Reagan.

Former Ball State graduate assistant Billy Riebock will serve as Elon’s wide receivers coach.

Riebock served as an offensive grad assistant with Skrosky on the Cardinals’ staff in since January of 2012. In that time, Ball State reached the 2012 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl as well as the 2013 GoDaddy Bowl.

From 2008-11, Riebock served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at his alma mater, Quincy University. At Quincy, he helped to develop all-league quarterbacks in 2008, 2010 and 2011 as the squad broke numerous team and individual offensive records.

Riebock spent the 2007 season as an offensive quality control coach at Indiana University after beginning his coaching career as the wide receivers coach at the University of St. Francis in 2006.

Riebock was an academic all-conference selection as a quarterback during his senior season at Quincy. He earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2006 and received a master’s degree from Quincy in 2011.

Riebock was married in 2012 to his wife, Emina.

Cris Reisert, who also served as a graduate assistant at Ball State in 2013, will join Skrosky’s staff as the tight ends coach.

Before joining the staff at Ball State, Reisert spent two seasons as the wide receivers coach at Ohio Dominican University where he coached one first-team all-league selection. While there, he also spent one year as the quarterbacks coach and also served as a graduate assistant working with the defensive backs. The ODU program ranked 12th in the country in scoring (40.8 ppg) and 27th nationally in total offense (452.8 ypg) in 2012.

Reisert was a standout on the gridiron at ODU where he set nearly every league record for passing offense, including throwing for 13,338 yards and 120 touchdowns in four seasons. A three-time first-team all-conference selection, Reisert set 10 national records during his career and was the league’s offensive player of the year in 2007. He was twice named to the American Football Coaches Association All-America Team. Reisert was inducted into the Moeller High School Hall of Fame in 2012.

Reisert earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration as well as a master’s degree from ODU.

He was married in 2011 to his wife, Emily.