Coaches Change, Culture Remains

NOTE: This feature on the Memphis staff changes for 2019 first appeared in the Sept. 7 Memphis Football GameDay program when the Tigers hosted Southern.

Pete Lembo has enjoyed three stints as a college head football coach and two others as an associate head coach. It makes Lembo, one of seven first-year assistants for the University of Memphis this fall, qualified to understand the inherent challenges a coach faces assembling a new group of highly driven individuals.

44965 — *Pete Lembo: Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator*

As Lembo has encountered in his head coaching past, bringing together a large number of assistants at one time can be prove problematic, unless the process is handled with care and a nod to the personalities involved.

For that, Lembo gives Tigers coach Mike Norvell more than a passing grade.

"It is not easy," Lembo said. "Mike and I have talked often about the challenge of hiring coaches, and it's very laborious and it's very tiresome if you're trying to be thorough and you do have a clear vision of what you want in your program.

"It is a painstaking process to fill those spots with the right people, and to Mike's credit, I think he did a very good job of that here."

The UofM has seven coaches in their first seasons as full-time assistants. New to the program are the three coordinators – Kevin Johns (offense), Adam Fuller (defense) and Lembo (special teams) – along with recruiting coordinator/passing game coordinator John Simon and defensive line coach Tim Edwards. Kevin Clune (linebackers) and Tony Tokarz (tight ends) were in other capacities for the Tigers last season.

44964 — *Kevin Clune: Assistant Coach-Linebackers*

Lembo said being in position to promote from within, as Norvell did with Clune and Tokarz, "is always nice when you feel the confidence to do that."

Norvell said he is looking forward to working with this staff for a full season after spending the necessary time putting together a group that would complement one another. The program's recent success – including back-to-back appearances in the American Athletic Conference title game and five-straight bowl trips – has aided in the process, making Memphis an attractive stop for an assistant.

"I think it's a great compliment," Norvell said. "The perception is that we are going to continue to get better, we are going to continue to grow.

"There's a great expectation for this program, not only with where we are but where we are going. When you look at what has happened (to us) during the offseason with the (coaching staff turnover), we do have some question marks. But I do love the staff I get to work with every day. I'm excited to see how that is going to unfold."

Lembo came to Memphis after spending last season as the associate head coach and special teams coordinator at Rice. He served as the Ball State head coach for five seasons (2011-15) after heading coaching stints at Elon (2006-10) and Lehigh University (2001-05). He has been a college coach since the early 1990s.

He said the Memphis special teams job – which opened when Joe Lorig left for a similar position at Texas Tech (before ultimately taking a job at Penn State) – was an ideal fit. A mutual friend had mentioned Lembo and Norvell would work well together because of similarities in personalities and values.

"When Mike called, it all added up to a no-brainer for (my family)," Lembo said, noting his affinity for the city and Norvell's coaching style. "The best thing I can say is that it has lived up to all of our hopes and all of our expectations… on all fronts."

Fuller said the successful recalibration of the staff is a testament to Norvell's strength as a head coach.

"Coach Norvell, he chooses people before he chooses coaches," said Fuller, who spent the past six seasons at Marshall, including last season as defensive coordinator.

Like Lembo, Fuller has head coaching experience. He led NCAA Division II Assumption College in 2008.

44969 — *Adam Fuller: Assistant Coach-Defensive Coordinator*

"Coach Norvell has found people who fit what he's looking for," Fuller said. "We may all be from different backgrounds, but we're all in that mold he's looking for."

Edwards has been involved in college coaching for more than 20 years and came to Memphis after four seasons as defensive line coach at Buffalo. A 1991 Delta State graduate, he was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 1991 NFL Draft and played professionally for six seasons, the last three in Canadian Football League.

Edwards said he had different assistants in each of his four seasons as a player at Delta State. As for Norvell, Edwards said he is able to adeptly re-assemble a cohesive staff because of his outgoing personality.

"He never meets a stranger," Edwards said. "He's always meeting potential friends."

The staff has its role to play, too, said Edwards, who is at his eighth college stop since 1996.

44966 — *Tim Edwards: Assistant Coach-Defensive Line*

"As you get older (as an assistant), you've got to find yourself doing what you ask your players to do," he said. "You ask the players: 'Find out what I want, do it, and you'll have success.' So as (assistant) coaches, we find out what (Norvell) wants, give him what he wants and I think we can have success. That's been the blueprint."

Simon spent the past two seasons as the associate head coach and running backs coach at Arizona State, where Norvell spent four seasons (2012-15) as an assistant before taking the Memphis job.

What impressed Simon before accepting Norvell's offer was the success the Tigers maintained despite the turnover of assistants, mostly to openings at Power Five programs.

44970 — *John Simon: Assistant Coach-Wide Receivers/Recruiting Coordinator/Passing Game Coordinator*

"That speaks to his credibility as a head coach," Simon said. "He's involved in every phase so regardless of the (staff) turnover, the program doesn't lose its identity."

Simon has worked at programs where a large staff turnover would cause a major disruption, but he said Memphis is different because of Norvell.

"There's attention to detail in every phase of this program," Simon said. "There's CEO-type of leadership in the offense, defense, special teams. There's leadership in character and discipline and academics. He leaves no stone unturned. At the end of the day, that's the difference in winning and losing."

University of Memphis Athletics

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