[issaknife]

Coach backstories

HC Acey Reese

Acey Reese has always started from the bottom. A 2 star recruit out of Peoria, Illinois, Reese was overlooked coming out of high school despite winning back to back State titles in his junior and senior seasons. The schools that did want him didn't think he had the accuracy to play QB, they wanted his 6'5 height and 4.4 speed at WR.

But he wanted to play QB, so he went to the only school that would give him a chance: New Mexico State. He started as a true freshman and immediately made an impact, putting up over 2500 passing yards and 850 rushing yards, racking up 37 total scores, leading his team to a bowl victory. He showed steady improvement in his sophomore and junior seasons, then broke onto the national scene as a senior. Accumulating 3300 passing yards and 1700 rushing yards, along with 48 total scores, Reese carried New Mexico St. to an 12-2 record and bowl victory, finishing 4th in Heisman voting.

Despite this, he still wasn't considered a first rounder, and slid to the Seahawks at number 53, and turned out to be one of the biggest steals ever. He passed for 3300 yards and 23 scores as a rookie, and passed for over 3000 yards and 20 scores in 8 of the 11 full seasons he played. He finished his career with 43814 passing yards, 333-147 TD-INT ratio, and 2335 yards and 17 scores on the ground in 17 seasons. He was surprisingly only a 4 time Pro Bowler and 1 time MVP winner, but he was certainly the leader of his team every year, winning a record 8 Super Bowls. Now he'll start his second career, coaching lowly South Alabama, fresh off a 2-10 season in their first year in the FBS. He'll implement the pistol-shotgun offense that brought him so much college and NFL success.

OC Ivan Kirk

At offensive coordinator, Reese brought in his longtime #1 receiver and good friend, Ivan Kirk. Kirk was a late first round pick out of Missouri who broke out in his second year with 1467 yards and 17 scores. He had upwards of 1000 yards in every season he played after that, barring an injury riddled 11th year, with his finest season coming at the age of 33. He caught 110 balls for 1850 yards and 14 touchdowns. He finished his career with 8 rings as well, racking up 18754 yards and 154 scores on 1193 catches.

DC Xavier Stevenson

Standing at 6'2, 195 lbs with 4.3 speed, Stevenson was the prototypical cornerback. He was a can't miss prospect, playing CB, WR, and returning kicks throughout his high school career in Detroit. He stayed fairly close to home for college, choosing to play at Michigan, where he racked up 17 interceptions in 3 years as a starter. He took 4 of those back to the house, adding to his 11 return and 7 receiving scores. He was a projected top 5 pick in a loaded draft. A blessing in disguise for Seattle, they had lost Reese for the season that year, and the backup just couldn't win games. They selected 4th, and Stevenson was snapped up in what was regarded as a steal. Stevenson started strong, immediately becoming a shutdown corner, intercepting 47 passes in his first 8 years. Sadly, injuries forced him into an early retirement, or we could be talking about the greatest DB to ever play the game. Having him on the coaching staff should really help South Alabama's secondary to develop.