Fresh off winning a national championship at a lower rung on the college football ladder, Kerwin Bell is headed back to the state of Florida.
Thursday night, South Florida announced that Bell has been hired by Charlie Strong to serve as his offensive coordinator. Bell will also take over the role of quarterbacks coach for the Bulls.
Bell played his college football at Florida, and was on the team when Strong was a part of the UF program as a graduate assistant in what served as his first job in the coaching profession.
“I have known Kerwin for more than 30 years and have a great deal of respect for what he has done in his career both as a player and coach and the success of the football programs he has led,” a statement from Strong began. “He has directed some very explosive, high-scoring offenses and consistently puts his players in position to reach their highest potential. We are very excited to have Kerwin joining our staff.”
Bell comes to the Bulls after a three-year stint as the head coach at Valdosta State, capping off that run with a win in the Div. II championship game last month. Prior to that, Bell was the head coach at Jacksonville University for nine seasons (2007-15).
A 14-year NFL career preceded those stints for Bell, who actually began his coaching career at a Florida high school from 2001-06.
This will mark Bell’s first coaching job at the FBS level.