Sources: JMU To Hire Cain As STC

HARRISONBURG – Curt Cignetti has only one vacant assistant-coaching job left to fill.

On Wednesday, sources said the new James Madison football coach, Cignetti, is going to hire Grant Cain as the Dukes’ special teams coordinator.

Cignetti now has nine of his 10 assistants in place.

Cain worked at Mercer since 2013, and spent the last three seasons there as assistant head coach, inside linebackers coach and special teams coach for the Bears.

Under Cain’s watch, Mercer led the FCS in net punting (40.58 yards per punt) and finished 12th nationally in punt-return defense yielding only 4.35 yards per return this season. As a team, Mercer also finished ninth best in the FCS for kickoff-return yards (25.57 yards per return) and 12th best for punt-return yards (14.17 yards per return).

In 2017, Mercer topped the subdivision in kick-return defense.

Before arriving at Mercer, Cain had a seven-year stint at Coastal Carolina.

Cain is the third coordinator Cignetti will have hired from outside his previous staff at Elon. Offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery, a former Miami (Ohio) coach, joined JMU off one season as offensive coordinator at Charlotte and the eight years before that in the same capacity at Youngstown State. Defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman was added to the staff after a seven-year run at Maine, where he was the Black Bears defensive coordinator for the last three seasons.

Running backs coach Matt Merritt, wide receivers coach Mike Shanahan, offensive line coach Damian Wroblewski, linebackers coach Bryant Haines and safeties coach Ryan Smith followed Cignetti from Elon. Cornerbacks coach Matt Birkett was at Maine for the previous seven seasons with Hetherman.

James Madison offensive lineman Mike Faulkner has transferred to West Alabama, according to a press release from the Division II school.

Faulkner played in nine games over the last two seasons for the Dukes after redshirting in 2016.

The 6-foot-4, 265-pounder has two years of eligibility to use at West Alabama.