RICHMOND, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky University head football coach Roy Kidd has announced that Will Muschamp, former four-year letterman and captain of the University of Georgia Bulldog football squad, has been named defensive backs coach for the Colonels.

Muschamp, 27, a native of Rome, GA, comes to Eastern after spending the 1998 season as assistant coach at the University of West Georgia where that team went 10-2 last season and won the Gulf South Conference before losing in the first round of the playoffs to Carson Newman.

In the spring of 1998, Muschamp was an assistant coach for Jacksonville State University where he was an assistant coach in charge of outside linebackers.

"I'm really excited and honored that coach Kidd has extended this offer to me to be on his staff," Muschamp said.

Muschamp defensive back four years for coach Ray Goff at Georgia, graduating in 1994 with his bachelors degree. While playing for the Bulldogs, he was part of two Bowl championship teams as Georgia took the 1991 Independence Bowl and the 1993 Citrus Bowl titles.

He then went to Auburn University and served on the staff of coach Terry Bowden as a graduate assistant coach working with the defensive backs for the 1995 and 1996 seasons. While there, the Tigers competed in the Outback Bowl in '95 and the Independence Bowl in 1996. He received his masters degree in education from Auburn in 1997.

"I am very impressed with Will and his philosophy toward coaching and the techniques that he has employed everywhere he has been," said Kidd. "The people I talked with about Will had nothing but outstanding things to say about him.

"He struck me as someone who is dedicated to the game of football and he has used similar schemes, where he has been, to what we play with our defense. I also liked that he actually played defensive back in college. That should help in his understanding of what needs to go on back there.

"Will is also well-known in Georgia, very familiar with the state and should be a big boost to our recruiting efforts in Georgia," said Kidd.

Muschamp is a 1990 graduate of Darlington School where he participated in football, basketball, baseball and track for four seasons. He played runningback and linebacker in high school, making all-state honors his junior and senior years.