In a move that’s been widely speculated, MLive.com is reporting that Chuck Martin is leaving his job as head coach of Grand Valley State and joining Brian Kelly’s staff as defensive backs coach.
The move likely means that Bob Diaco will be joining Kelly as the defensive coordinator, which has also been pretty much assumed by everybody following the coaching search.
Getting Martin to join the staff as a position coach is a major coup for Kelly, and I expect him to also get a title like associate head coach as well. Martin’s success at Grand Valley State these past few years was bound to get noticed by a lower tier D-I team, and it was probably only a matter of time before one of those schools came knocking and offered him a head coaching position. Adding a coach to your staff that has gone 74-7 and won two D-II national titles can only be a positive.
Martin’s willingness to leave a job where he was the face of the program to become a position coach speaks to his respect for Brian Kelly. His background as a D-III All-American free safety when he was a player and his experience putting together solid defensive football teams at Grand Valley will also be a tremendous asset, and will hopefully help fix a secondary that was a major disappointment this season.