Gary Goff is piecing together his coaching staff before he returns to Lake Charles.

Goff, the new McNeese State head football coach, is working from his home in Georgia with Southwest Louisiana on his mind.

He will return to campus Monday to begin the Goff era. He is the 18th head coach in program history but says he will be bringing a lot of his guys from Valdosta State with him.

Of the 10 coaches he has named to his staff, eight were with him last season as VSU reached the Division II national title game.

“It takes time for a coaching staff, like it does a team, to come together,” said Goff. “To bring a majority of my staff from Valdosta with me is a very good thing. It speeds up the process of us coming together.

“They know what to expect from me and I know what they can bring to McNeese. More importantly, they are good coaches and very good people.”

Leading the way from Valdosta is Ryan Allgood, who will serve as Goff’s assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator. He will also be in charge of the offensive line, Goff said.

Allgood moved from Tiffin University to Valdosta with Goff before the 2019 season. He has been with him five seasons and played for Goff at Tiffin.

Also coming from VSU on the offensive side is Phillip Ely, who was the Blazers’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach last season. While Goff calls the plays and considers himself the OC, he says he gets help from his staff, especially Ely when it comes to the game plan.

Thomas Reese will take over the Cowboys’ duties as running backs coach and camp coordinator while Sean Fogerty will be in charge of the tight ends.

Four other coaches are coming from VSU on defense. Mike Johnson (defensive backs), Dwight Jackson (linebackers), Marc Yellock (defensive line) and Marc Sanchez (defensive quality control).

“They are all very good at recruiting because they are all on the same page,” Goff said. “I’m excited with these coaches I’m able to bring here. They deserve and have earned this chance as well.”

One position Goff didn’t bring with him was that of defensive coordinator. Tony Pecoraro will come over from South Alabama to take the DC position, Goff said.

Pecoraro was the quality control analyst for South Alabama last season. He served two stints as the defensive coordinator at Southern Mississippi, the most recent during the 2020 season.

Felton Huggins will come to McNeese from Charleston Southern, where he served as the offensive coordinator and inside wide receivers coach. He will be the receivers coach, Goff said.

“I’m big on the leadership and culture and these guys know that,” Goff said. “They know what we expect from our players and what we are looking for.

“We are all looking forward to getting back into town and get going.”

Goff sad he’s had a virtual online team meeting with players and called several in order to try and keep them committed to McNeese.

“I want them to know that we are in this with them and we want them to be a part of what we are doing here,” he said.