HAMPTON, Va. (HamptonPirates.com) - Head coach Robert Prunty announced today three new additions to his 2021 football staff in inside wide receivers and tight end coach Ollie Taylor, safety coach Nick Newsome and strength & conditioning coach Andrew Bates.“I am very excited to have these three coaches join our staff,” Prunty said. “They’ll be assets to our program.”
Ollie Taylor joined the Hampton University staff in June 2021 to take on the role of inside wide receivers and tight end coach. He joins the staff after serving two years as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at NCAA Division II Concordia University in St. Paul, Mn.Taylor rejoins his prep school coach Robert Prunty on the Pirates staff in 2021 as he was the quarterback at Hargrave Military Academy in 2002 under Prunty.“Ollie played for me at Hargrave Military Academy and it’s a pleasure to be able to bring him on the staff,” Prunty said. “He’s been in the business over 10 years and has served as an offensive coordinator at several stops. I’m very excited to have him with the inside wide receivers and tight ends.”While at Concordia, his offense averaged over 305 yards per game as Concordia went 6-5 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. They did not play in 2020 due to the pandemic.Taylor came to Concordia from his alma mater Delaware State University in Dover where he worked with wide receivers and as the program's special teams coordinator. Prior to season at Delaware State in 2018, Taylor spent two years as wide receivers coach and co-special teams coordinator for Saginaw Valley State University (Mich.), a Division II program in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference (GLIAC).He had a pair of stops at NCAA Division III Widener University (Pa.), where he was wide receivers coach, which included a breakout year as the program posted the top-ranked passing offense in the conference and ranked 18th-nationally in 2015. His first stop in 2012 he was the head junior varsity coach, assistant coach for the varsity running backs and assistant in strength & conditioning. That year, he helped the program to a Division III Elite Eight (national quarterfinal) run, ranking fifth in the country in scoring offense, third in fewest sacks allowed and 20th in total offense.Andrew Bates joined the Hampton staff as was named as Hampton University Football Head Strength and Conditioning Coach in June 2021. Bates previously served as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Jacksonville University for the last 9.5 years.
“Andrew will bring plenty of BCS-level experience in strength & conditioning to our program with his stops at Michigan State and Marshall,” said Prunty. “He will be a major asset to our football program and I am happy to bring him on board.”
At Jacksonville, he oversaw 19 sports while concentrating on football, men’s basketball, women’s lacrosse, men's lacrosse, baseball, and track & field. He oversaw an office of three assistants and one graduate assistant. Bates worked primarily with Jacksonville Football designing and implementing all aspects of Strength & Conditioning, nutritional planning for training, travel, and gameday fueling, and providing Pro Day/Combine preparation training.
With the Dolphins, Bates was part of 10 Conference Championships in Football 2014, Women's Lacrosse 2013-2021, and Baseball 2021.
Bates joined Jacksonville from Marshall University where he spent the previous two years as a graduate assistant. Prior to Marshall, Bates has completed internships at Michigan State University and Wayne State University. A two-year letter winner in football at Grand Rapids Community College and Wayne State University, Bates served as captain in 2005 at GRCC winning the NJCAA Non-scholarship National Championship. In 2008, Bates served as captain at WSU leading the program to an 8-3 record tied for most wins in school history at the time.
Bates is a certified strength and conditioning specialist CSCS certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and strength and conditioning coach certified SCCC through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association. He also holds the Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification and is RPR Reflexive Performance Reset Level 1 Certified.
He received his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Wayne State University 2009 and his Masters of Science in Exercise Physiology from Marshall University 2012.
Nick Newsome joins the Pirates staff in June 2021 after serving as the safeties coach at Western Carolina University for the last year“I’m excited to have the addition of Nick Newsome to our staff as he brings a lot of experience coaching safeties at many levels,” Prunty said. “Having coached at Georgia Tech and Western Carolina, Nick will do an outstanding job coaching our group.”During the 2020-21 season, he coached safeties and nickel backs at WCU and saw freshman Dorian Davis make the All-Southern Conference team and earn Freshman All-American honors. He also helped lead the punt block and return unit which saw a 41 spot improvement nationally in 2020-21.
Newsome headed to Western Carolina after two years as a graduate assistant at Georgia Tech and a total of eight years of coaching experience including six at the collegiate level.While at Georgia Tech, Newsome mentored All-ACC selection, running back Jordan Mason who accounted for nearly 900 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground, while also assisting with freshman WR Ahmerean Brown who caught 21 passes for 396 yards and seven TDs earning PFF All-Freshman Team accolades. He had responsibilities with the Yellow Jackets’ running backs and wide receivers in 2018 when Georgia Tech topped the nation in rushing offense averaging 325 yards per game.Prior to making the move to Atlanta, Newsome spent three seasons at Capital University (2015-17), a NCAA Division III program in Columbus, Ohio. In his first year at Capital (2015), he coached the A-backs and was the special teams coordinator. He spent his final two seasons as the wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator, while also heading up the recruiting efforts. He recruited three of Capital’s top offensive players in two-time all-conference selection – and program’s all-time leading receiver – David Barnett (2016-17), wide receiver Dartavious Stanford (2017), and quarterback Thomas Wibbler (2017).
Hampton will open its 2021 season on September 4 hosting Virginia Union at 6 pm inside Armstrong Stadium.
