C-N alum Belk joins Denver Broncos staff
DENVER, Colo. – Former Carson-Newman wide receiver and quarterback Doug Belk has signed on with the Denver Broncos as a defensive backs coach.
DENVER, Colo. – Former Carson-Newman wide receiver and quarterback Doug Belk has signed on with the Denver Broncos as a defensive backs coach.
Belk, who finished his C-N playing career in 2010, has spent the last decade in the college football coaching ranks. He started at Valdosta State in 2012, helping the Blazers to a national title that year before joining Nick Saban's staff at Alabama in 2014 as a graduate assistant. He coached with Dana Holgorsen at West Virginia for two years before earning defensive coordinator and assistant head coach titles at Houston. He spent the last two seasons on Lincoln Riley's staff at USC as a defensive backs coach.
Belk is the first Carson-Newman alum hired as an assistant coach in the NFL. Zach Witherspoon, a former Eagle wide receiver, was on the strength staff for the Los Angeles Rams.
The Valdosta, Ga.-native was a wide receiver on Carson-Newman's 2009 national semifinalist team. He was second on the team in receptions with 18 for 280 yards and four touchdowns. He hauled in four passes for a career-high 82 yards and tied the school record for touchdown receptions in a game with three in a 38-10 win over Campbellsville.
As a senior in 2010, Belk took over the reigns of C-N's QB position, completing 721 yards worth of passes to go with four TDs. He was C-N's second-leading rusher, accounting for 877 yards on the ground and nine scores. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry.
