TIGERVILLE, S.C. — Most small colleges would feel fortunate to have one former NFL player on their coaching staff.

As kickoff for its 2025 season looms on Saturday, North Greenville University (NGU) has four: Head coach Nate Garner, assistant head coach Jerricho Cotchery, defensive backs coach Julian Posey and running backs coach Julius Pruitt all spent time in the NFL.

It begins with the man at the top: first-year Blazers head coach Nate Garner.

Garner worked for three seasons as Limestone University’s offensive line coach. The former offensive lineman played four seasons at the University of Arkansas before the New York Jets drafted him in 2008, but Garner spent the bulk of his career with the Miami Dolphins.

After retiring from pro football, Garner spent time with the New Orleans Saints as an assistant coach and scout before coaching stops at Arkansas and two Florida high schools. New assistant head coach Cotchery said Garner was more than a leader on the football field.

“NGU is getting an awesome man, husband, father and leader. Nate is someone who is going to invest heavily in his student-athletes. I couldn’t be more thrilled to see my former NFL teammate and fellow staff member receive this opportunity,” Cotchery said.

Indeed, Garner wants more than football victories; he wants to see young men learn to honor God with every part of their lives.

“I’m most excited to see how our young men grow, not just as football players, but as leaders, brothers and men of faith. Wins are important, but what excites me most is seeing this team come together in a way that honors God and represents North Greenville with excellence on and off the field,” he said.

Jerricho Cotchery

Cotchery built a successful career as an NFL wide receiver from 2004-2015. After a standout season as a junior at N.C. State, the New York Jets took Cotchery in the fourth round of the 2004 draft. He spent four prime seasons with the team. Throughout his 12-year career, he totaled 524 receptions, 6,623 yards and 34 touchdowns. Cotchery spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers before retiring after the 2015 season.

After his professional career, Cotchery served as an assistant wide receivers coach for the Panthers and two years as the assistant head coach / wide receivers coach at Limestone University before his promotion to head coach in 2024.

Last season, Cotchery led Limestone’s football program to an 8-3 record before the school shuttered its doors in June.

“My experience at Limestone has encouraged me to continue pouring into the great young men I have the opportunity to coach,” Cotchery said. “We have wonderful students, faculty and staff here at NGU, and I am excited to work with them all.”

Cotchery’s successful coaching career, combined with his extensive NFL career, makes him a dynamic addition to the Blazers staff. He begins the 2025 season as the assistant head coach / passing game coordinator.

Julian Posey

Posey posted four standout seasons as a defensive back for Ohio University before the New York Jets signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2011. Posey spent parts of four seasons with four teams’ practice squads — the Jets, Dolphins, Browns and Vikings. Posey recorded six tackles over five games with the Browns in 2013, his most involved season.

Following his NFL career, Posey played for three seasons in the Canadian Football League before retiring after the 2016 campaign. Posey will coach defensive backs in his first season at NGU.

Julius Pruitt

Pruitt spent four years as a standout receiver at Ouachita Baptist University, a D2 school in the Great American Conference. Pruitt set the school’s record for single-season receiving yards and touchdown receptions in 2008, logging the only 1,000-plus-yard season in the school’s history.

The Dolphins signed Pruitt as an undrafted free agent in 2009, and he played special teams in 2011. After his NFL career, he transitioned to the Arena Football League for one season in 2013. Pruitt served as the running backs coach for NGU last season and will continue those responsibilities as well as add the role of special teams coordinator this season.

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Jeff Robinson is editor and president of The Courier in South Carolina. This article originally appeared in the Baptist Courier.)