MACON, Ga. - Mercer University head football coach Bobby Lamb continued to lay the foundation of his program as he announced the hiring of four assistant coaches on Monday.
Lamb named Mike Kolakowski as assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach. Casey Vogt will serve as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Mitch Doolittle will oversee the secondary and Carter Barfield will be an offensive assistant - with specific position responsibilities to be named later.
"We are excited to bring in a coaching staff of this caliber to our program," Lamb said. "We have been working with a skeletal staff for a year now and these additions will allow us to broaden our recruiting territory as well as strengthen our identity as we continue to develop the program."
Lamb adds the four coaches to his existing staff, making a total of six assistants - with at least one other position to be filled before the fall. The naming of the new coaches comes at a vital time in the life of a program that expects at least 88 freshmen to step foot on campus in August.
The new football staff will have little time to waste as the team begins football operations this fall, putting in work toward the official start in the fall of 2013.
Mike Kolakowski brings in over 30 years of coaching experience at three levels of college football (Division I, II and NAIA). Most recently, Kolakowski served two years as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Ave Maria University, a startup NAIA program in Florida. His prior experience spanned numerous Division I programs including: Youngstown State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Ohio, Maine, The College of William and Mary and Morehead State.
Kolakowski also has head coaching experience in his pedigree. From 1995 to 2002 he was head coach and defensive coordinator at Division II California University of Pennsylvania.
Casey Vogt comes to Mercer after five seasons as offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Patriot Football League program, Colgate. Vogt helped guide Colgate to a PFL title in 2008 while maintaining its status as a premier FCS program that combines both athletics and academics.
He coached tight ends and assisted with the offensive line for two seasons at Youngstown State before his time at Colgate and was the offensive line coach at Division II Gannon (Pa.) University from 2003-05. Before that, Vogt was a graduate assistant offensive line coach at both Slippery Rock (2000-2002) and Tulane (2002-2003).
Mitch Doolittle joins the staff after spending last season as the linebackers coach at Savannah State. Doolittle spent two different stints as a graduate assistant coach, first at the University of Alabama-Birmingham (2007-2009) and then at the University of Georgia (2009-2011).
Carter Barfield is the lone direct connection to coach Lamb in this most recent wave of hires. Barfield played for four years (2002-2006) under Coach Lamb at Furman before beginning his coaching career as a defensive graduate assistant at Tennessee-Martin. For the last two years, Barfield has served as the offensive graduate assistant at the University of Kentucky.
"If you look at our staff from top to bottom, we have a group with diverse backgrounds and experience," Lamb said. "We have secured a number of good coaches from quality programs and they have all been successful both on and off the field. To me that is very important."