Some “dirt” as we head in to the first weekend of the summer…
• It sounds like Idaho DBO Chris Helbling has been promoted to assistant coach. Helbling has been on Don Verlin’s staff at Idaho since 2008. Prior to working for Verlin, Helbling was a student assistant at Gonzaga University under Mark Few. Helbling also played and coached at Walla Walla CC.
• I have heard that Bucknell assistant Michael Cotton is headed for a similar spot at Rider. Cotton has been an assistant at Bucknell for the past four seasons. He played collegiately at Oklahoma and Boston College. I’ve also heard that Bucknell assistant Aaron Kelly would be promoted to second assistant replacing Cotton.
• I can confirm that Will Cabrera has left Messiah and will become an assistant at Mansfield University. He had spent three seasons as an assistant at his alma mater. Before that, he was the head coach at Hershey Christian HS (PA). It sounds like his replacement at Messiah will be Mark Seidenburg who spent last season as an assistant at Penn State-Harrisburg.
• Rob Passage has resigned as the head coach at Kalamazoo College. He will become the athletic facilities and operations manager at Willamette University. Passage went 86-168 in his 9 seasons at the helm. The search for his successor is already underway.