Vanderbilt Set To Add Former NFL Player To Football Coaching Staff
The overhaul of the Vanderbilt coaching staff continues for head coach Derek Mason as reports indicate that the Commodores will add LSU analyst Kenechi Udeze to the staff as their new defensive line coach.
Udeze, a former first-round selection out of USC by the Minnesota Vikings in 2004 spent four seasons with the Vikings before retiring in 2008 after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Sources: Vanderbilt is expected to hire LSU analyst Kenechi Udeze as an assistant coach.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 21, 2020
Former NFL defensive lineman who was USC’s defensive line coach from 2016-18.
Since beginning his coaching career, Udeze has held multiple positions including serving as a part of USC’s staff from 2015-2018. He was a defensive line coach for three of those seasons.
Udeze's coaching career began in 2009 when he served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach from 2009-2012.
In 2012 he spent one season as the assistant defensive line coach for the Seattle Seahawks under his former college head coach Pete Carroll before returning to the Vikings as part of their Coaching Fellowship Program for the 2013 season.
He then spent two seasons at the University of Pittsburgh as the assistant strength and conditioning coach before returning to USC.
Udeze was released from his position at USC as part of the coaching shakeup under embattled head coach Clay Helton and was hired as an analyst by his former college position coach, Ed Orgeron at LSU where he was part of the recently completed national championship team.
Udeze also won a national championship as a player with USC in 2003 and was named the National Defensive Player of the Year that same season.
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A 29 year veteran of radio in the Middle Tennessee area and 16 years in digital and internet media having covered the Tennessee Titans for Scout Media and TitanInsider.com before joining the Sports Illustrated family of networks.