Mark Mariakis, previously the head football coach at Ridgeland and Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, has been promoted to the same role at Chattanooga Christian School after one season as an assistant. He takes over for Rob Spence, who has been hired as an assistant on Russ Huesman's staff at UTC.Russ Huesman didn't have to look far to find the offensive assistant he needed for his staff.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coach has hired Rob Spence, the longtime college assistant who spent the past two seasons in the high school game as head coach at Chattanooga Christian School.
Pending board approval, Spence will coach UTC's receivers, taking over for Will Healy, who was named head coach at Austin Peay in late December.
Prior to coming to CCS, the 57-year old Spence was quarterbacks coach at Rutgers University for two years and before that had worked as offensive coordinator at Clemson and Syracuse. He also has worked on the offensive staffs at Temple, Toledo, Maryland, Louisiana Tech, Bethune-Cookman, Hofstra, Holy Cross and Iona College.
"I'm real excited to have him join the staff," said Huesman, who still must hire a new defensive line coach after Marcus West left to join Healy's staff. "Rob is an excellent football coach with a ton of experience and an even better person to boot, so he'll be a great addition to our staff. When he interviewed with me and (offensive coordinator) Jeff Durden, you could tell his knowledge of football and wide receiver play was off the charts, so we're getting a great coach. I think our receivers will really like him, too.
"We hated to lose Will and Marcus, but sometimes fresh, new ideas are a good thing. We'll get a new perspective on some things offensively."
Similarly, CCS wasted no time turning its program over to Mark Mariakis, who was the team's defensive coordinator last season.
The 53-year old Mariakis was Ridgeland's head coach from 2004 to '14, winning at least seven games in eight of those 11 seasons, claiming four region championships and guiding the Panthers to Georgia's Class AAAA state championship game in 2012. That was his second run as a head coach in northwest Georgia; he led Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe from 1995 to '99.
When Mariakis took over at Ridgeland, the program had just 17 players on the roster. By the time he left, the Panthers routinely had 100-plus players in their program.
"I didn't plan to get back into being a head coach again, but I also knew Coach Spence gets contacted a lot by college programs, so I was mentally ready in case this opportunity came," Mariakis said. "When they offered me the job, I didn't hesitate. There was never any question, and that's because of the relationships I already have with the people here and the kids.
Rob Spence, head football coach at Chattanooga Christian School the past two seasons, has been hired to coach receivers at UTC."It's an environment I want to be a part of. Coach Spence and (assistant) Mike Connor already had the program headed in the right direction, and with us moving to Division II (beginning with the 2017 school year) there are a lot of exciting things ahead for CCS. I want to build a program with longevity, something that people here can be proud of."
Mariakis said he was also proud of the fact that during his time at Ridgeland, the Panthers had 31 players who signed collegiate athletic scholarships and he helped coordinate an academic plan within the football program that helped raise the graduation rate of black students from 34.8 percent to 79.2 percent in a four-year period.
"Everyone knows Mark and his qualities as a head coach and a man," said Bryant Black, the head of CCS's upper school. "When I saw that (Will) Healy accepted the position at Austin Peay, the wheels really spun in my head because I knew Rob would be a great fit for that job at UTC and we might need to start being prepared.
"Once it became official, it was a short conversation with (CCS athletic director) John Visser, (headmaster) Chad Dirkse and myself. We had seen Mark's work on the field and on our faculty. His enthusiasm is contagious, he's an incredible role model for our guys and the kids love him, so the transition will be seamless for us. It seems like a great fit on both sides."
Spence guided CCS to the program's first playoff appearance in his first season, then built off that momentum - with the help of Mariakis - to lead the Chargers to eight wins, their first playoff victory and a second-round postseason run this past fall. He also oversaw facility upgrades during his short term at the school, and the roster doubled in size.
Spence has coached in seven bowl games and worked with five quarterbacks who went on to play in the NFL.
He returns to the college game with a Division I Football Championship Subdivision program that has won at least a share of the Southern Conference title the past three seasons and has advanced to the playoffs the past two. The Mocs also enjoyed their highest national ranking ever when they reached No. 3 in 2015.
"First I have to thank all the people at CCS for allowing me to work in such a tremendous place where I was able to develop rewarding relationships," Spence said. "I'm extremely excited about the challenge that lies ahead at UTC and to get to work alongside a great staff that already has a program in place. I'm going to a first-class organization."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.