UPDATED: Pearl River CC promotes Saunders to head coach
The Wildcats looked internally to fill the head football coach vacancy.
Pearl River Community College announced Thursday it has hired assistant coach David Saunders to replace William Jones.
Jones resigned after posting an 11-16 record in three seasons. PRCC was 2-7 in 2015.
Saunders, 57, was approved by PRCC's Board of Trustees on Wednesday.
"This is a phenomenal opportunity for me to be part of the vision of this institution," Saunders said in a release. "There are exciting things going on in all areas of the campus here, and to be asked to lead the football program and share in that vision is something that excites me."
Saunders is a well-traveled coach who most recently was the Wildcats' defensive backs and special teams coach. He got his coaching start in 1984 at Jacksonville State. Other coaching stints included stops at Baylor, Tennessee, Ole Miss twice and most recently Louisiana-Lafayette. His lone head coaching stint was at Millsaps, where Saunders posted a 7-21 record from 2003-05.
"Coach Saunders has a wealth of football coach
ing knowledge and experience," PRCC athletics director Jason Francis said. "Through the course of this football season, Coach Saunders has demonstrated a sincere love for his players and is largely invested and interested in their well-being.
"His focus has been seeing them succeed on and off the field."
ULL accusations
His departure from ULL caught regional attention in October when it was learned the Ragin' Cajuns were self-imposing sanctions due to alleged misconduct while Saunders was on the staff.
Saunders is accused of arranging for six Ragin' Cajun recruits to take their ACT exams at a Wayne County High School test center as part of a scheme to alter their test scores to make them academically eligible, according to the NCAA allegations.
Further allegations say Saunders paid one former ULL player $6,500, including about $5,000 while he was at a junior college plus $1,500 for housing expenses. The NCAA also says Saunders provided false or misleading information during the investigation.
Saunders has denied his role in the accusations, according to the New Orleans Advocate.
ULL acknowledged most of the ACT-related violations but disputes the cash-payment allegation, according to The Advertiser.
Confident in Saunders
When the accusations became public, PRCC confirmed Saunders was to remain on staff but declined to comment further.
Saunders was hired at ULL in 2011 and fired last October. He was hired this summer by PRCC.
At the time, Francis never replied to the Sun Herald's interview request. He did comment on the investigation to Tim Buckley of The Advertiser in Lafayette.
"When the initial story broke. We were as surprised about it as anyone," Francis wrote in an email to The Advertiser. "... This is a personnel issue that is being reviewed by our institution. We are monitoring the decision and the results of the NCAA investigation closely. As the NCAA investigation unfolds, we will make our decisions about his future accordingly."
On Thursday, PRCC spokesman Chuck Abadie said, "We have researched the issue, and we feel confident we have made a good decision."
Forming a staff
Saunders started to assemble his staff when he got Derrick LeBlanc to stay on as defensive coordinator, pending board approval in January.
"I am excited that Coach LeBlanc has agreed to stay on as defensive coordinator," Saunders said. "I told him that he doesn't need me; I need him."
Saunders was one of a handful of candidates who interviewed for the job. No formal press conference is scheduled.
This story was originally published December 10, 2015 at 9:33 PM with the headline "UPDATED: Pearl River CC promotes Saunders to head coach ."