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Oklahoma St. assistant DeForest hired by West Virginia's Holgorsen
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Joe DeForest may not have a title yet at West Virginia, but his ties to the Big 12 Conference and southwest recruiting areas were touted as assets Saturday when his hire was made official.
Dana Holgorsen will announce the coach's responsibilities once his staff is complete, leaving open several possibilities for his role.
An 11-year assistant at Oklahoma State, DeForest is considered a special teams expert and a strong recruiter.
"He's going to help us be able to go back into the southwest. He's got some pretty good ties there as I do," Holgorsen said on the Big East Network Saturday at the Mountaineers men's basketball game. "He's step No. 1, and then we'll get a few more quality guys in here in the next few days."
DeForest worked under Les Miles from 2001-04 and Mike Gundy since then.
He was the associate head coach, special teams coordinator and safeties coach for the Cowboys.
"I am happy to come to West Virginia University and be a part of Dana Holgorsen's staff," DeForest said in a release. "Dana has done great things here already, and I look forward to helping him and the staff continue to build on what has already been started. As West Virginia enters the Big 12 Conference and with Dana's previous knowledge of the conference, I am hopeful that my experience in the league also will be helpful in the transition as well."
First Published January 15, 2012 12:00 am
