Ball State football announced a hiring and several changes to the organization of the coaches on defense Friday morning.
Coach Pete Lembo formally announced that Shannon Morrison, who was Lembo’s defensive coordinator at Lehigh in 2004, has been hired as the defensive backs coach for Ball State. Lembo made an announcment at the public Signing Day outing at Worthen Arena Wednesday night that Morrison was joining the staff.
“We are pleased to welcome Shannon Morrison and his family to Ball State and Muncie,” Lembo said in a news release. “Shannon did an outstadning job as our defensive coordinator at Lehigh in 2004 and helped us win a Patriot League Co-Championship.”
Along with the hiring, Ball State has made changes to the structure of the responsibilities of the defense coaches.
Defensive coordinator Jay Bateman will now be an inside linebackers coach as well. Daryl Dixon will now be the team’s outside linebacker and nickel backs coach. Morrison, along with being the defensive backs coach, will have responsibilites as a pass defense coordinator.
Morrison was the cornerbacks coach at Cincinnati in 2012, helping the team to a win in the Belk Bowl over Duke. He served as interim defensive coordinator for the Belk Bowl.
“Shannon and Jay Bateman have had a long standing professional relationship that dates back over 15 years,” Lembo said in a news release. “There is a lot of mutual respect between them and I know they are excited to work together again.”
