Vanderbilt officially introduces pair of defensive coaches

Vanderbilt football officially announced it has hired a pair of defensive coaches Friday. Nick Howell will serve its next defensive backs coach and Larry Black Jr. as the next defensive line coach.

Coach Howell joins the Vanderbilt family as Defensive Backs Coach. #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/2wPeFKDcVa

— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) January 7, 2022

Additionally, Vanderbilt promoted tight ends/special teams coach Justin Lustig as associate head coach.

Howell spent six seasons with the Cavaliers as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach from 2016-21. He was not retained by new coach Tony Elliott this offseason. Prior to that he worked at BYU from 2017-15. He started as an intern with the Cougars before working his way up to defensive coordinator by 2013.

This will be Howell’s first collegiate job without Bronco Mendenhall, whom he he worked under at both BYU and Virginia. A native of Ogden, Utah, Howell got his start in the high school ranks in 2002 and stayed until 2006.

During his six years with the Cavaliers, Howell twice put together defenses that finished among the top five in the ACC (2018 and 2019). This past season, he coached a unit that allowed 466 yards and 31.8 points per game. In 2019, he helped to lead Virginia to the Orange Bowl, where it lost to Florida.

The Cavaliers finished this year with a 6-6 record in the regular season, earning a trip to the Fenway Bowl. However, they had to out of the game because of COVID-19 issues on the team.

At age 32, Larry Black Jr. is still near the beginning of his coaching career. After being a graduate assistant for Notre Dame from 2016-18, he took a job with Toledo as the defensive line coach in 2019. A former Indiana Hoosier, he spent two seasons in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Vanderbilt finished this past season 2-10 under first-year coach Clark Lea. The Commodores have not enjoyed a winning season since 2013, when the team finished 9-4. Perhaps with the addition of Howell as the new Vanderbilt defensive backs coach, that streak will soon be broken.

The Commodores could certainly use some help on the defensive end following a lackluster showing in 2021. They finished last in the SEC in total defense, giving up 458.3 yards and 35.8 points per game.

Howell and Black will make their debut as Vanderbilt defensive coaches on Aug. 27, when the Commodores open their 2022 season against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.