University of North Texas Athletics
McCarney Makes Additional Hires
12/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
DENTON, Texas - University of North Texas head football coach Dan McCarney has announced the official hiring of three more assistants to his staff. Justin Gaines will coach cornerbacks, Anthony Weaver will coach linebackers and Scotty Conley will be in charge of football operations as well as the recruiting coordinator, McCarney revealed today.
Gaines is a well-respected recruiter who was a defensive secondary coach at Montana State the past four years. He was instrumental in developing the state of Texas as a recruiting hotbed for Montana State, helping sign 18 players from the state in the last three years. Four of his signees from Texas were starters for Montana State this season, as the Bobcats won the Big Sky Conference regular season championship and qualified for the FCS playoffs. Three of those players earned Big Sky postseason all-conference recognition, including conference offensive MVP Denarius McGhee, a quarterback from Euless Trinity High School. Gaines coached defensive backs at Midwestern State from 2004-06 and at Texas A&M Commerce from 2002-03. He was an All-America defensive back at the University of Montana, where he was a four-year letterman from 1995-98.
"My phone rang off the wall from Texas high school coaches that called to recommend Justin," McCarney said. "He is a relentless recruiter who has built strong relationships here in our home state. We must have a secondary that can make big plays and Justin will teach this group how to do that every day."
Weaver spent the 2010 season with McCarney at Florida, where he a defensive graduate assistant. He was an All-America defensive end at Notre Dame, serving as team captain in his senior year. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft and played seven seasons before suffering a career-ending injury in 2008. Weaver was born in Abilene, Texas before his successful prep career at Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
"Anthony had a remarkable career at Notre Dame and in the NFL and I truly believe he is a star on the rise in the coaching ranks," McCarney said. "We had a great year together at Florida and I am thrilled to have him as part of the Mean Green family."
Conley has been North Texas' director of football operations for two seasons and will now take on the additional duties as recruiting coordinator on McCarney's staff. Conley has 38 years of coaching experience in various levels of college football, including nine years as a head coach at both Trinity Valley and Texas A&M Commerce. He will have several administrative responsibilities for the Mean Green football program including travel, scheduling, budgets and recruiting.
"The wealth of experience that Scotty brings will be invaluable as we transition a new coaching staff," McCarney said. "We will rely heavily upon him to help us hit the ground running and he will definitely be an asset in putting together our first recruiting class in a short time."
