Dave Steckel adds three former MU grad assistants to Missouri State staff

Former Missouri defensive coordinator Dave Steckel is bringing along three other coaches with ties to the Tigers to fill out his Missouri State football staff.

Steckel, who was introduced as the Bears’ head coach on Sunday, hired Kenji Jackson to coach safeties and Chris Morton to coach the defensive line. Steckel also hired former Northern Iowa assistant Mario Verduzco as offensive coordinator and former MU grad assistant Marcus Yokeley as defensive coordinator.

Jackson was a two-year starter at safety for the Tigers and served as a graduate assistant for MU from 2012-13 before working as a defensive graduate assistant last season at Northwestern. Morton was a defensive graduate assistant under Steckel at MU from 2010-11 before working the last two seasons at Wisconsin-Stout as a graduate assistant.

Steckel also retained offensive line coach Sean Coughlin from Terry Allen’s staff.

This story was originally published December 17, 2014 at 6:55 PM with the headline "Dave Steckel adds three former MU grad assistants to Missouri State staff."