JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - March 27, 2006 Assistant coach Jason DesJarlais will not return to the Dolphin football program in 2006 after accepting a position as specials teams coordinator and defensive assistant at Yale, it was announced today by head coach Steve Gilbert.
DesJarlais, who joined the Dolphins in 2005 after serving as defensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh at the University of San Diego, handled the JU secondary, special teams and served as recruiting coordinator last season. Gilbert said an immediate search has begun to fill in the vacant spot on the staff.
“We’re disappointed to lose a coach with Jason’s caliber, but he is getting an excellent opportunity to coach some of the top student-athletes in Division I- AA non-scholarship football,” Gilbert said. “He did a tremendous job in the development of Ryan Feely in the kicking game and our special teams unit was very sound this past season.”
DesJarlais, who has coached at Western Montana, Bates College and Humboldt State before San Diego, was also instrumental in the development of strong safety Bernard Opoku in 2005. Opoku, who earned Pioneer Football League all-conference honors for the first time, was invited to play in the Magnolia Gridiron All-Star Classic and is currently going through workouts with NFL scouts.
“I had a very good experience here at JU because I enjoyed working with the staff and the kids were great to deal with,” DesJarlais said. “I’ve built some good relationships here and it hurts to tell people I’m leaving, but at the same time, this is a tremendous advancement for me to take a position at Yale.”
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