MEADVILLE, Pa. -- With kickoff for the upcoming season just a few days away, Allegheny College's fourth-year head football coach, Rich Nagy, has announced his staff for the 2022 campaign.

Returning for his fourth year as the Gators' offensive coordinator is Max Beal '14. A four-year letter winner at center during his playing career at Allegheny, Beal will work directly with the team's quarterbacks, including returning starter Jack Johnson (Hingham, Mass. / Hingham/Milford Academy). A mainstay on the sidelines since 2017, Vann Hunt also returns for his second year as the defensive coordinator. In addition to leading the defense, Hunt will mentor Allegheny's linebacker corps.

Joining Nagy, Beal, and Hunt are a quintet of assistants, highlighted by two more Gator alums. Kyle Smesko '97, a former team captain and All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honoree, returned to Meadville this summer to coach the offensive line. Smesko began his coaching career with the Gators after graduating in 1997 and most recently served as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Oberlin College.

Leading the wide receivers is another familiar face. Former receiver Mark Torsello '22, who graduated earlier this year with degrees in Neuroscience and Psychology, will shift to the sidelines this fall. Torsello had a breakout senior season with the Gators, as he made 21 catches for 299 yards and three touchdowns in the fall of 2021.

Also on the offensive side of the ball, Josh DePasquale will work with Allegheny's running backs and tight ends. A former assistant at Bethany College, DePasquale previously interned as a special teams assistant at Marshall University in the spring of 2021. His resume includes additional Division I experience at Akron University, where he served as an assistant tight end and special teams coach for the Zips in 2020.

Guiding the defense line and defensive backs will be Matt Hanhold and Zay Williams, respectively. Hanhold, an All-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) honoree as a student-athlete at Westminster College, spent the past three years at nearby Clarion University. He held several roles with the Division II Golden Eagles, including interim head coach, defensive coordinator, and recruiting coordinator.

Williams relocated to Meadville after a stint as the assistant linebackers/edge coach at Division I Robert Morris University. He also boasts experience at fellow PAC institution, Geneva College, where he spent the 2021 season as the linebackers coach and video coordinator. A 2019 North Carolina Wesleyan University graduate, Williams was a two-year starter at linebacker for the Battling Bishops.

In their first season back in the PAC, the Gators will open the 2022 schedule at home on Saturday, September 3, when Allegheny hosts Union College (N.Y.) at Frank B. Fuhrer Field at 12:00 p.m.