LaQuentin Black’s coaching staff for his first season at the helm of Missouri Valley Vikings football will have a touch of green.

Black announced Tuesday, Feb. 4 that former Central Methodist head coach David Calloway would return to the area as Valley’s new associate head coach and defensive coordinator. Calloway coached at CMU from 2016 to 2022, guiding the Eagles to a south division title in the Heart of America and an appearance in the NAIA playoffs in 2021. He was most recent defensive coordinator at NCAA Division I’s Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Reuniting with Calloway are new co-offensive coordinators Jack Goulet and Jacoby Bellard. Both men were on Calloway’s staff for CMU’s 2021 playoff run, where Goulet was offensive line coach and Bellard the wide receivers coach. Bellard was a teammate of Black’s at Missouri Valley.

Three new faces are also arriving on campus. Dalton Wright and Erik Mays are joining the defensive staff, while Willie Jackson will focus on the offensive line and tight ends. Wright arrives from Northern Iowa where he was an analyst and assistant coach for linebackers and cornerbacks. Mays has been a volunteer assist for Marshall High School after playing for indoor football teams in Gillette, Wyo., and Tulsa.

Three coaches from last season are still in place. Former head coach Greg Purdum remains on staff as the running backs and strength and conditioning coach, continuing an affiliation with the Vikings that goes back to his playing days in the early 1970s. Allen Suber II will work with the quarterbacks and passing game for a second season, after coaching stints in Florida and Alabama. Jake Wilson will serve as special teams coordinator for a fourth season.

Missouri Valley’s football season begins September 6th with a home game at Volney C Ashford Stadium against Clarke of Iowa.