HOUSTON – HBU moved quickly to fill its vacant offensive coordinator position Monday, as head football coach
Vic Shealy has promoted inside receivers coach
Cedric Cormier to the role.
Cormier, who just completed his first season at HBU and will continue to coach the inside receivers, takes over for Zach Kittley, who accepted the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach position at Western Kentucky.
In his first season with the Huskies, Cormier helped the inside receiver duo of brothers Jerreth and
Josh Sterns rank 1-2 in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in receiving yards per game, with wide receiver
Ben Ratzlaff ranking third.
Jerreth Sterns made 47 catches for 454 yards (113.5 per game) and five touchdowns, while
Josh Sterns made 13 catches for 403 yards (100.8 per game/31.0 per catch) and four touchdowns. In a narrow loss to Texas Tech, the Sterns set the NCAA record for combined receiving yards by brothers in the same game with 17 catches for 339 yards and three touchdowns. Ratzlaff had 29 catches for 399 yards (99.8 per game) and three scores for the season.
HBU had the most prolific offense at the FCS level in the shortened fall campaign, averaging 547.5 yards of total offense, 459.5 passing yards and 33.8 points per game. With three of the four games against FBS opponents, senior quarterback
Bailey Zappe completed 141-of-215 passes for 1,833 yards, 15 touchdowns and one interception. He had 567 passing yards against Texas Tech, setting the FCS record for passing yards against an FBS opponent and had a better yards per game pace (458.3) than the all-time record of 455.7 by Mississippi Valley State's Willie Totten.
Prior to HBU, Cormier was the wide receivers coach at UNLV from 2010-19, primarily recruiting Houston, San Antonio and Los Angeles, as well as serving as the pro liaison, recruiting coordinator and camp coordinator. He saw Devonte Boyd earn All-Mountain West Conference honors three times, as well as the 2014 MWC Freshman of the Year award. Devante Davis was a two-time all-conference selection and Phillip Payne was an all-conference receiver in 2010. Cormier saw 100 percent of his wide receiver position group graduate during his tenure.
A Houston-area native, Cormier began his coaching career at Channelview High School, then coached at Baytown Lee High School. He moved into the college ranks as wide receivers coach at the FCS level with the University of Montana, then was the wide receivers coach at Miami of Ohio from 2009-10.
Cormier was a standout at North Shore High School, before going on to play four years at the University of Colorado. He graduated with a bachelor of arts in ethnic studies from CU in 2003.
In an additional staff move, offensive line coach
Jared Kaster will now also serve as the Huskies' run game coordinator.
