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🏈 News/Notes TU hires Kendrick Shaver to coach safeties; Buckels moves to CB coach

Chris Harmon

ITS Publisher
Staff
Aug 15, 2002
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Tulsa, OK
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Eufaula Native Kendrick Shaver Returns to Oklahoma to Coach Tulsa’s Safeties; Buckels Moves to Corners and Defensive Passing Game Coordinator

TULSA, Okla. –– Kendrick Shaver was named safeties coach at The University of Tulsa, while Carlton Buckels will coach the cornerbacks and serve as Tulsa’s defensive passing game coordinator, it was announced today by Head Coach Philip Montgomery.

Buckels has coached Tulsa safeties for the past three seasons and has 22 years of collegiate coaching experience as a defensive secondary coach.

A native Oklahoman, Shaver has coached safeties, cornerbacks and outside linebackers in his career and has also served a stint as co-defensive coordinator since beginning his collegiate coaching career in 2004. Shaver, most recently, spent two seasons (2018-19) at Washington State, where he served as the Cougar safeties and NICKEL coach.

“With the departures on our defensive staff we looked at some different scenarios and decided that for the betterment of our defense we wanted to move Coach Buckles to corners and bring Coach Shaver in to coach the safeties,” said Montgomery.

“Buck has been instrumental in what we’ve done defensively, especially in the secondary and we thought it was the right time for us to continue to grow his role as passing game coordinator. He and Coach Gillespie are working side-by-side. Coach Gillespie is still making all the calls, but we thought it was a good opportunity for Coach Buckels to continue to have a stronger voice in our secondary and schematically every week.”

“As I had a chance to sit down and visit with Kendrick, his dream has always been to come back and coach in Oklahoma. He brings a lot of experience to our defense. He’s coached in a lot of different defenses and has coached all parts of the secondary throughout his career,” said Montgomery.

In 2018, Shaver’s group of safeties and Nickels combined for six interceptions and 10 tackles-for-loss while helping Washington State finish fourth in the Pac-12 in total defense, fourth in pass defense and tied for second in takeaways.

Prior to WSU, Shaver coached seven seasons (2011-17) at Utah State, including the final two as the co-defensive coordinator. Shaver spent six seasons coaching in the secondary before working with outside linebackers in 2017. He was part of a Utah State program that played in a school-record six-straight bowl games, to go along with a 2012 Western Athletic Conference championship.

In his final two seasons, the Aggie defense ranked among the top-20 nationally in fewest passing yards allowed, finishing the 2017 season ranked 19th for allowing 182.5 passing yards per game. The Aggies also forced 29 turnovers that season to rank sixth nationally.

Throughout his seven years on the Aggies’ defensive staff, Utah State was at or the near the top of the Mountain West Conference and among the top third of the national defensive leaders in several categories. In 2013 and 2014, the USU defense ranked seventh and 12th, respectively, in scoring defense. He also mentored future NFL draft selections Will Davis (2013) and Nevin Lawson (2014).

Shaver was named FootballScoop.com’s Co-Defensive Backs National Coach of the Year in 2012. He also served an NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship with the Oakland Raiders in 2014.

“Kendrick has served as a co-defensive coordinator, so that experience was a huge factor in in adding him to our staff,” said Montgomery. “We wanted to hire a guy that was excited to be a part of our program, that can take us to another level and bring some new ideas to the table, but also understand we like what we’re doing defensively and be able to jump in and add to that.”

Before his appointment at Utah State, Shaver spent four years (2007-10) as the secondary coach at Northern Colorado. He also served as the secondary coach and recruiting coordinator at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (2006), and defensive and special teams graduate assistant at Eastern Kentucky (2004-05).

Shaver began his coaching career at Hillcrest (Mo.) High School, where he coached defensive backs and wide receivers in 2002.

A native of Eufaula, Okla., Shaver played two seasons (1998-99) at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Junior College before transferring to Missouri State, where he was a free safety and cornerback in 2000 and 2001. Shaver spent the 2003 season playing for the Sioux Falls Storm of the NIFL before coaching full-time.

Shaver graduated from Missouri State with a bachelor’s degree in business in 2002. He earned his master’s degree in physical education in 2005 from Eastern Kentucky.
 
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