John Latina is back in coaching.
Latina, a New Castle native, was hired by new University of Akron football coach Rob Ianello as the Zips� offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. Ianello also named Jim Miceli as the assistant head coach, recruiting coordinator and running backs coach.
�I am thrilled to have both John and Jim in leadership roles on our staff,� said Ianello in a prepared statement. �They bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our program, which will help shape the vision for our future.�
Latina was out of coaching for a year after serving as Notre Dame�s offensive line coach from 2005 through 2008. In addition, he was the offensive coordinator at Mississippi from 1999 through 2004.
�John is an excellent teacher and understands the big picture of offensive football,� said Ianello, who was an assistant at Notre Dame from 2005 through 2009 before accepting the Zips position Dec. 9. �The success he has had during his previous stops speaks for itself. He has a proven record of producing top-flight offense and developing players.�
At Notre Dame, Latina oversaw an offense that included the program�s top two passers of all-time � Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen, while the Fighting Irish offense set numerous records during his tenure.
Latina helped the Rebels excel offensively during his time as coordinator. The Ole Miss offense featured SEC Player of the Year Eli Manning and 11 offensive linemen that signed NFL contracts during his time at the school. Latina was the offensive line coach at Clemson from 1994-98, seeing six of his players earn All-ACC honors.
Latina is a 1981 Virginia Tech graduate and was a four-year letter winner for the Hokies. He later joined the Hokies coaching staff in 1981 as a graduate assistant.
In addition, Latina also had coaching stints at Pitt, Temple, Clemson and Kansas State.
Latina is married to the former Michele Veltre, also of New Castle. The couple have two sons, John and Michael.
Akron, which competes in the Mid-American Conference, went 3-9 this year and 2-6 in the MAC-East. Ianello took over for J.D. Brookhart, who was fired after the season. Brookhart coached the Zips for six years.
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