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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Cutcliffe Announces Staff Position Changes For 2004
2/19/2004 | Football
Feb. 19, 2004
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss Head Football Coach David Cutcliffe announced Thursday that newly hired defensive assistant Jay Hopson will coach the secondary in 2004 and defensive coordinator Chuck Driesbach will move from the secondary to coach linebackers.
"Jay will be responsible for the secondary and will also serve as recruiting coordinator," Cutcliffe said. "Chuck is returning to the linebacker spot and will continue to coordinate the defense."
Hopson, who earned four letters as a defensive back at Ole Miss and was coached by Driesbach in 1989, was named to the Rebel staff on February 13, but Cutcliffe did not announce his specific coaching duties until Thursday.
Driesbach is in his second stint on the Ole Miss coaching staff. After coaching the secondary in 1989, he left to become defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Cornell. He returned to Ole Miss prior to the 2002 season when he joined Cutcliffe's staff as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
Driesbach's 2003 defensive unit ranked fourth in the Southeastern Conference and 14th nationally against the run. The Rebels also ranked top five in the conference in interceptions (15) and turnovers forced (25), and the defense recorded 106 tackles-for-loss.
Meanwhile, Cutcliffe announced that former Ole Miss wide receiver Ronnie Letson of Norcross, Ga., has been hired as a Defensive Graduate Assistant, replacing Alundis Brice, who recently accepted a fulltime position at Idaho.
Letson, who earned three letters (1996, 1998, 1999) with the Rebels, spent the 2003 season as an Offensive Administrative Graduate Assistant at Ole Miss.
After earning his B.B.A. degree in General Business in 1999, Letson remained for his senior season while working on a second major. He is currently working on a Master of Arts degree in Higher Education.
Prior to returning to Ole Miss, Letson served as receivers coach at Jacksonville (Ala.) State University in 2001 and was receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Presbyterian (S.C) College in 2002.