If you are a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but don\’t currently have a favorite college football team to follow, might I suggest Florida A&M, who now has three former Steelers players on their coaching staff?
Former Steelers linebacker Earl Holmes was named the new head coach of the Rattlers back in January after serving the two previous season as their defensive coordinator. The FAMU graduate has since filled out his coaching staff, and it includes former Steelers linebacker Levon Kirkland and wide receiver Ernie Mills.
Kirkland, a former second-round draft choice of the Steelers in 1992, will take over as defensive coordinator and coach the linebackers, while Mills, a former third-round draft choice of the Steelers in the 1991, will coach the wide receivers.
Holmes was drafted by the Steelers in the fourth-round in 1996 out of the Tallahassee based school, so the fit is an obvious one. He will be responsible for trying to turn around a team that went 4-7 last season.
In addition to Kirkland and Mills, Holmes has also added former NFL players Elijah Williams, Chris Cash, and Corey Fuller to his coaching staff.
“I think we’ve got the best staff assembled,” Holmes said recently. “We just have to prove ourselves, but it takes talent.”
In case you are wondering, the Rattlers are expected to continue to play the 3-4 defense that produced underrated inside linebacker prospect Brandon Hepburn, who could wind up being selected in final round of the draft next month. Hepburn led the FAMU with 86 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 2012, was second with seven pass breakups and 4.5 sacks, and was named to the Allstate/AFCA Good Works Team.
