PJ Fleck and the Minnesota football coaching staff have undergone some changes this offseason. Corey Hetherman left to become Miami (Fla.)’s defensive coordinator, while defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere III is joining the Arizona Cardinals as an assistant. Additionally, former running backs coach Nic McKissic-Luke has taken a coaching position with the New York Jets.
With the running backs coach position now vacant, multiple sources, including 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz, confirm that Minnesota is targeting South Alabama’s Jayden Everett to fill the role.
Everett has strong Midwest connections. A Kansas native, he played at Indiana State and has coached at Michigan, Akron, Central Michigan, and Indiana State, among other schools. His coaching career began at Hutchinson Community College, where he served as both running backs coach and recruiting coordinator, contributing to the development of future NFL All-Pro Cordarrelle Patterson. He later returned to his alma mater, Indiana State, coaching running backs for four seasons while also handling recruiting coordinator duties in 2016. Under his guidance, Shakir Bell amassed 4,214 career rushing yards, ranking second in ISU history.
Most recently, Everett served as Vanderbilt’s running backs coach in 2023, where he helped freshman Sedrick Alexander earn SEC All-Freshman honors—the first Vanderbilt running back to achieve the distinction since Warren Norman. This past fall, he was an assistant running backs coach at Michigan before briefly accepting a role at South Alabama. However, he is now set to head north to join Minnesota.
Everett’s Coaching Experience:
- 2011-12: Hutchinson Community College (RBs/Recruiting Coordinator)
- 2013-15: Indiana State (RBs)
- 2016: Indiana State (RBs/Recruiting Coordinator)
- 2017-18: Central Michigan (RBs)
- 2019-20: Akron (RBs)
- 2021-22: Tulsa (RBs)
- 2023: Vanderbilt (RBs)
- 2024: Michigan (RBs Assistant)
Everett will now take over a talented Minnesota backfield, featuring star running back Darius Taylor—who rushed for 1,300 yards last season—along with experienced transfer tailbacks AJ Turner and Cameron Davis.
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