Former Jesuit coach James Harrell lands college job

Four months after resigning as Jesuit football coach, James Harrell has wedged his foot into the door at the college level.

Harrell, 55, has been hired as outside linebackers coach at Kentucky Christian, a 5-year-old NAIA program in Grayson, Ky., Knights coach Gene Peterson confirmed.

"It's a good little spot," said Harrell, whose new program begins spring drills a week from today. "A lot of NFL guys have come through here and moved on."

Harrell, 29-6 with two district titles in three seasons at Jesuit, stepped down as Tigers coach in mid-November, three days after leading Jesuit to its 13th consecutive win against rival Tampa Catholic. School administrators said the decision was Harrell's entirely.

Before that, the former University of Florida and NFL linebacker spent one year as coach at Freedom, and served as co-defensive coordinator for Plant's 2006 and '08 state title teams.

Harrell said the opportunity arose in part through the NFL Player Engagement Program. Former Knights coach Mark Furrey, like Harrell a former Detroit Lion, now is receivers coach at Marshall.

"It's an excellent opportunity for me to be part of a college program," said Harrell, noting KCU has more than a dozen Florida players on its roster. "The program has a proven track record of moving people on."