LAKE CHARLES – McNeese football head coach Gary Goff has announced the addition of three members to his coaching staff who combined, bring over 20 years of experience at the Division I level.
 
Aaron Ingram joins McNeese as the Football Chief of Staff and will oversee recruiting while also take charge of football operations. Ingram comes from Ball State where he was the recruiting and personnel specialist the last two seasons.
 
Josh Brown joins the defensive staff room as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Brown spent the last four years as the Miners passing game coordinator while coaching the safeties.
 
Chaz Scales comes to McNeese as the new cornerback's coach and arrives from Western Carolina where he spent the last three seasons as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.
 
"I'm very excited about bringing all three on board," said Goff. "We're going to have a lot of coordinator experience on the defensive side of the ball, which me and Coach Pec (DC Anthony Pecoraro) are extremely excited about. All three are a big get for us."
 
Ingram has an abundance of experience in recruiting, coaching and running a program. Prior to his stint at Ball State, he spent seven years as the general manager for USA Football where he worked with 24 players who are currently on NFL rosters. He's served on coaching staffs at Nevada, Sacramento State, Foothill College, San Jose City College and Fresno City College. He was named the Top Young Recruiter by Phil Steele in 2011 and 2012 while at Sacramento State.
 
"Obviously last year's results on the field were unacceptable for Cowboy Football," said Director of Athletics Heath Schroyer. "A lot of changes needed to be made and I'm confident with the new restructuring of the staff and the responsibilities within the staff, it'll get us back to our expectations and that's competing for and winning Southland Conference championships."
 
"Bringing Aaron on board as our Chief of Staff is monumental because he has been in this profession for a long time and has a great deal of connections and resources," said Goff. "Aaron is a perfectionist and a resilient recruiter, bringing exactly what was needed for his position."
 
Brown brings more than 20 years of coaching experience to Cowboy Country. Prior to his time at UTEP, he served as safeties coach at Nevada and helped lead the team to the 2019 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
 
He's been affiliated with two conference championship team in his career (2011 Great West, 2012 Big Sky), four postseason teams (2006 Hawaii Bowl, 2012 and 2016 NCAA Playoffs, 2019 Potato Bowl), and three teams that finished the season ranked in the top 25 nationally (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016) during his career.
 
He spent the 2012-19 seasons as the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at Cal Poly where his teams ranked in the top three in the Big Sky Conference in most defensive statistical categories, and in 2010-11, held the role of special teams coordinator and linebackers coach.
 
"I am very excited about the addition of Josh to our staff," said Goff. "He brings 10 years of coordinator experience to the defensive side of the ball and is a very well-respected coach who has been a part of some very successful defenses."
 
Scales is no stranger to McNeese. Prior to his three years at Western Carolina, he coached DBs at Central Arkansas where he helped the Bears claim the 2019 Southland Conference championship. While at UCA, he was selected as a participant in the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship and interned with the New York Giants through mini-camp and team training camp where he assisted with the defensive backs.
 
In 2017 and 2018, Scales coached the cornerbacks and was the passing game coordinator at Tusculum. He began his career in 2014 as a graduate assistant at West Georgia, helping the team to a semifinal appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs.
 
"Chaz is another coach that brings coordinator experience with him," said Goff. "Chaz is a young, energetic coach who was very highly recommended by many in the coaching profession and I'm looking forward to watching him have an immediate impact with our defensive backs."
 
McNeese will begin spring practice in early March.