WISE – UVA Wise head football coach Gary Bass has announced some promotions and changes in the football program coaching staff.
Bass and his staff recently completed their first season with the Highland Cavalier football program. The 2024 squad doubled the win totals, both overall and in South Atlantic Conference games, from the year before.

Michael Gould is now the Defensive Run Game Coordinator in addition to already being the Linebackers Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. "Coach Gould is a phenomenal coach and has done great things since getting here this past January," said Coach Bass. "We believe he is the perfect person to help our defense continue to grow and improve as we move forward. I am very excited to see the growth we have from year 1 to year 2."

In addition to coaching the Quarterbacks and being the Academic Coordinator, Jackson McFarlane now is also the Special Teams Coordinator. "Coach McFarlane was a huge reason why our special teams' units improved from 2023 to 2024. He understands the important role that special teams play throughout a game in terms of field position and scoring for both units. I can't wait to see the growth from year 1 to year 2 in this area," said Bass.

Cameron Keene makes the transition from being a manager to being the Director of Football Operations.

New to the program are Elijah Norris as the Defensive Line Coach, and Riley Bodine as the Tight Ends Coach.

Norris comes to UVA Wise after spending the last few seasons as the Defensive Coordinator/Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach at Jefferson High School in Shenandoah Junction, West Virginia. He played two seasons at UConn before transferring to Shepherd, where he helped lead the Rams to the Division II Championship game in 2015. After graduating, he played for the Chicago Bears and Montreal Alouettes before taking the job at Jefferson.

"Coach Norris is a great addition to our staff," said Coach Bass, He is a man of character and is in coaching for the right reasons. He has played at the highest level possible and has had a successful career coaching at the high school level since finishing his playing career. We are very excited to see what he will do for our defensive line as a unit moving forward."

Bodine joins the staff after having spent the last two seasons as a player for the Cavaliers.  Bodine previously was the Tight Ends coach for the Cavaliers (2022) before deciding to use the remainder of eligibility.

The Chattanooga, Tennessee, native began his collegiate career at Tennessee Tech where he started at center and guard for the program before transferring to UT-Chattanooga. After graduating from UT-Chattanooga, Bodine joined the UVA-Wise staff in 2022. After the 2022 season, Bodine decided to use remaining eligibility and play for the Cavaliers. He was two year starter, a member of the leadership council and graduated with a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction.

Coach Bass on Bodine, "Coach Bodine just finished his player career here at Wise. We are very happy that he wanted to get into coaching as we believe he has a very bright future here. He understands what we are trying to do in all aspects of the program, and we can't wait to watch him grow as a coach."

The staff and team will begin their Spring training camp in a few weeks in preparation for the 2025 season, which will open on August 30.