The University of Nevada football program has added Nigel Burton and James Ward to its coaching staff, head coach Chris Ault announced today.
Burton comes from Oregon State and will serve as the Wolf Pack’s defensive coordinator while also coaching the safeties. Ward was the secondary coach at Colorado State and will coach the cornerbacks at Nevada.
“These are two very experienced coaches who have recruited heavily on the West Coast,” Ault said. “I recruited Nigel out of Jesuit High School in Sacramento and have closely followed his career as a coach. I am very optimistic that he will bring a new energy to our defense. James is a veteran coach who has excellent experience on the defensive side of the ball.”
Ken Wilson, Nevada’s defensive coordinator last season, will serve as Ault’s associate head coach and will return to coaching inside linebackers after a year of working with the safeties.
Burton coached cornerbacks for five seasons at Oregon State and was named one of the top recruiters in the Pac-10 Conference by one media outlet. During his time at Oregon State, the Beavers ranked among the Pac-10 leaders in a number of defensive categories. Burton previously worked at South Florida (1999-2001), Portland State (2001-03) and as a coaching intern with the Denver Broncos (2002).
Burton began his collegiate playing career at Pacific, where he lettered as a true freshman and recorded 85 tackles in 11 games. After Pacific dropped football, Burton went on to Washington, where he started 35 of 36 games at safety and helped the Huskies to three bowl games. He was a three-time Pac-10 All-Academic Team selection. He graduated from Washington in 1999 and earned his MBA from South Florida in 2001.
Burton, 31, and his wife, Heather, have a son, Jace
“My excitement goes beyond the opportunity to be a coordinator,” Burton said. “In coaching, the two things that are important are the people you work with and having a chance to win. I am excited to come to a program like Nevada because I’ve known Chris Ault since I was 17 years old and I have tremendous respect for him and the program that he’s built in Reno.”
Ward comes to Nevada after five seasons as the defensive backs coach at Colorado State, where the secondary ranked in the upper tier of the Mountain West each season. While with the Rams, Ward coached all-conference defensive back Dexter Wynn, now with the NFL’s Houston Texans, and four other All-MWC players.
Ward previously worked at Idaho State from 1999-2003, including the last years as the Bengals’ defensive coordinator. In 2003, Ward helped Idaho State to a Big Sky Conference championship and was named the AFLAC Assistant Coach of the Year. He began his coaching career in 1995 at the University of Puget Sound before moving on to Washington State in 1997 as a graduate assistant. Ward graduated from Puget Sound in 1996 and earned his Master’s degree from Colorado State in 2006.
“I would like to join the community in welcoming these two fine coaches into the Wolf Pack family,” said Nevada athletics director Cary Groth. “And I would like to congratulate Coach Ault on two great hires into the program.”
