BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb football announced the addition of three coaches on Thursday afternoon, adding Nick Franey, Kishawn McClain and Nick Newsome to the staff.
Franey will serve as Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator, McClain will be the Receivers Coach/Pass Game Coordinator and Nick Newsome will be the new Special Teams Coordinator.
Franey joins the 2022 Big South Conference champions after a stint at Division I FBS Tulsa, where he worked as a graduate assistant and quality control analyst. Working with the offensive line, Franey was part of a staff that saw the Golden Hurricane average 411.8 yards of total offense per game in 2022.
He spent one season at Division II national power Delta State before joining the staff at Tulsa and coached running backs at McKendree University from 2017-2018.
Franey spent time as an intern at both Lindenwood University and Central Methodist University. He played collegiately at Central Methodist as a two-year starter. Franey graduated from the school in 2017.
McClain joins the Gardner-Webb staff after serving as a graduate assistant at Division I FBS South Florida, where he worked with the Bulls' secondary.
A former standout safety at North Texas, McClain played professionally in the CFL for the Ottawa RedBlacks. He finished his career at North Texas with 336 career tackles, five interceptions and five forced fumbles in 51 games.
Newsome spent the past two seasons at Hampton University, coaching safeties for the Pirates in 2021 and 2022. He also served as safeties coach at Western Carolina during the 2020 and spring 2021 seasons – while also assisting with the Catamounts' punt block team.
Newsome also spent time at Georgia Tech as a graduate assistant, coached at Division III Capital University and got his collegiate start in coaching at UT-Martin in 2012.
Newsome played H-Back and long snapper at Austin Peay from 2008-2011, seeing action in 39 games. He graduated from the school in 2011 and earned a master's degree from UT-Martin in 2014.
Gardner-Webb begins spring practice on Monday, February 20.
