James Spady returns for his fourth season with perhaps his most experienced team with 15 starters returning from 2016.
And the team includes five preseason All-Southwestern Athletic Conference selections – the most in Spady’s term.
Alabama A&M returns seven starters on offense, eight on defense and all of the team’s specialists.
Anchoring the returnees are All-SWAC running back Jordan Bentley; All-SWAC linebacker Kenneth Davis; All-SWAC defensive back Tere Calloway; All-SWAC kicker Nick Carden; and second team All-SWAC offensive lineman Austin Simmons.
In his first season, Spady had just four senior starters and Alabama A&M finished 4-8. However, four of the losses were by a total of 15 points - including a pair of last-minute defeats by one point and three points.
Before coming to Alabama A&M, Spady coached from 2010-13 at the University of Nevada, including a strong 2013 campaign that saw the Wolf Pack produce one of the top tight ends in the Mountain West Conference in John Mackey Award semifinalist Zach Sudfeld.
And Spady is no stranger to developing talent.
In his first year as an assistant coach at Nevada, he guided All-WAC tight end Virgil Green, who was selected in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. Green, who played in more than 50 games in his career at Nevada, caught 72 passes in his career for 939 yards and 11 touchdowns while also serving as a devastating blocker in the run game.
In 2012, Spady guided one of the best comeback stories in college football as Sudfeld came back for a sixth season in his injury-riddled career at Nevada to start every game and become a semifiÂnalist for the Mackey Award. Sudfeld earned All- Mountain West second-team honors as he caught 45 passes for 598 yards and set a school record for most touchdowns by a tight end with eight.
As a player at the University of Texas- El Paso, Spady was a four-year starter with 47 starts and twice earned first-team All-WAC honors. He is also a member of the Miners’ Centennial Team.
After a three-year career in the Arena Football League, Spady returned to UTEP to begin his coaching career.
He spent 11 seasons with the Miners helping to develop the offensive and defensive lines, as well as the tight ends. Spady coached the tight ends at UTEP from 1996-1999 and aided in the development of Brian Natkin, a consensus All-American in 2000. Sudfield, Green and Natkin all have played or are playing in the NFL.
Not only did Spady develop talent, he was won championships at every school he coached.
From 1993-1995, Spady was a student/graduate assistant coach working with both the offensive and defensive lines. Spady was the defensive line coach at UTEP from 2000-2003 and returned to the offensive side of the ball during the 2003 season when he took over the tight ends.
He came to Reno after three seasons as the offensive coordinator at Grambling State. With the Tigers, the team reached the SWAC championÂship game in his first year and won the SWAC championship in his second season (2008). While Spady was the offensive coordinator, the Tigers led the SWAC in a number of offensive categories and a handful of Tigers players set school records and earned all-conference accolades.
Before Grambling, Spady was offensive line coach at North Carolina Central in 2006 and the Eagles posted a perfect 11-0 record and a trip to the NCAA Division II playoffs. NCCU finished the season ranked fourth in the nation in the D-II Top 25 poll and led its conferÂence in 12 offensive statistical categories while the offensive line yielded just 10 sacks in 289 pass attempts.
Spady was the offensive line coach at South Carolina State in 2004 and 2005 and the offensive line cleared the way for 9,049 yards of total offense and 34.7 points per game.
At Nevada, he worked for Hall of Fame Coach Chris Ault and had several influential coaches during his playing days at UTEP, including Andy Reid, Dirk Koetter and Hal Mumme.
In addition to his collegiate coaching duties, Spady is also an avid student of the game as he has served NFL Minority Internships with the Green Bay Packers in 1997 and in 1999 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Spady was one of 28 coaches selected to participate in the 2008 NCAA Expert Coaches Academy in Dallas and he was one of 11 coaches chosen for the NCAA Champions Forum in Orlando in 2009.
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James Spady
Born: Jan. 5, 1966
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Family: Wife - Barbara; Daughter - Aidine; Sons - Jalen and Mason.
Education: Bachelor’s, criminal justice, UTEP, 1995
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Coaching Experience
Current: Head Coach, Alabama A&M
2010-2013: Tight Ends/Co-Offensive Line, Nevada
2007-09: Offensive Coordinator, Grambling State
2006: Offensive Line, North Carolina Central
2004-05: Offensive Line, South Carolina State
2000-03: Defensive Line, UTEP
1999: Coaching Intern, Philadelphia Eagles
1997: Coaching Intern, Green Bay Packers
1996-1999: Tight Ends, UTEP
1993-95: Student/Graduate Assistant, UTEP
Playing Experience
UTEP: Four-year starter (1985-88). Two-time first-team
All-WAC selection
Denver Dynamite (Arena Football League): 1989-90
Sacramento Attack (AFL): 1991
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