St. Lawrence University Head Football Coach Dan Puckhaber announced this week that he has added four assistant coaches to the staff for the 2016 season: Phil Guard, Jordan Berrian and Stephen Tate. Puckhaber also announced that defensive backs coach Zach Brown will also be the team's recruiting coordinator.

"I am excited to add three new coaches to the staff with varied backgrounds," said Puckhaber. "The three coaches come from different backgrounds with experience at the Division I, II and III levels and also bring different life experiences that will benefit our football program."

Guard is a graduate of Mount Union where he was an offensive lineman and a member of the 2012 national championship team. After graduation, he worked with the National Football League player development program for two years as an assistant coach. He returned to Mount Union as a student assistant coach for the offense before moving on to Albright College in 2015.

At Albright, he worked with the offense and had recruiting and video duties, helping the team win a Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) championship and advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament with a 10-2 record.

Berrian started his coaching career at East Stroudsburg University as a student assistant coach specializing in video filming, editing and analysis. He graduated in 2009 with a degree in sport management. Additionally, he worked on the coaching staffs at Cedar Cliff High School in Pennsylvania, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and most recently at the United State Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.

At Coast Guard, he was an assistant coach for the offense working with the receivers and tight ends and was the video coordinator for the entire athletic department.

Tate comes to St. Lawrence with professional playing experience. He was signed as a free agent by the Washington Redskins in 2008 and played two seasons with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League (UFL). He was a four-year player for Hofstra University as a safety and kick return specialist. He brings three years of professional sales experience to the football field.

Brown joined the Saints staff as an assistant coach in 2015 and was promoted to a full-time coaching position during the offseason and added the title of recruiting coordinator over the summer.

"We endured some major changes in the coaching staff during the offseason with three members of the coaching staff moving on," said Puckhaber. "Zach did an outstanding job coordinating our recruiting effort during that time and I am excited to see him in the role on a full-time basis."

The Saints open the 2016 season at home at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 2 against Morrisville in what will be the first night game ever played at Leckonby Stadium.