Packers announce coaching staff changes
The Green Bay Packers have named Shawn Mennenga special teams coordinator, retained assistant special teams coach Maurice Drayton and hired Wendel Davis and Christian Parker as defensive quality control coaches. Head Coach Matt LaFleur made the announcement Friday.
Mennenga (MEN-in-guh) comes to the Packers after serving as the special teams coordinator for Vanderbilt last season. In 2018, he helped punter Parker Thome average 44.9 yards (No. 4 in the Southeastern Conference) on 51 punts with 14 traveling 50-plus yards and 19 landing inside the 20-yard line. Prior to joining the Commodores, Mennenga spent seven seasons (2011-17) as the special teams assistant for the Cleveland Browns. During his tenure in Cleveland, he teamed with special teams coordinator Chris Tabor and helped numerous players set NFL and franchise records. Punter Britton Colquitt set the Browns’ net punting average record in consecutive seasons with 40.3 in 2016 and 40.6 in 2017. In 2015, kicker Travis Coons set an NFL record by making the first 18 field goals of his career. Cleveland was the only team in the NFL to earn at least one AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award each season from 2011-2016. In 2009-10, Mennenga was the linebackers coach at South Dakota State. From 2005-08, he served as the defensive coordinator at Fort Hays (Kan.) State University. Previously, Mennenga worked at Culver-Stockton (Mo.) College, where he was the defensive coordinator (2001) and then head coach (2002-04). The former defensive back at the University of Missouri also held collegiate assistant positions at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College (defensive coordinator, 1998-2000), Western Kentucky University (outside linebackers, 1997) and Southwest Baptist (Bolivar, Mo.) University (1995-96, secondary; 1994, graduate assistant).
Drayton is entering his fourth season coaching in the NFL and second with the Packers. He worked as the assistant special teams coach for each of the past three seasons (Green Bay in 2018 and the Indianapolis Colts in 2016-17). In 2016, he assisted P Pat McAfee in earning his second career Pro Bowl selection after leading the league in punting average (49.3) and ranking No. 3 in net punting average (42.7). After McAfee retired, Drayton helped P Rigoberto Sanchez finish No. 4 in the NFL in net punting average (42.6) in 2017 and earn a spot on the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie team. Drayton was the assistant head coach/defensive coordinator/cornerbacks coach at The Citadel (2014-15), where he played defensive back (1994-98). It was his second stint at his alma mater, having previously worked as a graduate assistant/secondary in 1999 and then coached tight ends/offensive tackles in 2000, wide receivers in 2001, outside linebackers in 2002 and secondary/special teams from 2003-05. He was the secondary coach at Southern Mississippi in 2012, the assistant head coach/special teams/wide receivers coach at Coastal Carolina from 2010-11 and coached special teams/defensive backs at South Carolina State in 2008-09. Drayton spent 2007 as an assistant coach at Goose Creek (S.C.) High School, was the defensive coordinator for the Seinajoki (Finland) Crocodiles of the European Football League in 2006 and was an assistant coach with the Charleston Swamp Foxes (Arena 2) from 2000-02.
Davis joins the Packers after a brief stint as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at the University of Incarnate Word. From 2016-18, he worked as a defensive graduate assistant at the University of Georgia. Davis was part of a coaching staff that led the Bulldogs to a 32-10 record over that span and appearances in the Rose Bowl, College Football Championship and Sugar Bowl. While at Georgia, he worked with inside linebackers coach Glenn Schumann, assisted with recruiting and helped coach the defensive scout team. Prior to his time with the Bulldogs, the Sweeney, Texas, native spent the 2015 season at the University of Texas as a defensive football analyst. Before joining the Longhorns, Davis worked for two seasons (2013-14) as the inside linebackers coach and travel coordinator at Texas A&M University-Commerce. He began his coaching career at West Texas A&M, where he served as the inside linebackers/graduate assistant (2010-12). Davis was a two-year starter at linebacker at the University of Arkansas (2006-09), recording 164 career tackles in 47 games and serving as team captain as a senior.
Parker comes to Green Bay after working as defensive analyst at Texas A&M last season. In 2017, he was the cornerbacks coach at William & Mary. Parker coached for two years at Norfolk State, first as safeties coach in 2015 and then defensive backs coach in 2016. Additionally, he served as the recruiting coordinator both seasons. Parker was a 2017 AFCA/NCAA 30 Under 30 Coaches Leadership Institute selection after he helped NSU rank among the top 10 nationally in interceptions (18), pass efficiency defense (106.9) and passing yards allowed (171.1) in 2016. Prior to NSU, he worked at Virginia State, serving as a defensive graduate assistant in 2013 and cornerbacks coach in 2014. VSU’s defense ranked in the top 20 of Division II in total defense in both 2013 (12th) and 2014 (20th). A native of Glen Allen, Va., Parker played wide receiver and cornerback at the University of Richmond and was a member of Colonial Athletic Association championship teams in 2009 and 2012.