LEA JOINS SYRACUSE FOOTBALL STAFF AS LINEBACKERS COACH

Syracuse linebacker coach Clark Lea boasts coaching experience from coast-to-coast. The Vanderbilt University graduate and letterwinner has mentored linebackers at Bowling Green, UCLA and South Dakota State and served as a graduate assistant at his alma mater. During his three-year stint at UCLA, Lea worked with Syracuse defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough. He joins the Orange after coaching the linebackers at Bowling Green in 2012. "As a family we are so excited to have the opportunity to work for Coach Shafer and help to build on the foundation that Coach Marrone started," Lea said. "There is a lot of football tradition at Syracuse, and I look forward to being a part of it. As a coach you have to determine what your legacy will be. If all I have contributed is X's and O's, then I have failed. I pride myself on the time I spend focusing on the development of the person. Once we hit the field, we will have a linebacker corps that is fundamentally sound, that knows where to line up, and attacks the football."

Lea replaces Steve Morrison, who left Syracuse University for personal reasons after mentoring the Orange linebackers in 2012.

"With bittersweet emotions, I announce my resignation from the Syracuse Football program," Morrison said. "While I'm excited to pursue opportunities outside of football and, most importantly, to spend more quality time with my family, I'm sad to say goodbye to all the wonderful people associated with the University with whom I've had the pleasure of being around over the last year. I look forward to watching the program continue to grow and flourish under the leadership of my great friend, Scott Shafer."

At Bowling Green, Lea (pronounced Lee) was a finalist for the FootballScoop.com Linebacker Coach of the Year after guiding the unit that contributed to the nation's seventh-best defense. The Falcons defense, which included All-Mid American Conference linebackers Gabe Martin (first team) and Dwayne Woods (third team), was nationally-ranked in scoring defense (ninth), third down defense (sixth) and pass defense (seventh) and led the MAC in nine statistical categories. Lea also assisted with the BGSU special teams. BGSU played in the 2012 Military Bowl.

"Clark Lea has comes highly recommended by many well-respected college coaches," Shafer said. "Coach Lea has worked closely with Coach Bullough in the past, which will help make a smooth transition on the defensive side of the ball. I am looking forward to having one of the best and brightest defensive coaches in the country join the Syracuse football staff.

"Steve Morrison did a great job here for the Orange and will be missed dearly," Shafer said. "We wish Steve and his great family nothing but the best in the future."

Prior to his appointment at BGSU, Lea coached the linebackers at UCLA where he was part of two bowl teams (2009 and 2011) and coached linebacker Akeem Ayers, who was a Dick Butkus Award Finalist in 2010 and went on to be selected by the Tennessee Titans in the 2011 draft (39th selection). In 2009, the Bruins' defense ranked third in the PAC-10 in total defense and scoring defense and was first in turnovers forced. Lea also served as a Bruins graduate assistant in 2006 and a defensive intern in 2005.

In between his pair of stints as a Bruins coach, he spent two seasons (2007 and 2008) as the linebackers coach at South Dakota State University and was recruiting coordinator during the second year. He also coached the kickoff coverage unit and assisted with other special teams units. In 2008, the Jackrabbits finished 7-5, playing six teams ranked in the Top 25.

In 2007, his three starting linebackers ranked among the top four tacklers in the league and South Dakota State won the Great West Football Conference championship. He mentored two first-team all-league selections and one second-team choice.

Lea began his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater, serving as an offensive graduate assistant (running backs) at Vanderbilt in the Spring of 2005. Lea was a three-year letter-winner at Vanderbilt from 2002-2004, the final year as a graduate student. He began his collegiate career at Birmingham Southern College, where he was a member of the 2001 NAIA National Championship team and then transferred to Belmont University, where he lettered in baseball in 2002.

During his collegiate career, Lea was a member of the SEC Honor Roll and an All-Academic SEC honoree. He was also a John Wooden Cup finalist, a trophy awarded by Athletes for a Better World, and a National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame honoree. He earned an undergraduate degree in political science in 2005 and a master's in political science from Vanderbilt in 2007. Lea and his wife, Allison, have a son, Clark III.