Lorenzo Ward officially hired at Fresno State

Fresno State has hired former South Carolina defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward to fill that same role with the Bulldogs.

Coach Tim DeRuyter announced Tuesday that he has added Ward to his staff.

“We are very happy to be adding a coach with Lorenzo’s experience to our football staff,” DeRuyter said in a statement. “Lorenzo has a great passion for this game and mentoring young men. He has a wealth of experience having been a coordinator in the SEC as well as having coached in the NFL. His experience will greatly benefit our team and I know that he is excited about becoming a Bulldog as we return to competing for championships in 2016.”

Ward was South Carolina’s sole defensive coordinator from 2012-2014 and shared the role with Jon Hoke last season. Ward was not retained by new head coach Will Muschamp.

Ward has also coached at Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Chattanooga and one season in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders in 2006. Ward began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater Alabama in 1991.

Among the other assistants under previous coach Steve Spurrier to find new landing spots:

▪  Former USC special teams coordinator Joe Robinson is the new special teams coordinator at Texas Tech.

▪  Deke Adams is now the defensive line coach at East Carolina.

This story was originally published January 12, 2016 at 8:46 PM with the headline "Lorenzo Ward officially hired at Fresno State."