Western Kentucky football coach Tyson Helton’s first coaching staff is now complete as Andy LaRussa (special teams/safeties) and Mike Goff, a 12-year NFL veteran on the offensive line and 2005 All-Pro, have joined the program.

Both coaches come to WKU from the University of Southern California, where LaRussa worked as a special teams analyst, while Goff assisted with the development of the offensive line.

As an assistant with the Trojan special teams, LaRussa helped USC to the third-best punt return unit in the Pac-12 (10.5 per return) and a league-high pair of return touchdowns in the punt game from Tyler Vaughns and Devon Williams. The Trojans were equally as dangerous in the kickoff return unit as their 22.6 yards per return ranked No. 4 in the Pac-12. Sophomore Velus Jones continued his climb into USC’s career kick return yardage list and finished the 2018 campaign inside the top 10. The Trojans also led the Pac-12 with four blocked kicks.

Prior to his move to Los Angeles, LaRussa spent three seasons at UNLV as the special teams coordinator and safeties coach for the Rebels. Converted quarterback Troy Hawthorne picked up All-Mountain West honorable mention accolades after a 2016 season in which he posted 107 tackles, second-most among all Rebel defenders, to go along with 5.5 tackles for loss, four passes defended, and five forced fumbles. Hawthorne’s five forced fumbles led the MWC that season.

Before UNLV, LaRussa spent the previous two seasons at Colorado, overseeing the cornerbacks in 2014 and the defensive ends in 2013. He moved to Boulder after two seasons at San Jose State, coaching the cornerbacks and serving as assistant special teams coordinator for the Spartans. His first assistant job came at Northern Arizona in 2009-10 after spending four seasons as a defensive graduate assistant for the Rebels from 2005-08.

LaRussa played for two seasons at Glendale (Calif.) College before transferring to Southern Utah, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 2002. He played professionally for a brief time with the Ostia Marines of NFL Italy and also was a member of the Italian National Team.

Goff comes to WKU following four years on the USC staff where he assisted with the offensive line, a position group he is very familiar with after a 12-year NFL career that included an All-Pro accolade in 2005.

His career in the NFL included runs with the Cincinnati Bengals (1998-2003), San Diego Chargers (2004-08) and Kansas City Chiefs (2009). Goff started 154 of his 171 career games in the league after he was drafted in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft following his collegiate career at Iowa. Goff was a four-year letterman for the Hawkeyes and started his final two seasons.

While assisting with the offensive line at USC, tackles Zach Banner and Chad Wheeler were All-American first teamers and All-Pac-12 first teamers (Banner also was a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award) in 2016. The USC offensive line was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award. USC ranked sixth nationally in sacks allowed (0.9) and seventh in tackles for loss allowed (4.4). USC played in the Rose Bowl. In 2015, Banner made the All-Pac-12 first team, center Max Tuerk was a third-round pick in the NFL draft, and USC played in the Holiday Bowl.

Goff previously served as a volunteer assistant coach at San Diego State for 2 seasons (2010-11), working the offensive line, as the Aztecs played in the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl and 2011 New Orleans Bowl, and as an assistant coach at Hilltop High in Chula Vista (Calif.) in 2014.

He played football (prep All-American) and wrestling (sectional heavyweight champ) at LaSalle (Ill.) Peru High School. Goff earned his bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Iowa in 2012.

Class of ‘19 WR Fails commits to WKU

Western Kentucky’s Class of 2019 is up to 13 public commits after Jeremiah Fails announced his pledge Friday to the Hilltoppers.

Fails is a 5-foot-11, 180-pound wide receiver from Ocoee (Fla.) High School. He joins Stephone Atkinson as the second Floridian in the class, and joins Clayton Bush and Dalvin Smith as the third wide receiver in the class.

Fails’ other reported FBS scholarship offers include Appalachian State, Connecticut, Georgia Southern, Liberty, Northern Illinois, South Alabama, Southern Mississippi and Troy.

Prospects can sign national letters of intent during an early period that starts Wednesday.

WKU’s current Class of 2019

Stephone Atkinson, DL, Lake Minneola HS, Lake Minneola, Fla.

Ricky Barber, DL, Doss Magnet Career Academy, Louisville

Clayton Bush, WR, South Warren HS, Bowling Green

Jeremiah Fails, WR, Ocoee HS, Ocoee, Fla.

Jordan Flack, OL, Albert P. Brewer HS, Somerville, Ala.

John Haggerty, P, Australia

Desmond Johnson, LB, Valdosta HS, Valdosta, Ga.

#Trae Meadows, CB, Garden City Community College, Greensboro, N.C.

Cory Munson, K, Northside HS, Warner Robbins, Ga.

Daylen Powell, OL, Summerville HS, Summerville, S.C.

#Caleb Sampson, DE, Coahoma Community College, Covington, La.

%Dalvin Smith, WR, Glasgow HS, Glasgow

Travares Springer, CB, Maplewood HS, Nashville

%Class of 2018 prospect who will grayshirt and join the program for the 2019 season

#Junior college prospect