Cullowhee, N.C. – As the tumblers continue to fall into place across the country as it relates to the collegiate coaching carousel, changes are again coming to the staff of Western Carolina head football coach Mark Speir. Freshly-minted defensive coordinator and secondary coach Tripp Weaver is returning to his alma mater, East Carolina, as the safeties coach the school officially announced today in a release.
 
In addition to returning to where his coaching career began, Weaver, originally from Asheville, also returns to the staff of head coach – and western North Carolina product – Mike Houston. Weaver previously worked on Houston's coaching staff at both The Citadel and James Madison.
 
"I am disappointed that we are losing such a bright, young coach in Tripp Weaver," said Speir. "I am happy for Tripp and his wife, Leigh, in being able to advance in this profession and do what is best for their family. We thank Tripp for what he has done for our program the last two years and wish him nothing but success as he moves forward."
 
Speir added, "We are already hard at work to quickly find the coach that will bring the qualities that our players and football program deserve. I am excited about the mentality of our players right now and the future of our program. With the support of the university, we've had the opportunity to add an additional member to our full-time coaching staff which is great for our program."
 
Speir continues the process of filling the vacancies on his current coaching staff, recently adding Imarjaye Albury to his defensive staff to coach the defensive ends. Speir expects to add two more coaches aside to both his offensive and defensive staff with the next announcement expected as early as this weekend.
 
In a statement, Weaver expressed his gratitude to Speir, the Western Carolina players, and Catamount Nation for the opportunity over the past two seasons – and for the recent promotion to lead the WCU defense:
 
"I am very thankful to Coach Speir and the Western Carolina administration for the opportunities that were presented to me these past two years while in Cullowhee. As a western North Carolina native, representing Catamount football was an honor and a privilege and one that I did not take for granted during my time here. WCU has an unbelievable group of players – and to them, I say I love you and I sincerely mean this when I say it, your time is coming.
 
Without a doubt, when players and coaches leave the Western Carolina football program, they leave better men than when they arrived and that is because of the leadership Speir provides. Thank you, Catamount Nation, for your unwavering support; I will always cherish the times I had at Western Carolina University because of you. Go Cats!"
 
Western Carolina football and Cullowhee remain a strong proving ground for assistant coaches that remain in demand across the scope of college football. This was never more evident than the recent hires over the past year of former WCU player and assistant Geoff Collins at ACC-member, Georgia Tech, and most recently in the NFL by the Carolina Panthers who tabbed former WCU assistant coach Matt Rhule as the franchise's fifth head coach. Both Collins and Rhule cut their teeth on the sidelines in Cullowhee in the early 2000s.
 
With plans for the squad's annual spring drills to commence following the University's Spring Break in mid-to-late March, Western Carolina now turns its attention to the traditional National Signing Day on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, to officially round-out the incoming class.
 
The Catamount Club's annual Football Signing Day Reception – presented by Ingles, the Chef's Kitchen – will take place on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020, prior to the Catamount men's basketball game against chromatic conference-rival, Furman (2 pm). Speir and his staff will talk about the upcoming 2020 Catamount Football season and provide an analysis of this year's recruiting class providing an overview of each signee. Catamount Club members at the Top Cat level and above are eligible to attend the exclusive event which begins with a social catered by Ingles, with the recruiting program to follow.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports) and Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountsFB).