By Matt Schabert, Morehead State Athletic Media RelationsMOREHEAD, Ky. — Morehead State head football coach Rob Tenyer has added four new assistant coaches for the 2019 season.
Jerome Riase will lead the defensive line and serve as director of operations, Ken Lucky II will mentor the outside linebackers, Sylvester Wright IV will coach the cornerbacks and Chris Palubinsky will work with the tight ends.
Jerome Riase
Riase joined the Eagles after spending the previous season at the Georgia Institute of Technology where he served as the defensive line coach..
Riase helped the Yellow Jackets to a second place finish in the ACC Coastal Division and a berth to the 2018 Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit. The defense led the ACC and finished 12th nationally in forced turnovers.
Prior to joining the Yellow Jackets, Riase was on staff at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. Wofford led the Southern Conference in rushing defense each of the four years he coached the Terriers’ defensive linemen. In 2017, Wofford held its opponents to less than 100 rushing yards six times in 13 games and did not allow a 100-yard rusher all season while all three of his starting defensive linemen earned all-conference recognition. He coached 10 all-conference honorees during his four seasons with the Terriers, highlighted by Current Arizona Cardinal and three-time All-American Miles Brown.
In four seasons with Riase on the coaching staff, Wofford made two NCAA Division I FCS playoff appearances (2016, 2017), advancing to the national quarterfinals each year, and won a Southern Conference championship (2017).
Riase’s four seasons at Wofford followed two campaigns at Butler (2012-13), where he coached six all-conference performers, including 2012 All American Jeremy Stephens, and helped lead the Bulldogs to 17 wins, a pair of Pioneer Football League championships and the school’s first-ever FCS playoff berth.
Riase also spent four seasons as the defensive line coach at Ashland (Ohio) (2008-11), where he developed 10 all-conference linemen, an NCAA Division II all-American and two future NFL players including current Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Jamie Meder. He also spent two seasons as offensive coordinator at Savannah State (2007-08) and one season as run game coordinator and offensive line coach at Central State (2006). He began his coaching career as defensive line coach at Talawanda H.S. in Oxford, Ohio (2005).
A Cleveland, Ohio native, Riase graduated from Miami (Ohio) University in 2004 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.
Ken Lucky II
Lucky most recently served as an intern at Ohio State during the spring season of 2019. He was the cornerbacks coach at MSU’s Pioneer League foe Dayton in 2018, where the Flyer defense ranked third in the league in passing defense and total defense against conference teams.
Prior to Dayton, Lucky was a one-year defensive line graduate assistant at Ohio University in 2017 after serving four seasons as a student assistant, coaching the Bobcat defensive backs.
Lucky earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Coaching Education from Ohio in 2017 and received his Master’s Degree in Sports Pedagogy and Sports Science in 2019.
Sylvester Wright IV
Wright most recently served as an assistant coach at Union City (N.J.) High School where helped lead the program to state championship appearances in 2017 and 2018. He was the defensive backs and wide receivers coach. Union City was also county champions all three seasons with Wright on staff.
He coached Division I signees Jordan Morant (Michigan), Terai Powell (Rutgers) and Mo Thiem (Delaware State). Wright was the defensive backs coach for the north squad of the Phil Simms State All-Star Game in 2018.
In 2016, his defensive backs unit piled up 15 interceptions, and the team led the state in shutouts. In 2017, one of his free safeties tied the school record with five interceptions, including one taken back for a 104-yard touchdown.
Wright’s playing career began at Morgan State and finished at Kean (N.J.) where he was a team captain and a part of the 2015 ECAC President Bowl championship team. The Jersey City, N.J., native attended St. Anthony High School.
He has attended and worked at many notable camps, including the Odell Beckham Jr., Youth Camp, Victor Cruz Youth Camp and the Sterling Sheppard Youth Camp.
Wright earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Kean in 2016.
Chris Palubinsky
Palubinsky came to Morehead State after one season as the running backs coach at Millersville (Pa.), a school he was familiar with having played collegiate in the same conference at Bloomsburg (Pa.).
Palubinsky was a two-year starter at quarterback for Bloomsburg, accumulating 3,282 passing yards and 16 touchdowns.
He was a five-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete and played in 24 games over the course of his career, including all 11 as a senior. He also started 18 games under center.
Palubinsky received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management in the spring of 2017 and earned his master’s degree in 2018. During the spring of 2018, Palubinsky worked as Bloomsburg’s tight ends coach.
He is a native of Ringtown, Pa., who attended Shenandoah Valley High School.