Furman Football has turned to a familiar face to lead the Paladin defense. Paladin Head Coach Clay Hendrix announced Wednesday that Chad Byers has been promoted to Defensive Coordinator.
For the last four seasons Byers has served as Co-Defensive Coordinator, alongside Duane Vaughn who recently left to take a job at Western Michigan.
Byers has been on the staff at Furman for 6 years and has coached Inside Linebackers since 2022. Byers was a key contributor on Furman's SoCon Title Team in 2023. In that season, Byers helped direct a defense that led the SoCon in points allowed per game, sacks and takeaways.
Byers is a graduate and former player at James Madison University. He was a member of their 2008 CAA Conference Title team and was part of the Dukes squad that upset nationally ranked Virginia Tech in 2010.