ATLANTA — "The power of the 'M' is very great!" The Morehouse man and new head football coach Gerard Wilcher told HBCU Legends. He played college football for the Maroon Tigers more than thirty years ago. Today, he's been hired to restore a struggling football program.

Over the previous three decades, Wilcher's coaching resume spans from the collegiate ranks to the NFL. In his last position, the Morehouse alum served as the defensive back coach for the Rice Owls in Houston, Texas. Now that he's returned to Da' House, the former player will blow the whistle as a head coach rather than a coordinator or position assistant.

Wilcher has had nearly four months to acclimate to being Morehouse's head coach after officially being named on Feb. 7. This is the first time he's in charge of a football program. Since returning to Da' House with a series of football camps this summer, Coach Wilcher has hit the ground running. At the Mega Camp on June 13, he shared thoughts about being head coach a few months into the job.

"It's about growth," Wilcher said. "Once you move in and put that crown on, it gets heavy. But it's been great. Everybody's been fantastic. I'm just learning and trying to grow every single day." When a new coach takes over, there is typically a high turnover rate among players. While the extent of this turnover may vary, it is common for the entire coaching staff to be replaced.  

Wilcher has changed his coaching staff, appointing Stan Clayton as the new offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, replacing David Hart and Sean McCleary. Charles Alexander is now the new defensive coordinator, and David Clowney IV is the new quarterbacks' coach.

But the first-year coach has retained several members from the previous staff as well.  Although he is no longer the defensive coordinator, George Copeland retains being the assistant head coach while overseeing the defensive line and special teams.   Adrian Billingslea becomes the linebackers coach, and Corey Russ will have an expanded role as the wide receivers coach and academic liaison.

Russ was in attendance during the summer camp, and he shared his early impression of Wilcher and what it's like working with him.

"Transition is always different," Russ said.  "There's always that bit of uncertainty with a new regime. But he's come in and hit the ground running.  He's allowed us to continue to be who we are, implementing what he's doing and ensuring it meshes well with what we already do to keep the continuity for the staff and the players.

"The biggest thing for us is to keep the ship moving in the right direction.  There will be bumps and bruises along with change, but we're really about finishing up the rest of this summer with our guys and the guys we're bringing in, then getting ready for next season and hitting the ground running."

Wilcher spoke positively about his staff, calling them "self-motivated" and saying they "take care of business."

Deion Sanders, previously the coach of Jackson State and now the head coach of the University of Colorado, was supposed to attend the Mega Camp on June 13.  However, he had to cancel his appearance due to the discovery of blood clots in his legs.  However, several Colorado staff members assisted in running the camp and evaluating the talent.

Several Morehouse players also assisted in running the camp, including wide receiver Malcolm Jones and WR/TE Garrison Hand.  Their time with Wilcher has been limited, but both guys have enjoyed getting to know their new coach.