STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton head football coach Cary Fowler has announced changes to his coaching staff for the 2010 season.

Henry Cofer has been named the defensive coordinator for the Texans while Chris Mineo moves from a graduate assistant to a full-time assistant coach for the defense.

Cofer has spent the last four seasons on the Texan staff as a defensive assistant where he has been in charge of the linebackers. He served the first two seasons as a graduate assistant before becoming a full-time assistant for the last two years, and Fowler believes he is going to be a great coordinator for the talented purple and white defenders.

“Henry is a Division I coach,” Fowler said. “The first thing a head coach does when he is hired is find a guy you can believe in, and for me, that is Henry Cofer – no matter where I am at.”

The head coach went on to bolster Cofer's credentials.

“All I can say is I have been around a lot of hard working coaches in my lifetime,” Fowler continued. “Henry is the hardest working man I know from all of those I have been associated with in college football.”

Cofer coached Marcus Phillips to a stellar career, including being named to the Don Hansen's Football Gazette First Team All-Super Region Four squad, the Daktronics All-Super Region Four First Team, a First Team All-Lone Star Conference South Division selection and to being named the 2009 LSC South Division Linebacker of the Year. He helped Phillips to an All-Lone Star Conference South Division First Team pick in his second season as a full-time coach after coaching All-LSC South Division First Team selection Vernon Smith in 2007. In 2006, Cofer mentored LSC South Division Linebacker of the Year Erick Smith who led the team, and was second in the conference, with 99 tackles. The linebacking corps was a huge part of a strong defense that was No. 1 in rushing defense and No. 2 in total defense.

After attending the University of Arizona for one year, Cofer transferred to Sam Houston State where he lettered three seasons for the Bearkats and graduated in 1997 with a degree in kinesiology. He received all-conference honors while at SHSU.

Cofer served as the defensive coordinator at Austin Johnston High School for four years (1997-2000) before coaching at Pflugerville High School for the last five seasons. While at Pflugerville, he helped coached the 2004 and 2005 Bi-District Champions and area runner-ups. In his five years there, Pflugerville claimed three district championships and he worked with four Division I signees at the runningback position. They made the playoffs all five seasons.

Cofer, who completed his master's degree at Tarleton in December of 2007, also serves as the professional football contact for the Texan coaching staff.

Cofer has a 10-year-old daughter, Krysilynne.

Mineo will continue to coach the defensive line for the Texans.

“I am excited because Chris brings NFL experience to our defensive line, and there will be no changes to our defensive coaching staff,” Fowler said. “The thing I really like about Chris is that he is a tremendous teacher with great patience. He balances Henry and me out because he thinks things through. Chris coaches with a passion, and our balance is a huge key for us.”

Mineo came to the Texans to head the defensive line in 2008 and has worked with the group the last two seasons. Last season, he mentored Ben Taifane and Alonzo Horton who were both named to the All-LSC South Division Second Team defense while Bryant Bray and Jamaal Steamer were honorable mention picks. In 2008, he helped direct Second Team All-LSC South Division selection Steamer and honorable mention selection Horton. The Texan defensive line tallied 56.5 tackles for loss while the overall defense had 24 sacks in Mineo's first year with the team.

A four-year defensive lineman at the University of Texas-El Paso, Mineo signed as a free agent with the Washington Redskins after college before returning to UTEP as a student assistant in 2006. He became a graduate assistant for the Miners in the spring of 2007 before coming to Tarleton in January of this year.

While at UTEP, Mineo recorded 188 tackles for the Miners, including 84 solo stops.

In 2005, Mineo tallied 20 tackles, including 13 solo stops. He had eight tackles for a loss of minus-48 yards, including six sacks for minus-42 yards for the Miners in only five games as a senior. As a junior, the Odessa native was named First Team All-Western Athletic Conference as a defensive tackle after collecting 50 stops, including 39 solo tackles, leading the defensive line in total stops. He tied for the team lead with eight sacks (minus-34 yards), and he was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year against San Jose State.

In 2003, Mineo led all Miner defensive linemen with 70 tackles, including 20 solo tackles. As a redshirt freshman in 2002, he played in all 12 games while making three starts. He was named to the All-WAC Freshman Team chosen by The Sporting News. He was the sixth-leading tackler with 48 stops, including five tackles for a loss of minus-14 yards.

Mineo was a First Team All-District 4-5A offensive tackle and second team all-district defensive end as a senior at Permian High School. The 2001 graduate of PHS was a three-year varsity letterwinner for the Panthers, and a four-year baseball letterman at pitcher and first base.

Mineo married his wife, Crystal, in November 2009, and the couple has two children, Brailey and Cayden, and they are expecting a boy, Christopher Cai, in June.

Also, wide receivers coach Nick McBroom resigned to pursue other interests.