Sorrells set to begin 30th season as Furman assistant

When Furman opens the 2015 season against fifth-ranked Coastal Carolina Saturday night, there will be new coordinators guiding the Paladins on each side of the ball.

While longtime James Madison assistant Kyle Gillenwater will command the defense, the Paladins’ new offensive coordinator isn’t new to Furman at all. Tim Sorrells, who’s been assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach for the Paladins, has added another slash to his title as he begins a second run as the Paladins’ offensive coordinator.

There’s no one that encompasses the concept of a Furman “family of coaches” more than Sorrells, who’s set for his 30th consecutive season on the coaching staff.

“Tim embodies everything that Furman stands for,” Furman head coach Bruce Fowler said. “He’s such a tremendous person and a man of integrity. His dad was a Hall of Fame coach in the state of Tennessee, so it’s in his blood.”

Sorrells transitioned from his native Greeneville, Tennessee to Greenville, South Carolina when he arrived to play quarterback at Furman in 1977. He and Fowler were teammates back then and Sorrells earned All-Southern Conference honors in 1980 and 1981 after leading the Paladins to SoCon championships both seasons. After graduation, Sorrells stuck around to work on his master’s degree in education and was a graduate assistant on Furman’s 1982 SoCon championship team.

After returning to Tennessee to coach high school football for a few years, he came back to Furman in 1986 and never left. Sorrells has been a part of 11 of the Paladins’ record 13 SoCon titles.

Sorrells said he never wanted to do anything besides coach football and never wanted to coach anywhere besides Furman.

“All I ever really grew up around was coaches,” Sorrells said. “They always told me that the best job you’ll ever have is the one you’ve got and there’s so much truth to that.

“There’s too many coaches that spend all their time where they are trying to get the next job. You just can’t survive like that. You’re not going to happy and you’re cheating somebody along the way.”

In 1986, Jimmy Satterfield was promoted to head coach after Dick Sheridan left for N.C. State. Satterfield hired Sorrells to coach quarterbacks and running backs. While Bobby Lamb took over quarterback coaching duties in 1989, Sorrells continued to coach running backs until 2009. Sorrells was also offensive coordinator from 1994-2010.

When Fowler was hired as head coach in December 2010, his first move was to retain Sorrells as quarterbacks coach. Fowler believes some of the best coaching Sorrells has ever done has come over the past two seasons as Furman has been bombarded with injuries.

“As a quarterback coach, what he’s done the last couple of years when we had to play six quarterbacks and having to get freshmen ready to play is truly remarkable,” Fowler said.

In his three-decade coaching career, Sorrells said he’s never seen anything like it before.

“I don’t think any quarterback coach in the nation has,” Sorrells said. “Every kid that we’ve had in that spot has just been unbelievable in his work ethic and willingness, so I’ve enjoyed that part.”

Sorrells said that’s what stokes his love for coaching, which goes well beyond winning games. “The challenge of building relationships with kids, that’s coaching. Trying your best to get them unified and excited,” Sorrells said. “Long after the scoreboards have turned off the bulbs, you’re going to remember those things.

“That’s what I want for guys in our program. To know that they enjoyed playing with us and for us.”

Sorrells and Fowler said there won’t be any major overhaul of Furman’s traditional style of offense this year. After finishing next-to-last in the SoCon in rushing last season, they both agree running the ball is imperative to success on offense.

“We’re really not trying to reinvent the wheel,” Sorrells said. “The decorations on the cake will be just a little bit different.”

Four of those who took snaps at quarterback the past two seasons are set to see action at other positions Saturday night. Duncan Fletcher will be starting at tight end after earning All-SoCon honors there last year. Dillon Woodruff will start at strong safety and Richard Hayes at free safety, while Terry Robinson is now a backup running back.

Two quarterbacks that aren’t switching anywhere else are Reese Hannon and P.J. Blazejowski, and that’s just fine with Sorrells. Under Sorrells’ tutelage last season, Blazejowski came on in his freshman season and earned Furman offensive MVP honors after starting just the final seven games. Blazejowski shined last year after starter Hannon was lost for the season after breaking his ankle in the opener.

Sorrells is happy for Hannon to get back out on the field. He said the Greer native, who’s been selected team captain for a record third season, has all of the “it factors” to succeed.

“He’s got great confidence and the teams around him have had great confidence and they do right now,” Sorrells said. “So we’re just going to go out there and turn him loose and see what happens Saturday night.”