ELON, N.C. – Recently-hired Elon College Head Football Coach Jason Swepson announced Tuesday former Slippery Rock University defensive line coach Al Washington has joined the Phoenix staff as linebackers coach.

Washington, who served two seasons on The Rock staff headed by George Mihalik, is a former student athlete at Boston College and graduate assistant at North Carolina State and developed a strong bond with Swepson in both those settings.

Swepson was an assistant coach at BC from 1999-2006 and followed former Eagles head coach Tom O'Brien to N.C. State. Swepson served four seasons as N.C. State's running backs coach prior to being named Jan. 10 as head coach at Elon.

Prior to joining The Rock staff in 2009, Washington served as N.C. State's video graduate assistant for one season after coaching at Division III Rensselaer Polytechnic Institution (RPI) in 2007.

Washington helped lead RPI to an 8-2 record, a Liberty League championship and a berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs and was a member of the 2007 Liberty League "Coaching Staff of the Year."

After graduating from BC in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology, Washington signed with the Canadian Football League's Sakatchewan Roughriders. He also played for the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The Rock is currently accepting applications for the position vacated by Washington. Interested candidates should click here to be linked to the online application.