Knights Hire Todd Varn as Offensive Coordinator

By Bob Castello
SJCS Communications Manager

SJCS Head Football Coach Eric Nash introduced Todd Varn, a veteran of three decades at the collegiate level, as the Knights' new offensive coordinator during a team meeting this past week.

Coach Varn has been an offensive coordinator at the collegiate level since 1999, having spent the past seven years at Newberry College. He also has served in that position at Charleston Southern, Western Carolina and Presbyterian College.

Coach Varn replaces Jimmy Kiser, who retired after coaching for more than 40 years. Coach Varn was a Shrine Bowl running back at Airport High School in 1987 and a member of the school's first Hall of Fame class in 2004. He went on to play at North Carolina State, where Coach Kiser was a member of the staff.

"I'm super excited about Coach Varn's experience," Coach Nash said. "I've heard tremendous things about him from a number of people who have links here at St. Joe's, including Coach Kiser, but several others as well. He's a passionate guy. I can tell that already. He's really excited to be here, and I'm really excited to work with him."
 

"It's the way I want it to be to finish up my career," said Coach Varn. "It's structured. It's disciplined. It's what I grew up in, what I played in. I'm excited for that type of environment."

Coach Varn served as offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Charleston Southern from 1999-2002; in the same position at Western Carolina from 2002-2005; as OC at PC from 2005-2007 and as OC and offensive line coach at PC from 20011-2018; as associate head coach and OC at Newberry from 2007-2011; and as OC and quarterbacks coach at Newberry the past seven years.

"The college game has changed so much," he said. "It's kind of disheartening for me, knowing what team you have one spring, and with all the new rules and transfers, you never have the same team."

Coach Varn will be working on campus full-time as a Student Life Associate beginning April 14. He and his wife, Kris, have twin sons, Kody and JT, who played football at Newberry College and are coaching at South Florence High School; and a daughter, Mary Jo, who is a freshman in the Clinton school district.

He said he looks forward to the transition to the high school level.

"It's no different," Coach Varn said. "Football's football. The excitement of winning -- it could be a hundred thousand people or 3,000 people. It doesn't matter.

"You have eager minds. You get to the college level and some of those kids, they think they know it all."

With that, he proceeded to meet the Knights, clearly as eager as his new players.

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