STARKVILLE — Any remnants of the Vic Schaefer era in Starkville have seemingly followed the former Mississippi State head coach to Austin.
With Schaefer taking the head coaching job at Texas, the Longhorns announced Friday that associate head coaches Johnnie Harris and Dionnah Jackson-Durrett would join him.
Harris has worked with Schaefer since their time at Texas A&M where the pair served as assistants on Gary Blair’s staff. As for Jackson-Durrett, she joined the Bulldogs in 2015 after stops at Southeast Missouri State and George Mason. Serving as an assistant coach during her first four seasons in Starkville, she was promoted to associate head coach prior to this past year.
Texas also announced that former MSU assistant and recruiting coordinator Elena Lovato will follow Schaefer to Austin. Lovato, a New Mexico native, penned a thank you note to the MSU fan base via Twitter Friday afternoon.
“I believe everything happens for a reason and as excited as I am to get closer to home, I am thrilled to take on this new challenge of restoring a powerhouse in Austin,” she wrote. “To all the players I’ve coached here, the community and the wonderful fan base…I love you and will definitely miss you!”
Former MSU standout and video coordinator Dominique Dillingham will also head to Texas, announcing her move via Twitter on Thursday. Dillingham played four seasons in Starkville and was a part of the 2016-17 team that reached the Bulldogs’ first national title game before becoming a student assistant for the 2017-18 campaign.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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