ADs, hire veteran coaches

Valdosta State got it right.

The Blazers did it by going against the grain, hiring a savvy, experienced head coach instead of a hot assistant. The result, I believe, will be a prominent place among the Division II hierarchy for the south Georgia school, including its share of championships.

Valdosta State on Tuesday is introducing Kerwin Bell as its new coach. The hiring has created quite a buzz in the small town not far from Gainesville, just above the Florida border. And with good reason.

Bell, a former SEC Freshman of the Year when he was a quarterback at Florida, was an ultra-successful coach at Jacksonville University, a non-scholarship FCS program. He was 66-35 in nine seasons at JU,…