The Chargers officially hired Brendan Nugent as the offensive line coach and added two more coaches to Brandon Staley’s staff.

Chris Gould was hired as the team’s assistant special teams coach and Mike Hiestand was added as an offensive assistant, the Chargers announced Tuesday.

Nugent, Gould and Hiestand joined special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken and pass game specialist Tom Arth as the latest coaching additions for the 2022 season.

Here’s a summary of how the five new coaches joined Staley, who’s heading into his second season with the Chargers:

Tom Arth, pass game specialist: Arth reunited with Staley and Chargers general manager Tom Telesco.

Arth hired Staley twice as his defensive coordinator when he was the head coach at John Carroll University. Jonathan Gannon, the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive coordinator, recommended Staley to Arth in 2013. Staley left John Carroll University the following season to coach at James Madison, but rejoined Arth’s staff for the 2015 and 2016 seasons before Staley made the leap to the NFL with the Chicago Bears.

Staley attempted to reunite with Arth last season after the Chargers hired him as the head coach, but Arth decided to stay as the head coach at Akron. Arth joined Akron in 2019 and was fired midseason last year. He was also the head coach at Chattanooga (2017-2018).

Arth, a native of Cleveland, played quarterback at John Carroll University and joined the Indianapolis Colts in 2003 as an undrafted rookie and backup to Peyton Manning. Telesco was a scout with the Colts during Arth’s three-year tenure in Indianapolis. Telesco is also an alumni of John Carroll University.

Brendan Nugent, offensive line coach: Nugent is also familiar with the Chargers’ coaching staff.

Nugent spent five seasons working with Chargers offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi when they were assistants with the New Orleans Saints between 2016 to 2020. Nugent was promoted as the Saints’ offensive line coach in 2021.

Nugent will take over for Frank Smith, who coached the Chargers’ offensive linemen last season before being hired as the Miami Dolphins’ offensive coordinator last week.

Nugent, an 18-year coaching veteran, started his NFL coaching career with the Chicago Bears as an assistant on Marc Trestman’s staff.

Chris Gould, assistant special teams coach: Gould spent the last seven seasons with the Denver Broncos.

Gould, the brother of San Francisco 49ers kicker Robbie Gould, coached with Staley in 2019 when Staley was the Broncos’ outside linebackers coach. Chris Gould was Denver’s assistant special teams coach between 2017 to 2021.

Gould was a kicker and punter at the University of Virginia and kicked professionally in the Arena Football League.

Mike Hiestand, offensive assistant: Hiestand also spent time with Staley on the Broncos’ coaching staff under then-head coach Vic Fangio.

Hiestand spent the past three seasons as a defensive assistant with the Broncos. He worked with the defensive linemen as an assistant last year and was an assistant to Fangio between 2019 and 2020.

Hiestand, a linebacker at Illinois State University, coached at the collegiate level for seven seasons before joining the NFL.

Ryan Ficken, special teams coordinator: Ficken returned to Southern California after spending the past 15 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.

Related Articles

Ficken was promoted as the Vikings’ special teams coordinator in 2021 after serving in various roles for the organization. He started his coaching career as an assistant with UCLA between 2004 to 2006.

Ficken replaced Derius Swinton II, who was fired after one season as the Chargers’ special teams coordinator.