BARNESVILLE NATIVE Jay Sawvel is heading to the Big Ten.

The former Shamrock grid standout is a member of the football staff taking over the University of Minnesota.

Jerry Kill is the new Gophers’ head boss after a successful tour of duty at Northern Illinois. Sawvel was a member of Kill’s staff at NIU and Southern Illinois and will now make the move to Minneapolis.

Sawvel will be the Gophers’ defensive backs and special teams coach.

Sawvel and Kill have been coaching together for a decade, first at Southern Illinois then Northern Illinois since 2008.

Sawvel was an integral part in the Huskies ranking 16th in the nation in scoring defense this season. His special teams at Northern Illinois distinguished themselves with 17 blocked kicks in his three years.

“It is a great opportunity being able to coach at the highest level. I am looking forward to it,” Sawvel said. “There is no reason we cannot be successful at Minnesota. Weather should not be a detriment as the entire conference is dealing with similar conditions. Plus, Glenn Mason had a great run here.

“We have a tremendous stadium with a lot of community support and a great fan base,” he added. “When we went to Southern Illinois we faced many challenges as the school had just one winning season in 18 years and outdated facilities. We don’t have that here.”

Sawvel was graduated from Barnesville High in 1989 after a sparkling athletic career. He was a standout linebacker at Mount Union.

He was a three-year letterwinner at Mount Union and garnered all conference honors at linebacker in 1993.

He helped lead the Purple Raiders to the national title that season.

Sawvel launched his coaching career with the Purple Raiders, before landing coaching spots at Eastern Kentucky and then Notre Dame, where he also gained a master’s degree. Prior to his Southern Illinois stint, Sawvel coached at Ferris State.

“I have been with Coach Kill for 10 years. He runs a structured and demanding program for his players and coaches. Coach Kill has had success every step of the way,” Sawvel said. “He understands that as coaches we need to handle players in proper fashion or we will have no job. He is very player-oriented. He is more than just a coach to them. He also acts as a father and a counselor when need be.”

As Sawvel continues to climb the Division I coaching ladder, it is only natural to harbor hopes of landing his own head coaching post down the road.

“I am hoping for a chance to be a college head coach some day. It is certainly a goal but I have never put a time frame on that,” he said. “My biggest focus right now is to finish our recruiting, be the best defensive back coach and special teams coach possible and take care of my family. Everything else will take care of itself.”

Jay and his wife, Jeannine, have two daughters: Mackenzie and Miranda.

Kapral may be reached at bkapral@timesleaderonline.com