ELON, N.C. – New Elon Phoenix football coach Jason Swepson has completed the hiring of his staff with the additions of three new coaches. Joining the Elon staff will be defensive coordinator Ed Pinkham, offensive line coach Ron Mattes and defensive backs coach Dan O’Brien.

Pinkham has spent the past three seasons as the secondary coach and two years as the co-defensive coordinator at Rutgers University.

In his first season as co-defensive coordinator, Pinkham helped the Rutgers defense reach great heights as the Scarlet Knights ranked in the top-20 in five categories, including leading the nation in tackles for loss and ranking second in turnover margin. Rutgers was 15th in the country in rushing defense, 16th in scoring defense and 18th in total defense.

Pinkham managed a defensive secondary that ranked second in the BIG EAST Conference in passing defense in two of his three seasons. He also helped mentor a trio of Scarlet Knights that moved onto the professional ranks in cornerback Jason McCourty (Tennessee Titans), safety Courtney Greene (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Devin McCourty (New England Patriots).

Prior to joining the Scarlet Knights, Pinkham spent 12 seasons in charge of the defensive unit at Colgate University. Pinkham began his stint at Colgate in 1996 coaching the secondary while also serving as defensive coordinator. At the conclusion of the 2005 campaign, Pinkham was promoted to associate head coach. He continued his duties as defensive coordinator while also overseeing the linebacking corps his final two years at Colgate.

During his tenure at Colgate, the Raiders captured five Patriot League titles and earned five trips to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. The defensive unit led the Patriot League in total defense in 1999, 2003, 2004 and 2006, and three times paced the league in rushing defense.

Pinkham’s defensive unit ranked top-10 in the nation in rushing defense three times, twice in passing defense and once in total defense. The Raiders were fifth in the nation in pass efficiency defense and ninth in total defense in 2004. In 1999, he directed the Raiders to one of their greatest defensive efforts while setting the school record for fewest total yards and rushing yards allowed in a season.

Prior to Colgate, Pinkham was defensive coordinator and associate head coach at the College of the Holy Cross for four seasons. For the first two seasons he coached the outside linebackers, before moving over to the secondary. He also enjoyed a 12-year stint at the University of New Hampshire, where he was secondary coach during his entire stay and defensive coordinator the last seven seasons. In 1989, he joined the staff at the University of Minnesota as secondary coach.

With over 30 years of coaching experience, Pinkham began his coaching career in 1975 at his alma mater, Allegheny, where he was a four-year starter at free safety. While at Allegheny, he earned All-President’s Athletic Conference honors all four years and in his senior season, received second-team Associated Press All-America honors. Pinkham also captained the Gators’ conference winning team.

Pinkham, a native of Clark, N.J., graduated from Allegheny College in 1975 with a degree in economics. He and his wife, Karen, have three children: Matt, Kelly and Jessie.

Mattes joins the Elon staff as the Phoenix’s offensive line coach after spending the 2010 season in the same capacity at the University of Virginia.

Mattes was an All-ACC performer at UVa before an eight-year NFL career. Mattes played professionally for Seattle, Chicago and Indianapolis.

Mattes started his collegiate coaching career at James Madison University, spending four seasons working with tight ends, tackles, defensive line and offensive line during his tenure. He stepped aside from the collegiate ranks in order to coach his son through middle school and high school.

After wrapping up his professional playing career, Mattes started coaching at Issaquah High School in Washington in 1994. A year later he joined the staff at JMU. After deciding to step away from the college ranks to raise his family, he coached offense and defensive lines and long snappers at Harris Road Middle School in Concord, N.C., during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Starting in 2005 he coached at Concord's Jay M. Robinson High School, overseeing the long snappers, as well as the defensive and offensive lines.

Mattes' business background includes experience as a mortgage loan officer and in NASCAR licensed and corporate apparel. He was a sales manager for VF Imagewear for seven years before establishing Cavalier Sales and Marketing where he served as president for four years.

At UVa, Mattes was a member of the 1984 team that defeated Purdue in the 1984 Peach Bowl. He graduated in 1985 with a degree in psychology.

A native of Ringtown, Pa., Mattes and his wife, Susan, have three children - Nicole, R.J. and Amber.

O’Brien has been named the defensive backs coach for the Phoenix after spending the past four seasons as a defensive analyst and defensive graduate assistant on the staff of Nick Saban at the University of Alabama.

At Alabama, O’Brien assisted with the coaching of the defensive backs and linebackers and helped the program to a 2009 BCS national crown. The Crimson Tide ranked fifth nationally in total defense, third in scoring defense and 10th in rushing defense in 2010. In 2009, the unit ranked second in the country in all three of those categories.

Prior to his stint at Alabama, O’Brien served one season on the staff at Harvard University where he coached the safeties.

O’Brien has also had experience as a scouting assistant intern with the New England Patriots in 2005 and as a student assistant with Boston College.

O’Brien earned his communications degree from Boston College in 2005.