MSU assistants E.J. Arnold and Kane Ioane have been retained, and former University of Montana standout Justin Gaines also will join the Bobcats' staff, Ash said in a news release.
Arnold, who will begin his second season at MSU, will serve as tight ends and kickers coach, with expanded duties on special teams.
Gaines, who was a defensive back on UM's 1995 national championship squad, will be an assistant secondary coach.
Arnold is the son of former Bobcat head coach Dave Arnold, who guided MSU to the 1984 national championship. Before working at MSU, E.J Arnold served as a defensive graduate assistant for Mike Price at the University of Texas-El Paso.
He began his coaching career at Albion, his alma mater, from 2001-03. He worked as assistant quarterbacks coach in 2001, with receivers and tight ends in 2002 and running backs in 2003. Arnold was also special teams coach all three seasons.
Ioane, a Billings native and 2005 graduate of MSU, was one of the best defensive players in Bobcat history, the release said. He was the 2003 Big Sky Conference defensive player of the year, and a two-time All-Big Sky selection.
Ioane guided the Bobcats to consecutive Big Sky titles in 2002 and 2003. He also was part of a defense that allowed the fewest yards in the league for three consecutive seasons.
Gaines comes to MSU after a four-year stint at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, where he served as defensive backs coach and academic coordinator.
From 2002-04, Gaines served in the same positions at Texas A&M Commerce, where he coached the No. 1-ranked pass defense in the Lone Star Conference. He was running backs coach at Northern Arizona from 2001-02; defensive backs coach at Texas Lutheran from 2000-01; and assistant coach at Florence High School from 1999-2000.
As a cornerback at UM, Gaines was a first-team All-Big Sky pick and a second-team All-America selection as a senior.
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