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New Nederland head football coach and athletic director Scott Rich has been retooling the program since taking over in February. With summer workouts underway, Rich said the new-look Bulldogs are taking shape.

Rich said Michael Broussard, who has been on the Nederland staff for several years, will be the team’s offensive coordinator. Broussard coached running backs last season.

“He knows the kids at a level I don’t know them because he has been here so long,” Rich said of Broussard. “He knows a lot of the younger kids because he has young kids coming up through the system.”

Wright, who will lead the defense, was previously the linebacker coach at Conroe Oak Ridge.

“He is a kid that has been running the system we have been running at Katy for a while,” Rich said. “That was a key. We knew some of the same people and he came highly recommended.”

JD Williams, who will be the team’s assistant head coach and special teams coordinator, coached with Rich for five years at Katy High School. Both coached under Gary Joseph, the father of Port Neches-Groves Head Coach Jeff Joseph. Williams coached one year at Fulshear High School before joining the Nederland staff.

“He actually played football with Matt McDaniel, the defensive coordinator for PNG, and Jeff (Joseph) at Katy,” Rich said. “JD is a very meticulous guy in the weight room, too, as far as offseason goes. He is at another level, as far as I am concerned, with special teams. That is one area we are committed to getting better at. That is why he is here.”

Rich said the Bulldogs will play complimentary football. The system is built to adapt to the players the program has on a year-to-year basis.

“We want to have success based on the personnel we have,” he said. “We could be under center with two backs in the backfield like we were at some places I have been before. We could very easily go to spread with just a couple of words. On defense, we could go from an odd front to a four-down front to a stacked front with different coverages. The reality is knowing what we have in place, who we have coming back and if we have to make adjustments due to injury.”

Rich said he has acclimated well to Nederland and getting to know the players.

“We have had a great buy in from the players and the coaches on the staff,” he said. “They have made it an easy transition because they are hungry and want to get back to where they were. I am very impressed by the work ethic they have shown.”

The head coach said there has been some expected speed bumps but added that he is excited for the summer program.

“It is not always easy when a new guy comes in and changes things,” Rich said. “Sometimes the transition is hard. There are some things where we had some bumpy roads, but that is part of the growing process.”

Rich also said his family has officially moved to Nederland getting settled in the new house.

“That is a good thing,” he said. “We are not living out of boxes so it is good.”