The Giants today filled the final two vacancies on Tom Coughlin's 2012 coaching staff by hiring two assistants from the college ranks.
Matt Rhule, formerly of Temple University, will be the Giants' assistant offensive line coach, while Lunda Wells has left LSU to become the team's offensive assistant.
Rhule replaces Jack Bicknell, Jr., who left the Giants soon after they won Super Bowl XLVI to become the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive line coach. Wells' arrival is the last move in a chain of events that saw quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan leave to become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinator, Sean Ryan shift from wide receivers to quarterbacks coach and Kevin M. Gilbride being promoted to wide receivers coach from offensive assistant.
Rhule, a former player at Penn State, coached at the collegiate level for 14 seasons, including the last six at Temple, where last year he was the co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach.
During his tenure at Temple, Rhule held a variety of positions. He coached the defensive line in 2006 and served as the quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator the following season. In 2008, Rhule was promoted to offensive coordinator and continued to coach the quarterbacks, dual roles he held for three years. Last year, in addition to coaching the tight ends and serving as co-coordinator, Rhule was again the recruiting coordinator.
From 2002 to 2005, Rhule was an assistant at Western Carolina. He coached the linebackers his first three years at the school before becoming offensive line coach and run game coordinator in 2005.
Rhule arrived at Western Carolina after serving as assistant defensive line coach at UCLA in 2001. From 1999 to 2000, Rhule served as an assistant coach at the University at Buffalo. Rhule began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Penn State in the spring of 1998 before working at Albright College in Reading, Pa. for the 1998 season. At Albright, he coached the linebackers in a 4-3 scheme and recruited western and central Pennsylvania.
Rhule played four seasons at linebacker at Penn State under Joe Paterno. A three-time Penn State Scholar-Athlete, he earned Academic All-Big 10 honors in 1997.
A State College, Pa. native, Rhule received his undergraduate degree in political science before earning his master's degree in educational psychology from Buffalo in 2003.
He is married to the former Julie Nibert. The couple has a seven-year old son, Bryant.
Rhule was born on Jan. 31, 1975.
Wells has been on the LSU staff since 2008, when he started as a volunteer. More recently, he was responsible for preparing breakdowns of tape and helping with special teams preparations. The Tigers' special teams coach is Thomas McGaughey, who was an assistant with the Giants from 2007-10.
Wells is a native of Baker, La., just outside Baton Rouge. He was a Class 5A first-team all-state offensive line selection at Baker High School. Wells was recruited by powerhouses like Alabama and Nebraska. He enrolled at Southern University, redshirted a season and became a four-year starter on the offensive line. At Southern, Wells earned a Southwestern Athletic Conference championship ring, a bachelor's degree and, in 2007, a master's degree.
Wells had had two brief stints in Arena Football. During the offseason, he coached at Scotlandville High School.
Wells was born on Feb. 10, 1983.
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