Vanderbilt head football coach Clark Lea continued to build his initial staff with the addition of three hires Friday. Brandon Hourigan will be the director of football strength and conditioning while Casey Stangel will serve as the director of operations and Molly Hart as the assistant director of operations.
Hourigan spent the previous seven seasons with Wake Forest as the director of sports performance.
During his seven years with head coach Dave Clawson and the Demon Deacons, Hourigan helped the program to five consecutive bowl appearances. During the 2019-20 seasons, Hourigan’s work aided 21 student-athletes to All-ACC honorees, tied for third most in the conference.
Prior to his time at Wake Forest, Hourigan worked at Bowling Green, Virginia, Richmond and Northeastern. Hourigan, a native of Millis, Massachusetts, graduated with a bachelor of science in physical education in 1995 from Plymouth State, where he was a four-year letter winner as an offensive lineman. At Clemson, he received his master’s in education and counseling in 1997.
Stangel moves across the street on West End after three years with the Commodore baseball program. She spent the 2020 season with Vanderbilt baseball as its internal operations coordinator, serving the program in the areas of baseball operations, team travel, camps, clinics and team events.
Stangel received her bachelor’s degree in communications from Washington, where she was a three-year letter winner as an outfielder and pitcher with the softball program. As a senior captain in 2017, the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, native led the Huskies to a third-place finish at the Women’s College World Series. She received her master’s degree in leadership and organizational performance from Vanderbilt.
Hart, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, received her bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2020 from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame. She arrives in Nashville after serving as a Notre Dame football student equipment manager.