Say this, Joel Taylor hires well.
Look no further than a couple of the moves from Taylor's inaugural West Georgia staff: David Whitlow is now at the FBS level as the wide receivers coach for Jerry Mack's Kennesaw State program and former West Georgia offensive coordinator Dane Stevens is on Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss staff as a pass game specialist.
As Taylor continues to rebrand his second West Georgia staff, he's on the verge of yet another strong hire -- this one of the defensive side of the ball.
Sources tell FootballScoop that Taylor is finalizing a deal to hire Tripp Weaver as co-defensive coordinator.
Weaver will work closely with new UWG defensive coordinator Woody Blevins, on board with the Wolves since January.
Weaver, an East Carolina grad with experience on staffs at both his alma mater and top Group of Five program James Madison, is likely to work with either the linebackers or safeties at West Georgia, FootballScoop has learned.
It's a significant addition for Taylor as he guides West Georgia into its second season of FCS competition.
In 2024, coordinating the defense at Austin Peay, Weaver's unit generated a conference-best 72 tackles for losses -- a marked improvement from the prior year -- and also had the United Athletic Conference's third-best scoring defense at less than 26 points per game.
Moreover, the unit carries forward the distinction of being Austin Peay's stingiest scoring defense since the program's transition into the UAC.
The Govs also are coming off a season in which Weaver's ball-hawking secondary owns top-10 distinction nationally for its 14 interceptions,
Additionally, Weaver, tutoring almost 20 all-conference selections in his coaching career and eight players earning various All-America honors, brings with him experience from The Citadel and Western Carolina as well his stints at James Madison, East Carolina and for Jeff Faris's Austin Peay program.