Tim Billings added to staff

Head football coach Justin Fuente has completed his staff with the hiring of former Wake Forest assistant Tim Billings. Billings, a versatile coach who instructed four different groups of position players in his six seasons with the Demon Deacons, will guide the Tiger defensive line.

Billings oversaw wide receivers during the 2006 and 2007 seasons and then supervised the secondary in 2008 and 2009. He worked with the defensive ends in 2010 and started coaching the outside linebackers in the spring of 2011.

Named the co-defensive coordinator in 2011 at Wake Forest, Billings led linebacker Kyle Wilber to a strong showing at outside linebacker last season, as he finished second on the team in tackles with 70 and led the way in sacks. Wilber was invited to participate in the East-West Shrine Game following his senior campaign. Wake Forest finished tied for second in the ACC Atlantic Division with a 5-3 conference record in 2011, and defeated No. 22 Florida State while also posting ACC road wins at Boston College and Duke. The Demon Deacons lost to Mississippi State in the 2011 Music City Bowl.

Billings joined the Wake Forest staff in 2006 as a 23-year veteran of college football with experience as a head coach, coordinator and position coach on both sides of the ball. As an assistant coach at Wake Forest, Missouri, Oklahoma and Marshall, Billings was a part of three national championships, six conference titles, 10 bowl games and six I-AA playoff teams.

In his two years with the receivers, Billings re-energized the Deacon receiving corps. In 2007, he tutored Kenneth Moore who caught a school and ACC record 98 passes, earned first team All-ACC honors and was the MVP of Wake's 24-10 win over Connecticut in the Meineke Car Care Bowl before being selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft in 2008.

After moving to the secondary in 2008 at Wake Forest, Billings helped cornerback Alphonso Smith become the only unanimous member of the All-ACC first team. The secondary helped in holding opponents to just 172.5 passing yards per game, the lowest average allowed by the Wake Forest defense in 15 years. Billings' efforts were recognized nationally as he was named the FootballScoop Secondary Coach of the Year for 2008.

Billings was the head coach at Southeast Missouri State in Cape Girardeau, Mo., for six years, posting a 25-43 record. In 2002, Billings guided SEMO to an 8-4 record, the program's best record since 1969. He was named the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year and the American Football Coaches Association Region 3 Coach of the Year.

Before taking over at Southeast Missouri, Billings spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach at Marshall from 1990-99. During his tenure, Marshall was the winningest program in college football, compiling a record of 114-25.

Billings served as the Thundering Herd's defensive coordinator during his final season in 1999. That year, the Herd completed a 13-0 season and finished the year ranked 10th nationally. That defense ranked second in Division I in scoring defense, allowing just 10.5 points per game. The Herd won Mid-American Conference titles in each of Billings' final three seasons at Marshall.

A native of Honey Grove, Texas, Billings began his coaching career as secondary coach at Duncan (Okla.) High School in 1980. He served as head coach at Prairieland High School in Pattonville, Texas in 1981 and was secondary coach at Norman (Okla.) High School in 1982 and 1983.

Billings earned a degree in physical education from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 1980. At Southeastern Oklahoma State Unviversity, he was an all-conference defensive back. He also played basketball for one season at Grayson County Junior College in Sherman, Texas.