Furman head football coach Bruce Fowler announced the hiring of Ramal Faunteroy as the Paladins' defensive line coach on Feb, 15, 2016.
Faunteroy spent the last seven seasons at Shepherd (W.Va.) University before coming to Furman.
During his coaching tenure at Shepherd, Faunteroy helped the Rams top NCAA Division II in rushing defense four of the last five years, and this past season played a key role in Shepherd's 13-1, national runner-up campaign. His top player in 2015, defensive end Shaneil Jenkins, was named Mountain East Conference Defensive Player of the Year and All-America, and was a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award, which is given annually to the top Division II defensive player.
Another former standout under Faunteroy, All-America defensive end Howard Jones, who racked up a school record 35 sacks at Shepherd, recently completed his second season in the NFL, tallying five sacks with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after spending his 2014 rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Faunteroy was among thirty NCAA football coaches selected to attend the 2015 NFL and NCAA Coaches Academy and this past summer participated in the Steelers' training camp through the Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship.
The NCAA Coaches Academy was developed in 2011 as a collaborative effort between the NCAA and NFL to positively influence diversity numbers in the college game and as a way for talented football coaches to gain exposure. The academy enables college coaches to meet NCAA athletics professionals, student-athlete affairs administrations, NCAA national office staff, and NFL representatives and current and former NFL players.
Faunteroy was four-year letterman as a defensive end at Shepherd, where he racked up 88 tackles, 20 tackles for-loss, seven sacks, eight pass deflections and two safeties as a junior and senior while helping lead the Rams to a pair of West Virginia Intercollegiate Conference (WVIAC) Championships, the forerunner of the current Mountain East Conference.
He later played with the Manchester Wolves of the Arena 2 Football League (A2FL), starting in 26 games.
A native of Washington, D.C., he coached one season at Hedgesville (W.Va.) High School and later secured his undergraduate degree in events and sport management from Shepherd in 2011.
He and his wife, Tiffany, have four children: Rondell, D'Andre, Devyn, and Ronté.
