The search is over for the assistant coaches that will serve with new Escambia County head football coach Mark Heaton this fall when the Blue Devils hit the field.

Five new coaches have been added to go with four coaches that remained on from the previous staff.

Andy Lambert, Josh Dobbins, Karl Smith, Jayson Shadburn and Andy Richey will each help Heaton lead the Blue Devils beginning with their jamboree on Aug. 20 against Linden.

Lambert, Dobbins, Shadburn and Richey each come to Escambia County High School after coaching with Heaton last year at J.U. Blacksher.

Lambert will serve as the defensive coordinator for the Blue Devils, while also coaching the offensive line.

Heaton said having Lambert on his staff is crucial because of the experience he brings.

“Having someone like coach Lambert on board is extremely valuable,” Heaton said. “He has head coaching experience as well as several years experience as a coordinator, so he is a crucial part of this staff.”

Lambert is entering his 11th season of coaching with three of those years spent as head coach of Excel High School.

Lambert spent the other seven years of his experience serving as a defensive coordinator at Excel and J.U. Blacksher.

Lambert said choosing to follow Heaton to Escambia County High School was easy because of the opportunity he has.

“This is a tremendous opportunity I have here,” Lambert said. “We have a lot of great players with strong athletic ability from what I have seen so far. It’s a work in progress and we still have a long way to go, but I feel like we are making progress.”

One reason for his decision to come to ECHS was because of his experience coaching with Heaton.

Lambert said the Blue Devils head coach is a great person to work with because of the way he leads.

“Coach Heaton is a great guy to work for,” Lambert said. “The main thing that sticks out in my mind is the fact he has tremendous character. He leads by example, and I have a great amount of respect for him.”

Also coming onto Heaton’s staff is Josh Dobbins who comes to the Blue Devils to coach outside linebackers and the offensive line.

Heaton said Dobbins was a good fit to coach outside linebackers because he had coached the the defensive line some at Blacksher.

“I really felt like Josh would be a great fit for our outside linebackers because of his experience coaching the defense at Blacksher,” Heaton said. “Offensively, we are going to try and groom him on the offensive line with coach Lambert. He’s an energetic, hard working guy and I’m excited he’s here.”

Jayson Shadburn was a volunteer coach for Heaton at Blacksher the previous two seasons.

Shadburn will coach the quarterbacks and safeties for the Blue Devils.

Heaton said he comes in with a strong knowledge of the sport after playing for Florida State University.

“Jayson walked on and played quarterback at FSU,” Heaton said. “He’s very knowledgeable and should bring a lot to the staff. It’s a blessing to get someone like him. He’s been wanting to make the move into education, and it’s worked out great for him.”

Andy Richey will serve as a volunteer coach for Heaton, which is the same capacity he has served in the last two seasons.

Richey will coach the defensive ends and running backs for the Blue Devils.

Heaton said Richey knows about winning because he won a state championship as a player high school.

“Andy will have the same role here that he did at Blacksher,” Heaton said. “He knows football, and he knows how to develop character into winning. He won a state championship in Indiana as a player.”

Smith will coach tight ends and the defensive line and previously coached with Heaton at Northview.

Blue Devils 2010 coaching staff

• Mark Heaton- head coach

• Andy Lambert- defensive coordinator, offensive line

• Robert Smith- wide receivers, defensive backs

• Anthony Hayes- wide receivers, defensive backs

• Henry Calhoun- running backs, outside linebackers

• Jason Barnett- inside linebackers, wide receivers

• Josh Dobbins- outside linebackers, offensive line

• Karl Smith- defensive line, tight ends

• Jayson Shadburn- quarterbacks, defensive backs

• Andy Richey- defensive ends, running backs