Josh Morgan, who has been the fiance of Jessica Dorrell, has been hired as director of aquatics strength at the University of South Carolina, school officials said Tuesday.
Morgan began working for the university in Columbia, S.C., during the last week or two, said Justin Holt, media relations assistant.
Holt did not immediately know what Morgan’s salary is at the university and would not comment on whether Dorrell is still Morgan’s fiance. He said it is the athletic department’s policy not to comment on an employee’s personal life. However, Holt said Dorrell is not employed by the South Carolina athletic department.
The University of South Carolina Gamecocks compete in the Southeastern Conference. The conference is composed of 14 universities, including the University of Arkansas.
Morgan is a former assistant strength coach for Olympic sports at Arkansas. He last worked for the Razorbacks on Aug. 11, officials said.
Morgan made news in the spring when it came to light that his finace, Dorrell, a 25-year-old former Razorback volleyball player, was involved in an affair with football coach Bobby Petrino.
Petrino’s relationship with Dorrell, whom he hired as a member of the football staff, led to the coach being fired. Dorrell was hired for the job over 158 other applicants despite not meeting minimum requirements.
Dorrell resigned as the football program’s recruiting coordinator in April after reaching a $13,933.75 settlement with the university.
That sum equaled a quarter of her annual $55,735 salary.
Dorrell and two other applicants interviewed for the job after Petrino and Athletics Director Jeff Long sought to fast-track her application, according to documents 5NEWS obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Her resume was delivered to the Human Resources department on March 12, the day she was interviewed by Mark Robinson, football operations director, the documents show.
Dorrell received the job despite not meeting a minimum requirement that candidates have at least two years experience in a football program. One of the three finalists was a former All-America at LSU who played in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals.
Long signed Dorrell’s job offer letter on March 20.
As part of her resignation, Dorrell agreed she would not attempt to sell or profit from her affiliation with Razorback athletics. She also must not engage in any commercial activity that portrays her employment at the university in a negative manner.
Long said he and Dorrell agreed her resignation was in the best interest of all parties involved, according to a news release accompanying the agreement.
“While Ms. Dorrell had a legitimate right to apply for and accept a position within the football program, the circumstances surrounding the former coach’s decision to hire her compromised her ability to be effective in such a position,” Long said.
Dorrell was riding a Harley-Davidson Road King with Petrino at the time of his accident on April 1 in rural Madison County. Petrino, a 51-year-old married grandfather, was fired on April 10 after revealing to Long that he and Dorrell were engaged in an “inappropriate relationship” at the time of her hiring.
In the accident, the coach suffered four broken ribs, a cracked vertebra and cuts and abrasions on his nose and face. He wore a neck brace to an April 3 news conference at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Immediately after the news conference, Petrino told 5NEWS he was alone on the motorcycle during the accident. In firing Petrino, however, Long noted the coach had not been truthful about the motorcycle incident. Long also said Petrino inappropriately gave Dorrell a $20,000 gift, which she used to buy a black Acura.
Nick Holt, a former University of Washington defensive coordinator and Idaho head coach, was hired this month as the Arkansas football program’s on-campus recruiting coordinator, the same job Dorrell held.
Holt was a four-year letterman and linebacker for the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., where he an honorable mention All-America and team captain and MVP.
He later became defensive coordinator for the Washington Huskies from 2009 to 2011 and served as defensive coordinator at another current PAC 12 school, Southern Cal, from 2006 to 2008. Before that, Holt was head coach at Idaho from 2004 to 2005.
Holt worked with current Razorback head coach John L. Smith at Idaho in the 1990s and was Smith’s defensive line coach at Louisville from 1998 to 2000.
Holt also will be paid $55,735 a year, athletic department officials said.
