Marshall's Ratliff to be OL coach

The Huntington (W.Va.) Press-Dispatch is reporting this morning that Marshall assistant coach Phil Ratliff will be the 49ers' offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator.

Charlotte coach Brad Lambert can officially hire Ratliff and the remainder of his staff beginning Jan. 1. He has already has hired offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen, defensive coordinator Bruce Tall and defensive coach James Adams.

Ratliff is a former All-American offensive lineman at Marshall who has been the Thundering Herd's tight ends coach. He was also tight ends coach at James Madison, as well as a high school coach in West Virginia.

While at Marshall, one of Ratliff’s primary recruiting areas was Charlotte.


“Our recruiting philosophy is going to be to establish a strong home base,” said Ratliff. “We’re going to want to keep the top kids from Charlotte in Charlotte. Beyond that, we’ll work hard in North and South Carolina and Georgia. I think parents want their kids to stay close to home, so they can drive no further than three or four hours to see them play.”