Tom Evangelista joined the Paladin program in January of 2007 following three seasons as an assistant coach at South Carolina State. He coaches the squad's cornerbacks while also serving as special teams coordinator. In his first season with the Paladins, he played a key role in improved special teams play as Furman paced the Southern Conference in both punt and kickoff returns and made dramatic improvement in net punting. During his tenure in Orangeburg, Evangelista helped S.C. State post a three-year overall record of 25-8 and 19-4 mark in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play while serving as special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach for two seasons. In 2006 he assumed the role of defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. In 2005 the Bulldogs went 9-2 overall with one of the nation's top defensive units. In addition, S.C. State ranked second nationally in kickoff returns and fourth nationally in turnover margin that season. In 2006 the Bulldogs ranked third nationally in turnover margin and finished 7-4, winning their final three games. Prior to his work at South Carolina State, he served as a defensive graduate assistant and secondary assistant at Clemson for two seasons, including the Tigers' 2003 Peach Bowl championship campaign. His other coaching stops include two stints at West Georgia (1999-01; 1994-96), where his duties included defensive coordinator, linebackers defensive backs coach, and recruiting coordinator, as well as graduate assistant tights end coach and defensive assistant, and West Alabama (1997-1998), where he served as secondary coach and recruiting coordinator. A native of Atlanta, Ga., and 1994 graduate of Vanderbilt with a degree in math and computer science, Evangelista and his wife, Rebecca, have two sets of twins: Jack and Sarah, and newborns, Ty and Nick.