SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford football head coach Mike Ayers has announced that Brian Mance and Dane Romero have joined the coaching staff. Mance will work with the cornerbacks, while Romero will coach the running backs.
 
"We are excited to welcome these two outstanding coaches to our staff," said head coach Mike Ayers. "While making changes at this time of year can be difficult, we are fortunate to have two people who can come in right away and make a difference."
 
Brian Mance recently completed his third season as the secondary coach and recruiting coordinator at North Greenville University after working at Clemson University for three seasons. While at Clemson, Mance was a player development coach while also working with the Tigers defense.
 
Mance played at Clemson under former coach Tommy Bowden. As a sophomore, Mance returned an 88-yard punt against Georgia Tech, the fifth longest punt return in school history. During his junior campaign, he amassed 588 return yards as the kick returner for the Tigers, the fourth highest in Clemson history.
 
He ranked 15th in the nation during his final season for career interceptions and is tied for third all-time at Clemson with 12 career picks and 23 pass breakups. He finished with more than 1,000 kickoff return yards and wrapped up his career with All-American and First Team All-ACC selections.
 
Upon graduation, Mance signed a free agent contract with Washington Redskins. He also played in NFL Europe with Amersterdam as well as two seasons in Arena Football League with Philadelphia, winning a championship in 2008.
 
Mance graduated from Clemson University with a degree in Elementary Education. He and his wife, Torrun, have a son, Jaden.
 
Dane Romero began his coaching career at Brevard College, where he worked with the fullbacks. Most recently, he was working in the private sector in Ohio. He was inducted into the Wofford College Athletics Hall of Fame in the fall of 2014.
 
Romero ranks 15th in school history with 1,954 career rushing yards and is fifth in school history with 32 rushing touchdowns. He earned first team All-Southern Conference honors his senior season as he led the league in scoring. He ran for 23 touchdowns, which is second in school history behind Shawn Graves (24). Romero was named a first team All-American by The Sports Network as he posted 1,078 yards on 210 carries in twelve games. As a junior, Romero played in 10 games for the Terriers with 41 carries for 360 yards and five touchdowns. He started 10 games as a sophomore and was Wofford's fourth-leading rusher with 335 yards on 51 carries.
 
He initially came to Wofford as a quarterback, earning a backup role along with Ben Widmyer behind Josh Collier as a freshman. He was named SoCon Freshman of the Week following his efforts against Gardner-Webb on November 19 with nine carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Romero ended his freshman year with 181 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
 
Romero earned a bachelor's degree in finance from Wofford in 2009. He also earned a master's degree in special education and teaching. He and his wife, Kristen, have a son, Stone.
 
Romero fills an opening created when Aaron Johnson resigned to take a job outside of football. Mance replaces Phillip Pigott on the staff, who left to become a defensive coordinator at Petal High School in Mississippi. In addition, ShaDon Brown will shift to coach the safeties this season and will also become the recruiting coordinator. Greg Gasparato, who joined the staff in January, will oversee special teams and camps.