South Dakota State University head football coach John Stiegelmeier announced Friday the hiring of Nic McKissic-Luke as the Jackrabbits' running backs coach.

"Coach McKissic-Luke will be a tremendous addition to our coaching staff," Stiegelmeier said. "He brings great energy to our program and has had some unique playing and coaching experiences. He also has developed good recruiting connections in Alabama, Georgia and Florida."

McKissic-Luke spent the past five seasons as running backs and slot receivers coach at Benedict College, an NCAA Division II program in Columbia, S.C. During his tenure, the Tigers led the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in rushing in 2009 and 2010, with the 2009 squad ranking seventh in Division II with an average of 250 yards per game.

In addition, McKissic-Luke has worked the past two summers with the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League through the Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Internship.

As a player, McKissic-Luke began his career at the University of Alabama before transferring to Alabama A&M University. In three seasons (2004-06) at Alabama A&M, he went on to finish second in career rushing yards with more than 2,000, and helped lead the Bulldogs to the Southwestern Athletic Conference title his senior year.

At South Dakota State, McKissic-Luke will work with a group of running backs that includes Zach Zenner, who led the Football Championship Subdivision in rushing during the 2012 campaign with 2,044 yards - an average of 157.2 yards per game. The Jackrabbits finished the 2012 season with a 9-4 overall record and made their second trip to the FCS Playoffs in the past four seasons.