J.P. Shelly begins his third season on the Blue Raider coaching staff and his first as a graduate assistant. Shelly will serve as the defensive graduate assistant in 2007. The hard working Shelly assisted with the linebackers, signaled in plays during games, and held various administrative duties in 2005 as a student assistant. Last year, Shelly worked with the defensive side of the ball and assisted in recruiting. In 2002, Shelly was a preferred walk-on at Middle Tennessee who accepted a Presidential Scholarship based on academics. The Nashville, Tenn., native was the Tennessean's Offensive Player of the Year in 2001 after passing for a state-record 48 touchdowns to lead Ezell-Harding to a 15-0 record and a state championship. Shelly enrolled at Harding University in 2003 where he remained until the fall of 2005.