The New England Patriots’ coaching staff keeps growing, with the latest addition coming via the University of Illinois. Illini assistant defensive backs coach Kevin Richardson has joined the team’s staff, according to reports by Joe Pasteris and Mark Daniels of MassLive.

As of Saturday evening, Richardson’s role with the team has not become public knowledge.

Richardson, 30, appeared in 45 games as a cornerback and special teamer during his five-year college career at Arkansas. After leaving school, he went into coaching and got his first opportunity as a graduate assistant at MidAmerica Nazarene in 2019. The next year, he joined Northeastern State as defensive backs coach.

In 2021, Richardson reunited with his former college coach and one-time Patriots assistant coach Bret Bielema. He was hired to Bielema’s first staff at Illinois as a defensive graduate assistant. Following a one-year stint as DBs coach at Long Island, he was back in Champaign to work as a defensive analyst and eventually assistant defensive backs coach.

Richardson becomes the eighth assistant added to new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel’s staff this offseason, and fourth on the defensive side of the ball.

Before him, New England hired Detroit Lions defensive line coach and run game coordinator Terrell Williams as its new defensive coordinator. Zak Kuhr and Clinton McMillan, formerly of the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans, respectively, have also been added in an unannounced capacity.