WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State coach Bill Maskill filled out his staff with two experienced coaches and another with deep family football roots.
 
"We are very fortunate to be able to get all of them," Maskill said. "They are awesome in their teaching and knowledge. They are good mentors and fit in well with the program."
 
Ashton Aikens takes over wide receiver responsibilities, while David Sanchez steps in to mentor defensive backs. Both were on staff at Western Michigan last season.
 
Sky Mornhinweg was hired as quarterback coach following in the footsteps of his father Marty, a former NFL head coach with the Detroit Lions who has also served as an offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens.
 
ASHTON AIKENS // ASSISTANT COACH // WIDE RECEIVERS
 
Aikens enjoyed successful stints as a wide receivers coach at Western Michigan and Southern Illinois following a two-year run as special teams quality control at his alma mater, Northwestern.
 
"Ashton brings experience and working with a couple of different systems," Maskill said. "He is a good teacher and has a personality that has a way of being to correct you. He's a good fundamental guy and the receivers are playing really hard."
 
Western Michigan boasted a top-three total and passing offensive in the Mid-American Conference in 2018. Aikens' receiving corps boasted a Football Writer's Association of America Freshman All-America and second-team All-MAC pick Jayden Reed and senior D'Wayne Eskridge.
 
Reed caught 56 passes for 797 yards and eight touchdowns, while Eskridge ranked fifth in receiving yards per game in the MAC making 38 receptions for 776 yards while ranking 11th nationally with a 20.4 yards per catch average.
 
The Broncos made a huge passing game improvement in Aikens' second season on staff from 164.8 passing yards per game in 2017 to 237.4 last fall.
 
Aikens also played a pivotal role in the passing game in his three seasons at Southern Illinois. In his first season at SIU, the Salukis caught a program record 29 touchdowns. The next season, Southern Illinois broke the program record for receiving yards per game, then broke that record again a season later.
 
In 2016, Southern Illinois was the only program in FCS football with four 500-yard receivers during the regular season. The Salukis finished the 2015 campaign ranked fourth in FCS in passing offense after rating ninth nationally in Aikens first year with the program in 2014.
 
Prior to Southern Illinois, Aikens served as special teams quality control for two seasons at Northwestern. In 2013, he coached second-team Walter Camp All-America kicker Jeff Budzien after working with All-America punt returner Venric Mark in 2012.
 
Aikens started his coaching career at Trinity International serving as a graduate assistant for the NAIA program in 2010 before earning promotion to full-time assistant for the 2011 season.
 
Aikens was a four-year letter winner at wide receiver at Northwestern under coach Randy Walker after playing running back at Detroit Country Day High School.
 
He caught 70 passes for 733 yards in his career at NU. As a senior, Aikens had 32 catches for 401 yards and received Northwestern's Rashidi Wheeler Award, which is presented to the player who best embodies the spirit and enthusiasm of the late Northwestern safety.
 
Aikens earned a Bachelor's of Science in Communications Studies from Northwestern in 2005.
 
NICK SANCHEZ // ASSISTANT COACH // DEFENSIVE BACKS
 
A former four-year standout at Stanford, Nick Sanchez joins the Midwestern State staff to coach cornerbacks.
 
"Nick has a unique background come from Belle Glade (in South Florida)," MSU Texas coach Bill Maskill said. "He has a personality that allows him to blend with everyone. He's a great teacher and he is bright. His knowledge is far beyond his experience. He brings air of confidence and enthusiasm that those guys have quickly gotten attached to."
 
After graduating as a class valedictorian, Sanchez earned four letters and started three seasons at cornerback at Stanford. He amassed 153 tackles with seven interceptions and defended 19 passes in 42 games for the Cardinal from 2004-07.
 
Following his collegiate career, he signed a free-agent deal with the Oakland Raiders then played with the Central Valley Coyotes and Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League.
 
Sanchez served as an assistant coach at Western Michigan last season where the Broncos ranked 67th in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision with 10 interceptions.
 
That came on the heels of three top seasons at FCS UAlbany where earned promotion to assistant defensive coordinator following his final season with the Great Danes.
 
UAlbany ranked in the nation's Top 20 in scoring defense in his last two seasons after his cornerback group showed growth intercepting 32 passes in his first two seasons ranking 21st in FCS with 15 picks in 2015 and 12th with 17 interceptions in 2016.
 
Sanchez rose to associate head coach and defensive coordinator in his previous stop at Ava Maria University in Florida (2012-14) helping the NAIA Gyrenes to an 8-2 overall record and an Independent Conference championship in 2013. He was selected to coordinate the defense for the NAIA team in the NAIA vs. D2 Senior Bowl.
 
Prior to Ava Maria, Sanchez was a graduate assistant at Syracuse helping with defensive backs during the 2011 season before assisting with linebackers during the spring of 2012.
 
Sanchez started his coaching career mentoring defensive backs at NCAA Division II Pace University in 2010.
 
He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Stanford.
 
SKY MORNHINWEG // ASSISTANT COACH // QUARTERBACKS
 
Sky Mornhinweg followed in his father's footsteps as standout high school signal caller then into the collegiate ranks before moving into the coaching ranks.
 
Now, in his first full-time assistant gig, he will serve under the same head coach who gave Marty Mornhinweg his first full-time shot -- Midwestern State head coach Bill Maskill.
 
"I like Sky's presence on the field and how he teaches," Maskill said. "He's got a lot of intangibles in his background. He was able to absorb so much of the environments he grew up in. Just knowing his family background, I knew he would be a dandy."
 
Maskill, who hired the elder Mornhinweg as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Southeast Missouri State in 1989, tagged the son to join his staff to also manage signal callers.
 
An accomplished quarterbacking prodigy in his own right, Sky Mornhinweg was rated as a four-star recruit out of St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia before signing with the University of Florida.
 
Mornhinweg competed three seasons with the Gators starting the final three games of the 2013 campaign against No. 11 South Carolina, Georgia State and eventual national champion Florida State.
 
He transferred to Ivy League Columbia closing his collegiate career starting 10 games as a junior in 2015 before playing seven games and making two starts as a senior in 2016.
 
Sky Mornhinweg kicked off his coaching career as a graduate assistant helping with running backs last season at Ohio State.
 
His father, Marty Mornhinweg, spent the last 25 seasons as an NFL coach including as head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2001-02, while serving as an offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers (1997-00), Philadelphia Eagles (2006-12), New York Jets (2013-14) and Baltimore Ravens (2016-18).