DaytonDailyNews.com

DETROIT — Sometimes it's easy to mistake Miami University head football coach Shane Montgomery for a man who was born and raised in the southern Appalachians of North Carolina, Georgia or Tennessee.

Especially when Montgomery, an Offensive MVP of both the Peach Bowl and Copper Bowl while playing quarterback at North Carolina State, speaks with his soft, subtle Southern inflection.

"People have an accent down there, which I've picked up now," Montgomery said while attending the Mid-American Conference Preview at Ford Field.

His hometown actually is Newark, Ohio. "Most people think I have a bigger accent than my wife (Sandy), and she grew up down there," he said. "I was down there for 15 years. Anyplace you go molds you."

Montgomery helped lead Newark Catholic to two state championships and then turned his attention south. He played at North Carolina State from 1987-89 and made the all-Atlantic Coast Conference second team as a senior.

He worked as a graduate assistant at North Carolina State for three years and then was an assistant coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga from 1993-2000. He coached quarterbacks and wide receivers there and recruited the Atlanta area.

As a result, Georgia has turned into a gold mine for Miami now that Montgomery is back in his home state.

"Being to different parts of the country has helped me in my profession," Montgomery said. "It's exposed me to a lot of different people. It's opened the door to a lot of people, especially in terms of recruiting."

He added: "Atlanta's been good for us," he said. "When I got up here in 2001, I had recruited down there for six to seven years."

Among recent RedHawks from the Atlanta area are John Busing, Ryan Busing and Sean McVay.

Today, there are no fewer than eight natives of Georgia on Miami's roster, including senior center Josh Satterthwait, sophomore wide receiver Eugene Harris III, sophomore defensive end Morris Council and sophomore linebacker David Davis.

The RedHawks open preseason practice today, Aug. 3.