TIFTON — Tift County football has added two assistants to the staff for 2017 and both are names already familiar to Blue Devils fans.

Head coach Ashley Anders has announced the hiring of Josh Allen and Tommy Flowers to his staff. Allen is a Tift alumnus and Flowers has been on staff before.

Allen is a former Region 1 Offensive Player of the Year for the Blue Devils when they were in the then-largest classification, AAAAA. That season, he threw for 2,050 yards as Tift advanced to the state tournament.

Allen still holds a piece of a Tift County record.

He threw for six touchdowns against Fitzgerald in 2002, a record that stood alone until last September, when Griffin Collier tied the mark with six touchdown flings against ThunderRidge (Col.).

Allen played collegiately at Mars Hill and at Troy. Anders said he was an assistant at Lee County last year.

Anders said Allen was “excited” for an opportunity to come back to Tifton. He will be working with cornerbacks with the Blue Devils.

Flowers was Tift’s defensive coordinator under Tommy Seward in 2003-04 and has had a hand in many successful programs.

As an assistant for Ed Pilcher at Thomas County Central, he helped guide the Yellow Jackets to state championships in 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1997. He has also assisted at Worth County, Crisp County, Franklin County and White County.

“He’s solid,” said Anders, adding that Flowers was happy to get back to south Georgia.

Flowers will be working with safeties.

There is the possibility that Tift County will add another assistant, said Anders.

Tift’s coaching staff had an opening on defense following the departure of Leroy Hood, who was named head coach at Turner County High.

Following the annual “dead week” in early July, Tift County’s practices will step up considerably. Practice in pads begins Aug. 1. Following a scrimmage game, Tift’s first regular season game will be Aug. 18 against South Effingham at Georgia Southern.