southern utah university football coaches

Southern Utah University coaches and sports staff members surround new SUU athletic director Doug Knuth after news conference announcing his hiring, Cedar City, Utah, Dec. 14, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards . Coach Tapasa played college football at Portland State and graduated with a bachelor's degree in pre-law before going on to receive his master's degree in health education from Western Oregon in 2006. The T-birds lost to rival Weber State last Saturday 62-0 to conclude their 2021 campaign. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. The Thunderbirds feature a first-time Division I head coach in DeLane Fitzgerald, who moved across the country from D-II Frostburg State (Md.) Lockett-Smith makes the long trip to Utah from Philadelphia, where he was recognized as an All-Public First Team All-Star in both 2019 and 2020. Copyright 2023 Southern Utah University. Southern Utah head coach Demario Warren shouts to his team during game against Utah Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016, in Salt Lake City. 16 Utah softball gets good measuring stick in series against No. He also said he plans to actively recruit top athletes from Arizona, Nevada and Southern California. His impact on Frostburg State was unprecedented. The Southern Utah Thunderbirds football (also referred to as the SUU Thunderbirds) program is a college football team that represents Southern Utah University (SUU). Corum said that throughout the hiring process, because we had such great candidates, I just kept hoping that somebody would separate themselves. Brunson played quarterback for the Bobcats in 2019, throwing for 2,067 yards and 18 touchdowns while adding three more touchdowns on the ground. [5] The Thunderbirds were members of the RMAC from 1969 to 1985, with an overall record of 86733 (.540) during that time. SUU had just five wins in Warrens final three seasons. Acord comes to Cedar City by way of Northridge High School in North Salt Lake, Utah. "We have a coaching staff that can coach and recruit with anyone in the country. SUU bolstered its defense at the safety position this offseason through transfers Mitchell Price arriving from BYU, Tre Caine from UNLV and Josh Dunn from Frostburg State. Andrew Bates- Strength & Conditioning Coach. Main Phone (435) 865-8355 Fax (435) 865-8078. Speaking to players, students, alumni and members of the press and public during a half-hour introductory news conference inside SUUs student center, Fitzgerald promised to bring a culture of competitiveness to SUUs football program. The successful candidate will be responsible for managing all aspects of an NCAA Division III athletic program. In addition to his degree from MSU Mankato, he holds a master's degree in recreation and sports science from Ohio University. What theyve done in the past does not affect them now. "I am happy with the way our coaching staff came together," Fitzgerald said. 11/15/2021 9:23:00 AM. On the defensive side of the ball, the Thunderbirds will be anchored by senior defensive ends Zach Strand, who also followed Fitzgerald from Frostburg State, and Francis Bemiy. BYU transfer Mitchell Price should have a big impact on the secondary for Fitzgerald. He was also an Academic All-Region honoree. 225-771-3171. ricky.jackson@subr.edu. Another Utah native, Kelley was the 6A Co-Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-State selection as a defensive end. Newly hired Southern Utah University football coach DeLane Fitzgerald is flanked by SUU Athletic Director Debbie Corum, SUU Interim President Mindy Benson and SUU cheerleaders, Cedar. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. "I am happy with the way our coaching staff came together," Fitzgerald said. During his prep career, Purcell was an All-State Honorable Mention and two-time First Team All-Region selection. Can Weber State get back on top of the Big Sky? (The offensive line) will have as big an impact, or bigger, than anybody else, just nobody will know that theyre doing it because theyre playing offensive line.. He was a two-time letter winner playing college football at both Grand Rapids Community College and Wayne State University. Focus and consistency, if he can get those two down, hes going to be fine.. All Rights Reserved, In a new league with a new coach, SUU embracing fresh start. April 16, 2022 - by Chevy Blackburn. SUU will see how its crop of newcomers and returning players will mesh during their spring game on April 15. We have to find the other half and then we have to find some depth., More:Southern Utah announces first signing class under coach DeLane Fitzgerald. The Thunderbirds new coach is confident that he and his staff can make thenecessary changes to turn things around. "That's our deepest group right there in terms of talent, Fitzgerald said. Fitzgeralds confidence doesnt stop with his defense and offense, however, believing he has a great group of specialists going into the season as well. The win-loss record doesnt matter to me right now, he said. Rosser also worked with the defensive backs at the University of Virginia-Wise from 2016-19. Copyright 2010 - 2023 StGeorgeUtah.com LLC, all rights reserved. Aaron Brown. UNLV wide receiver Steve Jenkins runs after a catch during game against San Diego State, Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, in Las Vegas. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. And then after we show up, were going to work our rear ends off to be really, really good while were there., He said he promised SUU, Cedar City and Southern Utah that everything they do is going to be done at an extremely high rate., Were going to finish what we start. Before the regular season rolls around in late summer, Southern Utah University football will host its Spring Game to culminate the spring training season. Hatitio will look to help bolster the SUU offensive line after a successful high school career at Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper. CEDAR CITY Southern Utah Universitys newly hired football coach received a warm welcome from players, fans and university officials on Thursday afternoon. The defensive end led the team with four sacks and added 48 tackles last season. [3], Southern Utah fielded its inaugural team in 1963 with Bruce Osborne as head coach,[4] remained an NAIA independent through 1968, then became a charter member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). Sanders' work in the classroom was also recognized during high school with an Academic All-Region selection. Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. Rosser played his college football at James Madison from 2000-01 and earned his bachelor's degree in kinesiology from JMU in 2003. At the beginning of his remarks, Fitzgerald joked how his luggage hadnt arrived in time, due to a flight cancellation. Outside of my wife and kids, my three beautiful daughters I dont think about anything else but football, he said. I know you guys are coming off a 1-10 season. Robison was graded as a three-star quarterback in the 2020 cycle, and the 73rd best dual-threat quarterback in the class. High school girls golf: Week 8 region recap from some 6A, 5A, 4A and 3A regions. We have four or five good players on each side of the ball. We still have a long way to go but were better. He runs around at safety and outside linebacker and hes 6-212 and can run like a deer.. Fitzgerald has a knack for turning around struggling programs, and the Thunderbirds fit that bill. Follow Sean on Twitter @SeanEllertson. The now-redshirt junior threw for 2,416 yards and nine touchdowns to go along with 13 interceptions. Warren leaves SUU with an overall record of 21-42, and led the T-Birds to a Big Sky Conference championshipin2017 during his tenure as head coach. He led a Southern Virginia team to its second-ever winning season in 2013 with an 8-2 record. TicketSmarter: Official Ticket Resale Partner, George S. Eccles Sports Performance Center, Video Platform powered by CBS Sports Digital, Offensive Coordinator/ Quarterbacks Coach, Running Backs Coach/Recruiting Coordinator, Linebackers Coach and Special Teams Coordinator, Interior Defensive Line Coach/Director of Football Operations, Graduate Assistant Strength and Conditioning. BYU wide receiver Kody Epps is reportedly heading to the transfer portal, No. Acord also played wide receiver during high school and was a First Team All-Region performer. CEDAR CITY, Utah - Southern Utah University Director of Athletics Debbie Corum announced Monday that the university and head football coach Demario Warren have mutually agreed to part ways. 0:24 Southern Utah University football has announced the hiring of former Dixie State head coach Shay McClure as the team's linebackers coach. The T-Birds also signed a number of players as transfers, including a number of former Utah high schoolers and in-state transfers from BYU and elsewhere. He also added one interception, one forced fumble and one recovered fumble. Bates went to Jacksonville after a two-year stint at Marshall University. After his playing career, Brunson spent one season coaching the offensive line under Fitzgerald's leadership. After working with the defense for his first four years coach Fernandez made the jump to the offensive side of the ball in 2013 where he coached the Tight Ends and Coordinated the Special Teams for two years. If we line up and we are competitive and we play well, well win our fair share of games. However, Millers subpar 2,416 yards, nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions on 61% completion means his job might not necessarily be a lock. The Thunderbirds are one of five new teams being added to the WAC, which will have 13 teams after the expansion. Also showing flashes at left guard is redshirt junior Artese Gregory. Our players have a better understanding of the offense, defense, and special teams (schemes). The thing with him and Zach Strand is theyve always won. Theyve got a chance to prove themselves to a new coaching staff.. Though a newcomer at the school, he comes to Cedar City with plenty of coaching experience and high expectations. Football Kelling joins the Southern Utah staff after serving as head coach at Lock Haven University since January of 2020. Before Fitzgeralds remarks, SUU Athletic Director Debbie Corum talked about the hiring process and said Fitzgerald had been chosen from a nationwide field of more than 100 applicants. aaronmicha700@gmail.com. We completely revamped the safety position, the wide receiver position, the running back position and got some things going there that are pretty positive.. The 2021 running back position was a revolving door for Southern Utah. Smith comes to TSU after two seasons as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Southern Utah. In his time at WKU, Robison was on the practice squad and learned under record-setting quarterback Bailey Zappe. 2022 will mark Fernandez's 14th season at Southern Utah, and 11th as a full-time assistant. He was named First Team All-State by the Deseret News as well as First Team All-Region. The defense is undergoing a lot of change as well with redshirt junior Francis Bemiy being the most productive returning player. and will lead SUU in their first year in WAC play. More:Demario Warren out as Southern Utah head football coach after six seasons. Fernandez joined the staff as an undergraduate assistant in 2009 following a stellar career as a Thunderbird player. The next time Southern Utah football takes the field at Eccles Coliseum, it will do so as a member of the Western Athletic Conference with the school set to join the new league in July of 2022. Well have a football program thats based on a culture of competitiveness and competitive greatness.. In 2017, Southern Utah won their second Big Sky title, finishing the regular season at 92, with wins over four ranked (FCS) teams: Northern Iowa, Weber State, Eastern Washington, and NAU. Photo courtesy of SUU Athletics, SUU students protest HB0011 in support of transgender athletes, SPB ends Sunfest week with Most Fun Friday, Art Challis: The voice of the Thunderbirds, Raising the bar: The legacy of SUU Gymnastics, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnR7Qpa9dTk&ab_channel=SUTV-9News. Coach Fernandez also served as the team's recruiting coordinator for 5 years. In their absence, junior Dallin Brown provided one of the highlights with a one-handed grab during 11-on-11 drills. The T-Birds went 1-10 and 0-8 in Big Sky play in 2021. The OFFICIAL YouTube account for Southern Utah University. The new T-Birds are made up of 15 signees straight from high school and eight transferring from previous colleges. Next season will bring a lot of change for SUU football as they move from the Big Sky Conference to the Western Athletic Conference. Joining Fitzgerald from Frostburg State, Magginson will work as the defensive ends coach at SUU. [7] The AWC folded after the 1995 season, and the Thunderbirds were 9231 (.288) overall in those three years. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania / Penn Treaty HS. Theres a lot of players in this room. One of those positives is UNLV transfer Steve Jenkins at wide receiver. Well, about halfway through his presentation, all I can think of is, I would give anything in the world right now if I could become an 18-year-old man and come play for him. And thats when I knew we had the right person that we were interviewing.. and will lead SUU in their first year in WAC play. The school announced Monday that SUU and Demario Warren have mutually agreed to part ways after six seasons. Southern Utah University and head football coach Demario Warren have mutually agreed to part ways, per a press release from the school on Monday. We go into games trying to block a punt and trying to return a punt for a touchdown, he said, calling such plays the quickest way to win a football game., We will be exciting, he added. USACollegiate football commissioner Mark Brady, far left, and co-founder Dave Arslanian, far right, at a press conference, St. George, Utah, April 18, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News The Southern Utah University football team is a team in transition. Peterson played three years of college football, starting as a quarterback for the University of New Mexico in 2007. Following a successful career as a member of the Thunderbird football team, Measom joined the coaching staff at SUU in January of 2017 as a graduate assistant and worked his way into the position of director of operations before being named wide receivers coach. He has a chance to be as good as he wants to be. That number was good for fifth on the team. A native of Erda, Utah, he is a graduate of Tooele High School, where he was an all-state and all-region performer. Joseph McWilliams. After his remarks, Fitzgerald also fielded several questions from the media and football players. Not just out at practice and in the weight room, but with everything. The Dolphins won 10 conference championships across multiple sports during Bates' tenure. In December 2022, he was named as the head football coach at the University of Northern Colorado. Cox participated in multiple high school all-star events, including the Crab Bowl and Eastern Shore Bowl Game in Maryland. In the 2000-2001 school year, SUU's Coaching Factory Hall of Fame was established and will be erected on a wall within the new building. Bolingbroke and Schenks are slated to come back in the fall but both will miss the Spring Game due to injuries. SUU is hopeful Fitzgerald can produce similar results in Cedar City. Sean Ellertson is a sports reporter for the St. George Spectrum & Daily News. Ahead of the 2016 season Tapasa was brought to Cedar City to serve as SUU's Co-Defensive Coordinator and coach the linebacking unit. Defensive Graduate Assistant. sports@suunews.net The team began spring practices on Monday, March 21, and the . Karris Davis, Isaiah Williams, Thomas Duckett, and David Moore III all received over 40 touches on the ground. Southern Utah University football spring game photo gallery. Tosh Wright and Jordan Jefferson each could add to the revamped backfield. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Hes going to play safety and hes going to run around and make 40-60 tackles for us,Fitzgerald said. The Thunderbirds earned the eighth seed in the FCS playoffs; Warren was the conference coach of the year and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. The only thing thats going to stop Isaiah Williams is Isaiah Williams, Fitzgerald said. He also spent 2016 as the tight ends coach at Florida International, where he mentored NFL tight end Jonu Smith. Sophomore running back Isaiah Williams ran the ball 32 times last season for 206 yards and scored four touchdowns, but looks to be the lead back now. Theyre going to be very, very good in four or five years.. SOCCER SOFTBALL MEN'S TENNIS WOMEN'S TENNIS MEN'S/WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD VOLLEYBALL 351 W. University Blvd, Cedar City, Utah 84720 Main Phone (435) 865-8355 Fax (435) 865-8078 Staff Directory Members By Category/Department Copyright 2023 Southern Utah University. To continue to support his work, please subscribe to The Spectrum. Coach Warren has been a cherished member of this institution and community for the last 14 years, SUU athletic director Debbie Corum said in a statement. Fitzgerald is less focused on the outcomes of games than he is on his team competing. 4 Year Degree. DConti@huntsman.utah.edu: Jeff Rudy: Associate A.D. for Football Administration 801-581-8563 801-581-8563: jrudy@huntsman.utah.edu: Adam Fry: Director of Football Operations afry@huntsman.utah.edu: Doug Elisaia: Director of Strength and Conditioning for Football 801-581-4548 801-581-4548: delisaia@huntsman.utah.edu: Robert Blechen SUU parting ways with head football coach Demario Warren, Southern Utah University, return of football included in Western Athletic Conference expansion, SUU football conference schedule moved to spring 2021 after Big Sky announcement, Men's advocacy group, others put on high heels for sexual assault awareness walk in St. George, Getting to know your chakras: A guide for health and well-being. Griffiths was named the 4A Defensive Player of the Year as a linebacker and earned First Team All-State honors. He left the school as the winningest coach in program history. Southern Utah University 0:03 0:24 DeLane Fitzgerald announced his first signing class as head football coach at Southern Utah University on Wednesday, as the Thunderbirds inked 23. Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. Lynch was a First Team All-CIF Southern selection in 2021, and First Team All-Palomares League in 2019, 20 and 21. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. Williams added another four scores on just 32 attempts for 206 yards. 2023 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, "Branding & Creative - Marketing Communication", "NCAA Sports Sponsorship: Southern Utah University", "DeLane Fitzgerald Named Head Football Coach at Southern Utah", "Southern Utah now part of American West", "Great West football conference announces formation", "SUU football: T-Birds earn program's first Big Sky championship", "WAC Announces Expansion, Plans to Reinstate Football", "ASUN And WAC Unveil 2023 Football Schedule", "ASUN-WAC Football Partnership Formally Rebrands as the United Athletic Conference", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Southern_Utah_Thunderbirds_football&oldid=1150979373, American football teams established in 1963, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 21 April 2023, at 05:17. From 2004-11, Kelling coached at the University of North Dakota where he faced the Thunderbirds on multiple occasions. Football Before joining the Thunderbird coaching staff, Tapasa served as defensive line coach at Sacramento State. Tye Hiatt will be the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Ryan Payne will be the new offensive line coach, and Brandon Perkins is set to be the . Fitzgerald believes that this team will be just the beginning of something great at SUU. A big part of spring ball is the learning and getting a feel for what we want. A 62-0 loss at the hands of Weber State was the final blow for head coach Demario Warren. [4] After 1985, Southern Utah moved up to NCAA Division II and joined the Western Football Conference (WFC). For all the latest on Southern Utah football, follow @SUUFB_ on Twitter, @SUUFB on Instagram, and like the Southern Utah Football Facebook page. The spring game will offer a glimpse into what the quarterback situation may look like. Its what I do.. While playing for the Thunderbirds, Hunt started 33 straight games from his sophomore to senior seasons, never missing a game during his career. Iglesias was a three-year starter for Orange. "Coach Warren has been a cherished member of this institution and community for the last 14 years," Corum said. With the success, head coach Ed Lamb joined the staff at Brigham Young in Provo and defensive coordinator Demario Warren was promoted.[11]. Commitment to student-athletes and their academic success, as well as athletic . The Thunderbirds play their home games on campus at Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City, Utah, and have been led by head coach DeLane Fitzgerald since 2021. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah Thunderbirds have announced three new additions to Coach DeLane Fitzgerald's coaching staff for the upcoming year.. (He) played for us last year at Frostburg and had 20 or 30 tackles as a true freshman, Fitzgerald said. Moore had four touchdowns on 48 carries, while Duckett had 179 yards on 54 touches. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. In three years with the Rebels he amassed 1,159 receiving yards. The Southern Utah University Thunderbirds will be looking for a new head football coach. Williams led the Thunderbirds averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Each one of today's signees brings a physical skill set and a mentality that our coaching staff is looking for. On the other side of the defensive line, Strand was a 2x First Team Mountain East selection and Mountain East Defensive Player of the Year under Fitzgerald at Frostburg State. "Coach Warren has been a cherished member of this institution and community for the last 14 years," Corumsaid. The move comes as SUU is just 1-10 this season, including 0-8 in Big Sky Conference play. With a history dating back to 1963, SUU currently competes in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision[2] as a member of the United Athletic Conference. A 2003 graduate of SUU, Coach Hunt was a three-year starter at offensive tackle for the Thunderbirds before joining the staff. Tapasa will start his seventh season at SUU in 2022. Story by: Christian Esparza The Southern Utah University Thunderbirds will be looking for a new head football coach. The 45-year-old Fitzgerald also talked about how important football has been to him throughout his life, starting at about the age of 7. Rancho Cucamonga, California / Alta Loma HS. Before working with the Pirates, Bates was the head strength and conditioning coach at Jacksonville University for nine and a half years. It is important to me that everybody in this program gets a clean slate, said Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald joked that part of Price's recruitment was that Price would hold off his honeymoon until after the spring season. His first head coaching job was at Southern Virginia from 2009-13, after which he became the head coach of Frostburg State. Bates joins Southern Utah after serving one season as the strength and conditioning coach for Hampton University. Like Magginson, Brunson comes to Southern Utah by way of Frostburg State as both a player and coach. McClure coached the Trailblazers from. Smith worked with a receiving corps which was a part of the 11th ranked passing offense in the FCS averaging 294.2 yards per game. With a new coaching staff working to establish a winning culture, veteran players are expected to lead by example. From there, he took over at Frostburg State, where he guided the Bobcats from 18 wins during the eight years before his arrival to 62 over the next eight, including four seasons with 10 or more wins. Halewas named Second Team All-Trinity League for his work on the field and Scholar Athlete of the Year in the classroom with a 4.29 GPA. Fitzgerald is also high on the groundwork he and his staff have laid with the incoming freshmen. Coach Hunt has worked with both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Blair Peterson- Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach. Illinois Tech, an NCAA Division III program located in Chicago, is actively searching for a Head Coach Men's & Women's Swimming and Diving. [12] After the 2022 season, the WAC fully merged its football league with that of the ASUN Conference, creating what eventually became the United Athletic Conference, and SUU accordingly moved its football team to the new league.[13][14]. He graduated from SUU with a master's of accountancy in 2018. Thats because Fitzgerald is no stranger to turning programs around. The Sammamish, Washington native led Eastlake High School to a 9-2 record as a senior under center. Assistant Wide Receivers Coach. Southern Utah University College Football Sports In a new league with a new coach, SUU embracing fresh start After successful run as Frostburg State, coach DeLane Fitzgerald arrives in Cedar City with high expectations and with a number of his former players By Tom Ripplinger Sept 1, 2022, 9:00am PDT SHARE Fitzgerald believes Dunn might be the most talented player on his defense. "Coach Warren has been a cherished. Magginson was a four-year player for the Bobcat football team and appeared in all 13 games and made two starts as a senior. Information on each individual coach can be readbelow. Davis led. Miller has started 17 consecutive contests for SUU, giving Fitzgerald a seasoned quarterback. Additionally, Fitzgerald said the teams hes coached have been among the top leaders in sacks and making other big plays. Jones was a 2x All-Big Sky First Team Selection and was an Associated Press FCS First Team All-American. Collin Gardner has played really well at the center and tackle position, Fitzgerald said. If you see me yell or make funny faces, its because the pins in these pants have stuck me..

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