The Sammamish, Washington native led Eastlake High School to a 9-2 record as a senior under center. Theyre going to be very, very good in four or five years.. Aleka Leausa earned All-Region recognition as a sophomore, junior and senior. Always putting the program ahead of his own desires, he has made a decision that it is time to step aside and make room for another coach to lead the team, and I support him in this decision. Along with its game against Utah, SUU will play two other in-state games, both against fellow WAC foe Utah Tech with the initial matchup coming at home and a second on the road. Offensively, starting quarterback Justin Miller is returning alongside his leading receivers Ethan Bolingbroke and Brandon Schenks. Additionally, Fitzgerald said the teams hes coached have been among the top leaders in sacks and making other big plays. He was named First Team All-State by the Deseret News as well as First Team All-Region. 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. Bates went to Jacksonville after a two-year stint at Marshall University. He left the school as the winningest coach in program history. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. SUU averaged just 2.9 yards per carry on the ground. Before transferring to FSU, Brunson played quarterback at the University of Albany where he threw for 2,334 yards with 10 touchdowns in three seasons. Prior to that, he had been a coach in various capacities in the program since 2007. Leausa will join his brother, Austin, as an offensive lineman for Southern Utah. We completely revamped the safety position, the wide receiver position, the running back position and got some things going there that are pretty positive.. A nationwide search for Southern Utah's new head football coach will begin immediately. He was named First Team All-District on both offense and special teams during high school. After his remarks, Fitzgerald also fielded several questions from the media and football players. Brunson played quarterback for the Bobcats in 2019, throwing for 2,067 yards and 18 touchdowns while adding three more touchdowns on the ground. Its what I do.. Also showing flashes at left guard is redshirt junior Artese Gregory. The end of the 2021 season marked the conclusion of Warren's sixth year as head coach of the Thunderbirds, and 14th year with the program overall. John Kelling- Defensive Coordinator/Safeties Coach. 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. 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.. The spring game will offer a glimpse into what the quarterback situation may look like. Now what weve got to do is find the other five or six pieces on each side of the football. "We have a coaching staff that can coach and recruit with anyone in the country. TicketSmarter: Official Ticket Resale Partner, George S. Eccles Sports Performance Center, Video Platform powered by CBS Sports Digital, Deputy Athletic Director for External Relations/COO, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Facilities and Events, Deputy Athletic Director for Finance & Administration, Senior Associate AD for Revenue Generation, Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Performance, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information and Communications (FB, GYM, SB), Director of Athletic Academic Performance, Orthopedic Surgery- Intermountain Healthcare, Assistant Director of Communications (SOC, MBB, M/WGOLF), General Manager-Van Wagner College-Southern Utah University Athletics, 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, Assistant Coach (Multis, Hurdles, Pole Vault). Were going to show up on time. But if youre trying to break it down, were going to be 45% run, 45% pass, and then the jet sweep stuff and option will be about 10%, he said. The Southern Utah University football team is a team in transition. Fernandez joined the staff as an undergraduate assistant in 2009 following a stellar career as a Thunderbird player. He finished fourth on the team with 46 tackles, including four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. "These 23 young men are the foundation on which we are going to build a great FCS football program. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. 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. At the beginning of his remarks, Fitzgerald joked how his luggage hadnt arrived in time, due to a flight cancellation. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The signees were: Elijah Burns / RB / 5-11 / 205 / William & Mary, Brandon Dillard / OL / 6-4 / 260 / Frostburg State, Micah Pettit / K / 6-1 / 175 / Lafayette College, Mitchell Price / DB / 6-0 / 195 / Brigham Young, Jackson Rigby / TE / 6-4 / 230 / Utah State, Grady Robison / QB / 6-1 / 195 / Western Kentucky, Zach Strand / DL / 5-10 / 250 / Frostburg State. Rosser also worked with the defensive backs at the University of Virginia-Wise from 2016-19. Sanders' work in the classroom was also recognized during high school with an Academic All-Region selection. Can Weber State get back on top of the Big Sky? It marked the fourth-straight losing season for the school and the second time in as many seasons that it finished with just one win. Robison, listed at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, flashed his ability to extend plays and make good reads in the RPO game. UNLV wide receiver Steve Jenkins runs after a catch during game against San Diego State, Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, in Las Vegas. 2023 www.thespectrum.com. New head coach DeLane Fitzgerald addresses his team following Wednesday's practice. The program will enter the WAC next season. 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. Ashby projects to play wide receiver for the Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds have appeared in the FCS playoffs three times with an overall record of 03. We asked each of our five candidates to take 90 minutes and tell us what they would do with the program, Corum said, referring to the final group of applicants. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Cox participated in multiple high school all-star events, including the Crab Bowl and Eastern Shore Bowl Game in Maryland. For all the latest on Southern Utah football, follow @SUUFB_ on Twitter, @SUUFB on Instagram, and like the Southern Utah Football Facebook page. [6] While in the WFC from 1986 to 1992, the Thunderbirds' overall record was 41341 (.546). 4 Year Degree. I'm excited to build a great college football program with them.". 225-771-3171. ricky.jackson@subr.edu. SUU football enters the 2022 season coming off a disappointing year that saw the Thunderbirds finish 1-10 in 2021. 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 . Sanderswas a First Team All-Region performer for the Wasps at wide receiver. In his time at WKU, Robison was on the practice squad and learned under record-setting quarterback Bailey Zappe. Story by: Christian Esparza The school announced Monday that SUU and Demario Warren have mutually agreed to part ways after six seasons. Main Phone (435) 865-8355 Fax (435) 865-8078. sports@suunews.net The defense is undergoing a lot of change as well with redshirt junior Francis Bemiy being the most productive returning player. Defensive Graduate Assistant. Joseph McWilliams. Southern Utah University and head football coach Demario Warren have mutually agreed to part ways, per a press release from the school on Monday. [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]. Forty percent of Utah's high school football coaches are from SUU; that's twice as much as the University of Utah and BYU combined. Before the regular season rolls around in late summer, Southern Utah University football will host its Spring Game to culminate the spring training season. After playing on the varsity squad for four seasons, Lynch was honored as both the Offensive MVP and Team MVP. The Thunderbirds feature a first-time Division I head coach in DeLane Fitzgerald, who moved across the country from D-II Frostburg State (Md.) Copyright 2023 Southern Utah University. A 2003 graduate of SUU, Coach Hunt was a three-year starter at offensive tackle for the Thunderbirds before joining the staff. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Another Utah native, Kelley was the 6A Co-Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-State selection as a defensive end. In three years with the Rebels he amassed 1,159 receiving yards. The American Samoa native also spent time coaching at Western Oregon, Eastern Oregon and Humboldt State. A native of Virginia, Fitzgerald played college football for James Madison University then started working as an assistant coach in 2000. 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. [5] The Thunderbirds were members of the RMAC from 1969 to 1985, with an overall record of 86733 (.540) during that time. Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. All rights reserved. "Coach Warren has been a cherished member of this institution and community for the last 14 years," Corum said. Our recruiting class is the sleeper group in the country, he said. 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. Since then, Tapasa has transitioned into a role as assistant coach overseeing the linebackers for Southern Utah. Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. After one season with the Lobos, he transferred to Towson where he played quarterback from 2008-09. As NFL Draft hopeful Braxton Jones continues to prepare for his professional career, Southern Utah must find a new blindside protector for whoever takes snaps under center. After going 9-3 in Warrens second season in 2017 (6-5 in his first) and winning the Big Sky title, SUU has gone a paltry 6-34 since. 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. No stranger to the state of Utah, Peterson comes to Southern Utah by way of Brigham Young University where he has worked with quarterbacks as an offensive analyst since 2019. More:Demario Warren out as Southern Utah head football coach after six seasons. The defensive end led the team with four sacks and added 48 tackles last season. Fitzgerald joked that part of Price's recruitment was that Price would hold off his honeymoon until after the spring season. Our right guard and right tackle can play with the best of em, Fitzgerald said. [9], In November 2010, Southern Utah announced its admission to the Big Sky Conference, effective in 2012. And not promising national titles and not promising conference titles and stuff here today, but were going to be extremely competitive. It is important to me that everybody in this program gets a clean slate, said Fitzgerald. The OFFICIAL YouTube account for Southern Utah University. 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. The junior running back brings physicality and size to the backfield at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds. Davis led. Before joining the Thunderbird coaching staff, Tapasa served as defensive line coach at Sacramento State. Theyve got a chance to prove themselves to a new coaching staff.. However, Millers subpar 2,416 yards, nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions on 61% completion means his job might not necessarily be a lock. Strand was named Mountain East Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, while Bemiy, who made the All-WAC preseason defensive team, has the tools to play in the NFL, according to Fitzgerald. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. Before working with the Pirates, Bates was the head strength and conditioning coach at Jacksonville University for nine and a half years. 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. The seven football members include Dixie State and Tarleton State, who both moved up to the Division I level last summer, Southern Utah and the other four schools joining the league Texas schools Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin, which are all moving over from the Southland Conference. Peterson is originally from San Antonio, Texas, and is joined in Cedar City by his wife, Camille, and daughter, Brooklyn. 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. 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.