Jacksonville State Football Coaches and Coaching Staff 2023

Jacksonville State Football head coach is Rich Rodriguez. The Gamecocks signed him as their HC on November 30, 2021.

The 60-year-old from Grant Town, West Virginia, enters his third season with the institution. In the 2022 campaign, Rodriguez had a win-loss record of 9-2.

The JAX football team was 5-0 in the conference. They won the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) title that year.

In the first six games of the 2023 season, his team has displayed a strong performance. They are 5-1 in overall records. They are 3-0 in the conference, extending Rich’s tally to 8-0.

Their next fixture is on the 11th of October against the conference leaders, Liberty Flames. A win in this game will see the team top the Conference USA (C-USA) standings.

Previous Coaching Experiences

Salem University football program sought Rodriguez in 1986 and hired him as a Special Teams coordinator and secondary coach. He was promoted to Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator a year later.

In 1988, at 25, Rodriguez was handed the HC role. He was the youngest HC in the country at that time. After the end of the 1988 season, the college scrapped their football program, and Rich returned to the Mountaineers as an Outside Linebacker coach.

Some other colleges he worked during his 39-year coaching career are:

• Glenville State Pioneers: 1990-96, HC
• Tulane Green Wave: 1997-86, Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks coach
• Clemson Tigers: 1999-2000, Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks coach
• West Virginia Mountaineers: 2001-07, HC
• Michigan Wolverines: 2008-10, HC
• Arizona Wildcats: 2012-17, HC
• Ole Miss Rebels: 2019, Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks coach
• Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks: 2021, Assistant Head Coach / Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks coach

His head coaching record is 177 wins, 122 losses, and two draws. He is 5-6 in Bowl games.

The veteran coach is a four-time Big East and West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) champion. He also won ASUN, Pac-12 South Division, and the Atlantic Sun Conferences once.

On top of that, he was voted the Big East Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2005, WAIC Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1994, Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2014, and NAIA Division I Coach of the Year in 1993.

Jacksonville State Football coaching staff consists of Ryan Garrett, William Green, Michael Nysewander, Rick Trickett, Zac Alley, and Rod Smith.

Here is a list of all the assistant coaches and their designated roles in the football program:

• Rod Smith: Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks
• Zac Alley: Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers
• Ryan Garrett: Assistant Coach / Wide Receivers
• Pay Kirkland: Special Teams Coordinator / Bandits
• William Green: Assistant Coach / Defensive Line
• Rod McDowell: Assistant Coach / Running Backs
• Kelvin Sigler: Assistant Coach / Safeties
• Terry Jefferson: Assistant Coach / Cornerbacks
• Michael Nysewnder: Assistant Coach / Tight Ends & Inside Receivers
• Rick Trickett: Assistant Coach / Offensive Line
• Blake McCall: Head Strength and Conditioning Coach

Jax State Football Support Staff 2023

The front office of the Gamecocks is composed of the following people:

• Cole Dial: Director of Football Operations
• Dusty Rutledge: Football Chief of Staff
• Patrick McCain: Assistant Director of Football Operations / Player Personnel
• Raquel Rodriquez: Creative Content Coordinator
• Jared Pullen: Head of Equipment
• Issac Miller: Administrative Graduate Assistant
• Thomas Futch: Offensive Graduate Assistant
• Ja’Cquez Williams: Defensive Graduate assistant
• James Edwards: Defensive Graduate Assistant
• Sam McLain: Defensive Graduate Assistant
• Cody Spoon: Director of Player Personnel
• Rany Pippin: Senior Analyst
• Derek Dressler: Offensive Analyst
• Henry Weinreich: Defensive Analyst
• Thayne Bukowski: Assistant Strength Coach / Director of Skill Development
• Bo Babich: Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach
• Chris Wallace: Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach
• Garrett Hirsch: Director of On-Campus Recruiting / Scouting
• Ty Arlesic: Recruiting Assistant
• Nic Bankston: Student Recruiting Assistant
• Landon Cornutt: Offensive Quality Control
• Walker French: Offensive Quality Control
• Troymaine Pope: Offensive Quality Control
• Luke Cassity: Defensive Quality Control
• Benjamin Hall: Football Video Coordinator

Jacksonville State coaches in the past comprised Clarkie Mayfield, Ben Harris, Charley Pell, Bill Clark, Jack Crowe, Don Salls, and JW Stephenson.

Charles Holton was the first head coach of the Jacksonville State Football team, which played its first college football season in 1904. Mr. Holton coached for seven games in 1904 and 1905 at a 2-5 record.

Twenty-seven people have coached the team since its inaugural 1904 campaign, including two interim HCs, Jeff Richards and Maxwell Thurmond.

J. W. Stephenson, Chester Dillon, and Don Salls are the only three who served multiple tenures as JAX head coach.

Likewise, John Grass, the 25th HC of the football program, has the highest winning percentage of 73.5%. He coached in 98 games and won 72 while losing only 26.

Jacksonville State Gamecocks football roster 2023 includes Logan Smothers, Dallan Wright, J’Wan Evans, Malik Jackson, Quae Drake, and Travis Collier.

Austin Ambush and Jamarye Joiner also joined the university through the transfer portal.

Similarly, ten names, DJ Coleman, TJ Lockely, Ahmad Edwards,  Patrick Jackson, Osiris Smith, Amon Scarbrough, Brevyn Jones, Aaron McLaughlin, Charles Padgett, and Kraeton Muenchau, left the institution.

The final 2023 JAX State Football roster is given below:

Quarterback

• Aston Frye
• Caden Creel
• Carter Lambert
• Earl Woods III
• Logan Smothers
• Te’Sean Smoot
• Zion Webb

Running Back

• Malik Jackson
• Demarco Hopkins
• Ty Waymon
• Ron Wiggins
• Anwar Lewis
• Reggion Bennett
• J’Wan Evans
• Kenyon Sims

Wide Receiver

• P.J. Wells
• Jayson Jones
• Nate Zills
• Perry Carter
• Sterling Galban
• Jarod Bowie
• Cam Vaughn
• Brock Rechsteiner
• Jaylen Williams
• Michael Pettway
• Aghogho Eyafe
• La’Derrick Bell
• Jamarye Joiner
• Ty Gilbert
• Quinton Lane
• Dallan Wright
• Christian Thomas
• Jordan McCants
• Logan Curry
• Anthony Benjamin
• Kam Edge
• Colton Pitchford

Tight End

• Ridge Redd
• Pearson Baldwin
• Jacob Barrick
• Cole Fuller
• Gage Cline
• Sean Brown

Offensive Lineman

• Brock Robey
• Cade Nayadley
• Caleb Hill
• Cameron Griffin
• Clay Webb
• Cole Robson
• Daveion Harley
• Judson Billings
• Joel Brown
• K.D. Arnold
• Maddox Sunderman
• Marvin Lee
• Nate Smith
• Treylen Brown
• Tom Hadary
• Will O’Steen
• Will Pieroni
• Xavier Bausley

Punter

• Cade Backe
• Carson McCauley
• Jack Dawson

Safety

• Ky’won McCray
• Zechariah Poyser
• Jeremiah Harris
• Cai Mayowa
• Kacey Battle
• Austin Ambush
• Fred Perry
• Terrace Thomas Jr.
• Travis Franklin Jr.
• Walker O’Steen
• Keith Christein
• Dee Newsome

Bandit

• Cam Williams
• Curley Young Jr.
• Jaylen Swain
• Tae Floyd
• Will Caneer

Kicker

• Alen Karajic
• Garrison Rippa

Long Snapper

• Colin Westfelt
• Luke Hogan
• Thomas Peterson

Nickel

• Jalen Bustamante
• Kolbi Fuqua
• Nehemiah Pgouda

Cornerback

• Derek Carter
• Geimere Latimer
• Jabari Mack
• Jamari Jemison
• Kekoura Tarnue
• Marco Baker
• Micah McCarroll
• Nick Covington
• Terrance Alexander
• Travis Collier
• Yessman Green

Linebacker

• Aidan Thompson
• Brad Harper
• Dajwon DeLoach
• Jaleel Birdsong
• Jaden Thomas
• Jibreel Al-Amin
• Laletia Hale
• Larry Worth
• Quae Drake
• Tristen Wells
• Xavier Morrow

Defensive Lineman

• Chris Hardie
• Darrell Prater
• Devin Baldwin
• Jackson Ceasy
• Jackson Luttrell
• Javius Hudgins
• Jeff Marks
• Kamaru Stephens
• Kevin Ellis
• Quin Warren
• Rick Samuel

Defensive End

• Javarius Hoskins
• Jumarion Larry
• Keyon Clark
• Shane Payton Hodges

Defensive Tackle

• Chuck Taylor