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Jeff Tedford, 57, inherited a 1-11 football program when he took
over the reins of his alma mater and in two seasons all he’s done
as the 19th head football coach in Fresno State history is lead the
program to a 22-6 record, a 2018 Mountain West Championship, two
MW West division titles and two bowl wins.
In 2018, in addition to defeating Boise State on the road in overtime,
19-16, for Fresno State’s rst conference championship since 2013,
the Bulldogs capped the season with a 31-20 triumph over Arizona
State to win the Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl. The bowl win
left the Bulldogs with their rst 12-win season in the 97-year history
of the program. This, one season after engineering one of the
greatest turnarounds in FBS history guiding the Bulldogs to a 10-4
record, an appearance in the MW title game and a Hawai’i Bowl win
over Houston.
The renaissance under Tedford has led to FBS history being made
as Fresno State became the rst team to secure back-to-back double-
digit winning seasons following a double-digit loss season.
The 2018 Bulldogs nished nationally ranked in the nal rankings of
the season for the rst time since 2004. Fresno State nished ranked
No. 18 in both the AP Top 25 and Coaches poll, announced Jan. 8,
2019. It was the best nish in the AP Top 25 in program history,
besting No. 22 in 2004. The ‘Dogs also held a No. 21 ranking in the
nal College Football Playoff poll released on Dec. 2, 2018.
Individual accolades in 2018 included Tedford being named an Eddie
Robinson Award nalist and a Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year
Award nalist. Fresno State sported 15 all-conference honorees in
2018, including the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in linebacker
Jeff Allison. In addition, 19 student-athletes were named to the Fall
Academic All-Mountain West team.
With a 10-4 record in his rst season, Fresno State became the third
team in FBS history to turn a double-digit loss season (2016) into
a double-digit win season (2017) the following year. The season
included an appearance in the nation’s top 25, clinching the Mountain
West’s West Division crown and leading the ‘Dogs to their rst
appearance in the MW Championship game since 2014. He also
guided the ‘Dogs to the program’s rst bowl victory since 2007 with
their win at the Hawai’i Bowl.
Great success brought great notoriety as Tedford was named the
2017 Mountain West Coach of the Year, was a seminalist for the
George Munger College Coach of the Year Award presented by the
Maxwell Football Club, a nalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of
the Year Award, and the AFCA Region-5 Coach of the Year.
While Tedford was honored as the league’s coach of the year, the
team had 16 student-athletes recognized with MW postseason
honors - the most for the Bulldogs in a single-season since joining
the conference in 2012. In the classroom, the ‘Dogs also set a team-
best number since joining the conference as they had 24 named to
the Fall Academic All-Mountain West team.
Tedford, a former Bulldog quarterback and Fresno State assistant
coach, returned to the Valley after holding the position of offensive
consultant for the Washington Huskies – a 2016 College Football
Playoff team.
Tedford assumed the role of acting head coach on Nov. 27, 2016,
following the conclusion of the 2016 season as Eric Kiesau carried
out interim head coaching duties for the remaining two games on the
2016 schedule following Tedford’s introductory press conference.
Tedford was ofcially hired on Nov. 10, 2016.
Tedford, who was an already proven winner on the West Coast,
came to the Valley with 11 years of head coaching experience at the
Division I level – having led the California Golden Bears to 82 wins
from 2002-2012. He left as the school’s all-time winningest coach.
Tedford’s ties to the Valley and Fresno State run deep. He played
quarterback at Fresno State in 1981-82 under Jim Sweeney and
coached at Fresno State under Sweeney from 1987-88 and 1992-96,
and under a then-rst-year head coach Pat Hill in 1997.
Tedford’s coaching career started at Fresno State, volunteering as an
assistant for the 1987-88 seasons. From there he picked up his rst
H C | S | F S ()
J T
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full-time position as an assistant for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League – a
familiar league in which he played quarterback for six seasons after his collegiate career at Fresno State.
He returned to Fresno State in 1992 as the quarterbacks coach and served as the offensive coordinator
for the Bulldogs over the ensuing ve seasons.
Tedford held the same position at Oregon (1998-2001) before he became the head coach at Cal. He
was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year twice, leading the Golden Bears to a school record seven
consecutive bowl games and to a conference title in 2006.
Following Tedford’s stint at Cal, he moved on to the NFL in 2014 as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’
offensive coordinator. The stop did not last long due to health issues during the preseason that evolved
into an indenite leave of absence, which resulted in the two sides mutually agreeing to part ways.
Tedford made his return to the CFL in 2015 as he was named the head coach of the B.C. Lions. At the
conclusion of the season, Tedford elected to exercise an option in his contract to resign and pursue
opportunities in college football.
Tedford made his return to college football as an offensive consultant for the Washington Huskies
under head coach Chris Peterson in 2016. A relationship rekindled after their time together as assistants
at Oregon under then-coach Mike Belotti. Washington’s staff also included associate head coach Bob
Gregory, who served as Tedford’s defensive coordinator at Cal for eight seasons.
Tedford graduated from Warren High School in Downey, California and attended Cerritos Junior
College for two seasons before becoming the Bulldogs’ quarterback in 1981.
He and his wife Donna have two children, Taylor and Quinn.
Cal Football (Head Coach, 2002-2012):
After accepting his rst head coaching position in 2002, Tedford spent 11 seasons at the helm of the
Cal football team. Tedford left Cal as the winningest coach in program history with 82 wins; the Golden
Bears posted a school-record run of seven straight bowl appearances from 2003-09 and ranked as high
as No. 2 in the nation in 2007 - its highest ranking since 1951.
The Bears were 5-3 in the postseason under Tedford, including a school-record string of four
consecutive bowl wins from 2005-08, making him the only Cal mentor with more than two postseason
victories. The Bears also won enough games to be bowl eligible with a seven-victory season in his rst
campaign in 2002, but were ineligible for a bowl. In addition, Cal put together a school-record-tying
eight consecutive winning campaigns from 2002-09 and added a ninth in 10 seasons in 2011. Cal twice
posted a school record-tying 10 wins under Tedford, the sixth and seventh times in school history, in
2004 and 2006.
All of this at the head of a program that won just one game in 2001, the year prior to his arrival
- making the renaissance of the Cal football program over that decade arguably one of the most
impressive turnarounds in college football history.
The Bears had 40 players selected in the NFL Draft during the 11 drafts following seasons that have
occurred while Tedford was the head coach at Cal, including eight rst-round picks.
Tedford also has earned a reputation as a strong recruiter, with his last three classes in 2010, ’11 and
’12 being ranked as high as No. 11, No. 13 and No. 15 nationally. Prior to the 2011 campaign, Sporting
News bestowed the honor of the Pac-12’s best recruiter on him.
But Tedford’s teams not only
got it done on the eld, they
got it done in the classroom
in Berkeley. His players were
recognized as conference All-
Academic honorees 110 times
in 11 seasons.
Tedford’s success with the
Cal program also resulted in
local devotion and national
attention. Cal averaged
more than 57,000 fans per
contest for seven consecutive
seasons from 2004-10, before
C E
Fresno State (2016-Pres.)
•
Head Coach
Washington (2016)
• Oensive Consultant
B.C. Lions (2015)
• Head Coach
Tampa Bay Bucaneers (2014)
• Oensive Coordinator
California (2002-12)
• Head Coach
Oregon (1998-2001)
• Oensive Coordinator
Fresno State (1992-97)
• Oensive Coordinator (1993-97)
• Quarterbacks Coach (1992)
Calgary Stampeders (1989-91)
• Oensive Assistant
Fresno State (1987-88)
• Volunteer Assistant Coach
P
Hometown
• Downey, Calif.
Education
• Fresno State
- B.A. (1992)
Playing Exp.
• Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1983-85)
• Calgary Stampeders (1986)
• Saskatchewan Roghriders (
1987)
• Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1988)
• Fresno State (QB, 1981-82)
•
Cerritos College (QB, 1979-80)
Family
• Wife:
Donna
• Children: Taylor, Quinn
Tedford Year-by-Year College Head Coaching Record
Year School Overall Conference Postseason
2002 Cal 7-5 4-4 (T-4th) ---
2003 Cal 8-6 5-3 (T-3rd) Insight
2004 Cal 10-2 7-1 (2nd) Holiday
2005 Cal 8-4 4-4 (T-4th) Las Vegas
2006 Cal 10-3 7-2 (T-1st) Holiday
2007 Cal 7-6 3-6 (T-7th) Armed Forces
2008 Cal 9-4 6-3 (4th) Emerald
2009 Cal 8-5 5-4 (T-5th) Poinsettia
2010 Cal 5-7 3-6 (8th) ---
2011 Cal 7-6 4-5 (4th North) Holiday
2012 Cal 3-9 2-7 (5th North) ---
2017 Fresno State 10-4 7-1 (1st West) Hawai’i
2018 Fresno State 12-2 7-1 (1st West) Las Vegas
Totals 14 Years 104-63 (.623) 64-47 (.577) 10 Bowl Appearances
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moving to the 45,000-seat AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial
Stadium underwent an extensive renovation and retrot prior to
reopening for the team’s 2012 home contests. The seven-year
stretch included a string of 43 consecutive games in front of
at least 50,000 fans at Memorial Stadium (Sept. 11, 2004 – Nov.
20, 2010). In 2006, the Bears set school records for average fans
per home game (64,318) and overall spectators (450,223). The
following year in 2007, Cal established a school record with
41,366 season-ticket holders.
Nationally, Cal had multiple Heisman Trophy candidates under
Tedford’s tutelage, with J.J. Arrington (2004), Marshawn Lynch
(2006), DeSean Jackson (2007) and Jahvid Best (2009) among
top candidates for the prestigious honor at some point in the
season; Arrington nished eighth in the nal voting.
Tedford has used his own signal-calling experience to build a
reputation as a quarterback guru. During his lengthy collegiate
coaching career at Cal (2002-2012), Oregon (1998-2001) and Fresno State (1992-97), Tedford has been an integral piece in the development
of six quarterbacks that became NFL rst-round picks – Kyle Boller, David Carr, Trent Dilfer, Joey Harrington, Aaron Rodgers and Akili
Smith.
Rodgers, an under-the-radar junior college transfer like Tedford, ranked No. 8 nationally in pass efciency in 2004 when he completed 66.1
percent of his passes for 2,566 yards and 24 touchdowns with only eight interceptions for the Bears. He put up similar numbers the previous
season when he completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 2,903 yards and 19 touchdowns with only ve interceptions. After being drafted by
the Green Bay Packers in the rst round of the 2005 NFL Draft, Rodgers has become one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL and followed
his rst Pro Bowl selection in 2009 by earning Super Bowl XLV MVP honors the following season after leading the Packers to a victory over
the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In addition to his success with quarterbacks, Tedford’s teams have featured balanced attacks and became notorious for their ferocity on the
ground. In nine of his rst 10 seasons at Cal, Tedford had at least one running back post a 1,000-yard rushing season, including a string of
seven consecutive years with a 1,000-yard rusher from 2002-08 and then again in 2010 and 2011.
In 2004, Arrington broke Chuck Muncie’s single-season school record with 2,018 yards, which led the country (168.2 ypg) as Arrington
rushed for at least 100 yards in each of his 12 contests. In 2007, Justin Forsett’s 1,546 rushing yards were briey the second-best in Cal history,
but Best’s four-game ourish (814 yards) at the end of 2008 gave him 1,580 for the year to move past Forsett. Lynch had back-to-back 1,000-
yard seasons in 2005 and 2006, while Adimchinobe Echemandu (1,195 yards in 2003), Isi Sofele (1,322 yards in 2011), Shane Vereen (1,167
yards in 2010), and Joe Igber (1,075 yards in 2002) each reached the 1,000-yard milestone under Tedford as well.
While offense has been Tedford’s forte, Cal’s defense toughened considerably during his reign as the Bears’ coach. His 2004 team ranked
eighth nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 16.0 points per game. In 2005, the Bears led the Pac-10 in scoring defense, giving up only
21.2 points per contest. In 2008, Cal led the Pac-10 in the two key categories of red zone defense (68.2%) and takeaways (34). The Bears
were second in the conference in rush defense (112.0 ypg) in 2009. Cal then had a stellar season on defense in 2010 in their rst year under
former Super Bowl coordinator Clancy Pendergast, leading the league and
ranking among the top 25 nationally in sacks (2.83 spg, No. 13 NCAA),
total defense (319.08 ypg, No. 18 NCAA) and pass defense (187.0 ypg,
No. 21 NCAA). In 2011, Cal again led the Pac-12 in total defense (332.92
ypg) and pass defense (204.23 ypg), ranking 25th and 37th nationally. Cal
also continued to make big plays on defense in 2011 as the Pac-12’s top
team in tackles for loss (7.69 tpg, No. 7 NCAA) while ranking third in
the conference in sacks (2.62 spg, No. 19 NCAA). In addition, the Bears
led the Pac-12 in opponents’ rst downs, allowing only 17.4 per game.
Other national recognition that came the Bears way under Tedford was:
Alex Mack picking up the 2008 Draddy Award (often referred to as the
Academic Heisman), while Mike Mohamed was one of 16 players across
the country in the National Football Foundation’s Scholar-Athlete Class
of 2010 and a nalist for the prestigious honor won by Mack now known
as the William V. Campbell Trophy. Giorgio Tavecchio was a seminalist
for the same honor in 2011. In 2006, the Bears had a pair of players
collect national awards. Jackson was the recipient of the inaugural Randy Moss Award as the top returner in the country, while Daymeion
Hughes earned The Lott IMPACT Trophy, given to the nation’s top defensive player to equally recognize his athletic performance and
personal character.
As an Assistant Coach:
Prior to his arrival in Berkeley, Tedford was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oregon, serving in that role for four seasons,
First Round NFL Quarterbacks Coached by Tedford
• Kyle Boller (Cal) - 2003: 19th pick (Baltimore)
- Coached in 2002
• David Carr (Fresno State) - 2002: 1st pick (Houston)
- Coached in 1997
• Trent Dilfer (Fresno State) - 1994: 6th pick (Tampa Bay)
- Coached from 1992-93
• Joey Harrington (Oregon) - 2002: 3rd pick (Detroit)
- Coached from 1998-2001
• Aaron Rodgers (Cal) - 2005: 24th pick (Green Bay)
- Coached from 2003-04
• Akili Smith (Oregon) - 1999: 3rd pick (Cincinnati)
- Coached in 1998
“
I can’t think of a better place to lead a group of young
men onto the football eld. Coming to Fresno State is
coming home for myself and my family. To have this
special opportunity to return to my coaching roots is
truly a dream come true. Our mission will be to grow
and develop young people to reach their full potential in
all areas ... academically, athletically, socially and spiri-
tually ... to complete at high levels in the classroom and
on the eld while doing so with great character and high
integrity.
”
Fresno State head coach Je Tedford
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including the 2001 campaign when
the Ducks nished with a No. 2
national ranking.
Tedford played an integral role in the
rise of the Oregon program during
his tenure in Eugene – a period in
which the Ducks posted the Pac-10’s
best record (38-10) while nishing
progressively better each year (8-4 in
1998, 9-3 in 1999, 10-2 in 2000 and
11-1 in 2001). During his rst season
as offensive coordinator in 1998,
Oregon set school records in passing
yards, total offense and points
scored. Tedford’s passing acumen
was clearly evident in the rapid
development of Smith, who earned
Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year
accolades as he nished second in
the nation in pass efciency and was
later chosen third overall in the 1999
NFL Draft by Cincinnati.
Duck quarterbacks A.J. Feeley and
Joey Harrington combined to pass
for 3,131 yards and 24 TDs on the
Sun Bowl champion team that ranked
13th nationally in scoring in 1999,
while the 2000 club tied for the Pac-
10 crown and defeated Texas in the
Holiday Bowl. Tedford’s last Oregon
squad in 2001 showcased one of
the nation’s premier quarterbacks
in Harrington, who won Pac-10
Offensive Player of the Year honors
and nished fourth in the Heisman
Trophy balloting.
In 1992 as the quarterbacks coach at
Fresno State, Tedford began honing
the skills of Trent Dilfer. Under
Tedford’s guidance, the Bulldogs’
quarterback earned rst-team All-
WAC honors for an offense that
led the nation in scoring (44.2 ppg),
ranked second in total offense (541.9
ypg) and beat USC in the Freedom Bowl. A season later, Tedford became the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator, and Fresno State ranked third
nationally in scoring and total offense while earning an Aloha Bowl invitation. Dilfer ranked rst nationally in passing efciency (173.1 rating)
and won the WAC Offensive Player of the Year award. He was later chosen by Tampa Bay with the sixth overall selection of the 1994 NFL
Draft.
Tedford’s coaching career began with two seasons as a volunteer assistant at Fresno State (1987-88) before he joined Calgary of the CFL for
three seasons (1989-91), including the 1991 team that advanced to the Grey Cup title game.
Playing Career:
A relentless drive developed in Tedford as a young football player at Warren High School, in the Southern California city of Downey, that led
the undersized quarterback to a solid prep career. Tedford had a standout two-year stint at Cerritos College (1979-80) before a record-setting
two-year stay at Fresno State (1981-82). During his days as a Bulldog, he established several school passing records, including career marks for
passing yardage (4,872) and touchdown passes (35), while earning honorable mention All-America notice in 1982 when he set single-season
Fresno State standards for passing yardage (2,993) and TD passes (24).
After departing Fresno State, Tedford played professionally in the Canadian Football League for six seasons with Hamilton, Calgary,
Saskatchewan and Winnipeg. He appeared in the league’s championship game (Grey Cup) with Hamilton in 1984.
J T C H
• Has coached in 16 Bowl Games.
• Has seen 41 players draed in the NFL as a head coach.
• Engineered the second-largest win improvement in FBS history in his rst year at Fresno State (+8) as the
Bulldogs became only the third FBS team go from double-digit losses to double digit wins.
• Led Fresno State to its rst bowl win since 2007 during his rst season.
• ree-time conference Coach of the Year with two in the Pac-10 (2002, 2004) and one in the Mountain
West (2017).
• Led Cal to a school-record seven consecutive bowl games.
• Led the Golden Bears to a school-record-tying eight straight winning seasons (2002-09).
• Recorded 14 wins over ranked teams during his 11 seasons at Cal.
• Oenses at Cal averaged at least 29 points per game in nine of 11 seasons, including a then-program best
of 36.8 in 2004.
•
Produced seven-staight 1,000-yard rushing seasons and had a 1,000-yard rusher in nine of his 11 seasons at Cal.
• 2008: Oensive lineman Alex Mack was awarded the Draddy Trophy, otherwise known as the “Academic
Heisman”.
• 2007: Six players selected in the 2008 NFL Dra, a school-record for the seven-round version of the dra.
• 2006: Named a nalist for the Liberty Mutaul Coach of the Year Award.
• 2004: Posted school’s best regular-season record (10-1) since 1950 team which was 9-0-1 en route
to being named Pac-10 Coach of the Year for the second time, a feat that no other coach at Cal had
accomplished.
• 2004: All-American J.J. Arrington rushed for a NCAA-best and program record, 2,018 yards.
• 2003: Led the Pac-10 in rushing for the rst time in 45 years with 2,356 yards and a 168.3 yard per game
average.
• 2002: Named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in his rst season at Cal, tying for the biggest one-year
turnaround in the nation, and second-largest in in program history, aer a six-win increase.
• 2002: Led the Bears to three victories over nationally-ranked opponents in the same season for the rst
time in 52 years.
Coaching History in Bowl Games
• As a Head Coach School Result (Opponent)
2018 Las Vegas Fresno State W, 31-20 (Arizona State)
2017 Hawai’i Fresno State W, 33-27 (Houston)
2011 Holiday California L, 21-10 (Texas)
2009 Poinsettia California L, 37-27 (Utah)
2008 Emerald California W, 24-17 (Miami)
2007 Armed Forces California W, 42-36 (Air Force)
2006 Holiday California W, 45-10 (Texas A&M)
2005 Las Vegas California W, 35-28 (BYU)
2004 Holiday California L, 45-31 (Texas Tech)
2003 Insight California W, 52-49
(Virginia Tech)
• As an Assistant
2001 Fiesta Oregon W, 38-16 (Colorado)
2000 Holiday Oregon W, 35-30 (Texas)
1999 Sun Oregon W, 24-20 (Minnesota)
1998 Aloha Oregon L, 51-43 (Colorado)
1993 Aloha Fresno State L, 41-30 (Colorado)
1992 Freedom Fresno State W, 24-7 (USC)
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2019 FRESNO STATE FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE |
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Ryan Grubb enters his third year at Fresno State, but in a
new capacity. It was announced on Feb. 18, 2019 he would
be promoted to the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator and
associate head coach. In the new role, Grubb will continue
to be responsible for coaching the offensive line as he did
the previous two seasons, but will work alongside newly
appointed assistant offensive line coach Roman Sapolu for
the 2019 season.
Grubb built on an impeccable rst-year with the program
in year two, having an offensive line unit that allowed just
12 sacks. In two seasons under Grubb, Fresno State has
surrendered only 22 sacks. In 2018 alone, 97 of the 129
FBS programs allowed 22 sacks or more.
At a clip of 0.86 sacks allowed per game in 2018 by the
Bulldogs, it ranked sixth-best in the FBS. In addition,
Fresno State allowed just 54 tackles for loss, which at a rate
of 3.86 tackles for loss allowed per game ranked fth-best
in the nation.
Under Grubb in his rst season, the Bulldogs’ offensive line
turned into one of the team’s strongest positions. His group
allowed only 10 sacks in 14 games (0.71 per game) which
ranked third in the FBS. It was a complete turnaround with a
group that allowed 31 sacks the previous year. The ‘Dogs held
six opponents without a sack in 2017, with only two teams
recording more than one sack in a single game. Fresno State
ranked third in the FBS in tackles for loss allowed per game
at 3.29 per outing.
The line also helped pave the way for the Bulldogs’ rushing
attack to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark for the rst time since
2014 in Grubb’s rst season with the program in 2017. The
team again surpassed the 2,000-yard plateau in 2018, which
marked the rst time since the 2008-09 seasons that the
Bulldogs had back-to-back 2,000 yard rushing seasons.
All ve linemen from the 2017 team earned all-conference
recognition. Center Aaron Mitchell earned second-team
all-conference honors while Christian Cronk, Netane Muti,
David Patterson and Micah St. Andrew each received
honorable mention nods. In 2018, Cronk picked up All-
MW rst-team honors and St. Andrew was a second-team
selection.
Grubb previously served as the offensive line coach at
EMU for three seasons where he guided a group which
allowed the eighth-fewest sacks in the nation in 2016 by
allowing a program record-low of 13 sacks, as well as
the second-fewest tackles for a loss in the nation. His
line produced two postseason All-MAC linemen in Cole
Gardner and Andrew Wylie at seasons end.
Eastern Michigan shattered the school record for team
offense with 5,917 yards, breaking the previous record of
5,010. EMU also set team season records for points scored
(385), passing yards (3,849), touchdown passes (25), rst
downs (303), pass completions (309), plays (999) as well
single-game plays (99). The squad racked up the second-
most touchdowns (47) and rushing TDs (21) in a season
and the second-most single-game touchdown (8) and
rst downs (35). On the ground, the team produced the
seventh-most yards rushing in program history (2,068).
During the 2015 campaign, EMU nished the year with 39
touchdowns, a mark that tied for the fth-most in a single
season in program history, while its 4,560 yards of total
offense was also the fth-most.
Before arriving to Eastern Michigan, Grubb spent seven
seasons at the University of Sioux Falls: the rst three as
the run game coordinator and offensive line coach followed
by four seasons as the offensive coordinator. Grubb
shared the same sideline with current Bulldog offensive
coordinator Kalen DeBoer from 2007-09 at USF and took
over DeBoer’s OC duties upon his departure.
During Grubb’s time at Sioux Falls, the team posted an
astonishing 75-13 (.852) record, as Grubb helped guide
USF to two national championships and four Great Plains
Athletic Conference championships. Grub mentored
multiple All-American, and saw Jon Ryan (wide receiver)
and Lorenzo Brown (quarterback) earn NAIA Player of
the Year honors. He helped more than 20 USF athletes
garner all-conference accolades during his time with the
Cougars.
In 2010, the Cougar offense thrived in its rst year under
the command of Grubb. The USF offense ranked third in
scoring (577 pts) and fourth in passing (3,821 yds) in the
NAIA. Under Grubb, senior receiver Jon Ryan was named
the NAIA Football Player of the Year and the GPAC
Offensive Player of the Year.
The 2009 offensive line provided spectacular blocking for
both USF’s running backs and NAIA Player of the Year
quarterback Lorenzo Brown on the way to the program’s
fourth national title. The Cougar offense set school records
for points in a game (80), points per game (51.6), points
in a season (775), total offense (7,313 yards), rush offense
(3,842), and the most rushing yards by a team in the NAIA.
The unit only gave up 14 sacks in 15 games.
In 2008, the offensive line paved the way to the sixth-
ranked rushing attack (235.6 yards per game) and 10th-best
scoring attack (36.5) in the country, while only giving up
10 sacks in 14 games. Shawn Flanagan, Kyle Staudt and TJ
Wendt earned all-conference recognition, while Wendt was
named a rst-team All-American, and Flanagan was named
second-team All-American.
Grubb also served as the strength and conditioning
coordinator for the USF football program and was named
American Football Monthly’s NAIA National Strength and
Conditioning Coach of the Year for the 2008 season.
R G
O C/A H C
S | B V ()
C E
Fresno State (2017-pres.)
• Oensive Coordinator
(2019-pres.)
•
Assistant Coach (OL/RGC)
(2017-18)
Eastern Michigan (2014-16)
• Assistant Coach (OL)
Sioux Falls (2007-13)
• Oensive Coordinator (2010-13)
• Assistant Coach (OL/RGC) (2007-09)
South Dakota State (2005-06)
• Assistant Coach (WR/RB)
Kingsley-Pierson HS
(Iowa) (2003-04)
• Oensive Coordinator
P
Hometown
•
Kingsley, Iowa
Education
•
Buena Vista (1999) - B.A.
•
South Dakota State (2006) - M.A.
Playing Exp.
•
Buena Vista (RB/WR)
Family
• Wife: Stephanie
• Children: Falynn
COACHES AND STAFF
| 2019 FRESNO STATE FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE
14
Bert Watts enters his third season at Fresno State and
second as the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator.
In year one leading the defense in place of Jeff
Tedford’s rst defensive coordinator Orlondo
Steinauer - now head coach of the CFL’s Hamilton
Tiger-Cats - the Bulldogs’ production on defense
was just as impressive in year two of the Tedford era
as opponents were held to 14.1 points per game, a
season after teams were limited to 17.9 points per
game.
Fresno State, a 12-2 team and Mountain West
Champions, nished the 2018 season ranked in the
Top 10 in the FBS in several statistical categories
under Watts, including red zone defense (1st),
scoring defense (3rd), passes intercepted (4th), team
passing efciency defense (5th) as well as turnover
margin (9th).
En route to grinding out a 19-16 overtime win at
Boise State for the Bulldogs’ rst Mountain West title
since 2013, the defense produced key stop after key
stop. In the middle of it was Mykal Walker, the MVP
of the game. He led the defense with 12 tackles, 2.5
TFLs, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.
In addition, 2018 saw linebacker Jeff Allison named
the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.
He was the second Bulldog to earn MW Defensive
Player of the Year honors dating back to 2012 when
consensus All-American safety Phillip Thomas took
home the award. Fresno State also saw Walker and
Tank Kelly named rst team All-MW selelctions.
As Fresno State’s linebackers coach in 2017, Watts
was instrumental in the rise in level of play in the
middle of the Bulldogs’ defense that led to the team
ranking 10th in the FBS in scoring defense at 17.9
points per game and 15th in total defense with 320.6
yards allowed per game. Jeff Allison and George
Helmuth ranked 1-2 on the team in tackles as both
shattered their previous highs with 126 and 89,
respectively.
Allison garnered rst team All-Mountain West
accolades as he became a force in the middle of the
eld, making the ninth-most stops in a season at
Fresno State, and most since 2007. His total of 126
tackles was 105 more than his rst year. Helmuth
had a breakout season under Watts, posting 65 more
tackles in 2017 than he had during his previous two
seasons combined.
Watts came to Fresno State after four seasons as
the defensive coordinator at UC Davis under Aggie
head football coach Ron Gould; his position group
focus was with the defensive backs.
Watts’ history with Jeff Tedford dates back to his
playing days at Cal, and later as a graduate assistant
at Cal.
Watts’ rst season overseeing the UC Davis
defense in 2013 resulted in four of his players
earning postseason recognition from the Big Sky
Conference while it added two the next season and
ve more honors from the conference in 2016.
In 2012, defensive lineman Nick King was a second-
team pick after amassing eight sacks, cornerback
Jonathan Perkins had four pass breakups on his
way to third-team accolades, linebacker Steven Pitts
earned honorable mention after tallying 74 tackles
and 11.5 TFLs, and cornerback Shamawn Wright
was selected honorable mention after leading the
team with nine PBUs. Pitts returned to the All-Big
Sky honorable mention squad in 2014 and was joined
by safety Charles Boyett.
In 2016, defensive tackle Inoke Raikadroka was
named a second-team selection after compiling 24
tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 1.0 sacks and one fumble recovery
in nine games played. Defensive tackle Zak Pettit,
inside linebacker Nas Anesi, cornerback Keleen
Culberson and safety Zach Jones earned honorable
mention recognition.
Watts joined the UC Davis staff after gaining coaching
experience at the collegiate level and overseas. Watts
spent 2012 with the Denver Broncos, who went
on to earn the top seed in the AFC playoffs. Prior
to that, he spent two seasons at the University of
Colorado as the Buffaloes’ defensive technical intern.
Watts, who also coached two years of high school
football in Florida, was the defensive coordinator for
the Raiffeisen Vikings in Austria in 2007.
He moved into coaching after playing for Cal, where
he led the Bears with 80 tackles as a senior in 2002.
The starting senior safety was the leading tackler
for that season, which was Tedford’s rst Golden
Bear football team. Following his nal season, the
three-year letterman was the recipient of the team’s
Joe Roth Award, given to the player that exemplies
superior courage, attitude and sportsmanship.
The Basking Ridge, N.J. native continued his football
career as a graduate assistant coach under Tedford
during the 2004 and 2005 seasons - helping the team
to a combined 18-6 mark, including a 10-2 season in
2004 that ended with a berth in the Holiday Bowl.
B W
D C/A H C
S | C ()
C E
Fresno State (2017-pres.)
•
Defensive Coordinator (2018-pres.)
•
Assistant Coach (LB) (2017)
UC Davis (2013-16)
•
Defensive Coordinator
Denver Broncos (2012)
•
Sta Assistant
Colorado (2010-11)
•
Defensive Technical Intern
Bishop Kenny HS (Fla.) (2009)
•
Defensive Coordinator
Bartram Trial (Fla.) (2008)
•
Assistant Coach (TE)
Raieisen Vikings-Austria
(2007)
•
Defensive Coordinator
California (2004-05)
•
Defensive Graduate Assistant
P
Hometown
• Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Education
• California (2003
) - B.A
•
California (2006) - M.A.
Playing Exp.
•
California (DB)
Family
• Wife: Lyndsay
• Children: Vedder
COACHES AND STAFF
2019 FRESNO STATE FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE |
15
Jamie Christian enters his third season at Fresno
State as the running backs coach as well the
Bulldogs’ special teams coordinator.
With his top three running backs entering his
rst season being two true freshmen and one
true sophomore, Christian helped the Bulldogs
eclipse the 2,000-yard rushing mark for the rst
time since 2014. True freshmen Jordan Mims and
Ronnie Rivers accounted for 1,082 yards and 11
touchdowns in 10 starts to help pile up a team
total of 2,170 yards.
The Bulldogs gained more than 2,000 yards on
the ground once again in 2018, marking the rst
back-to-back seasons of 2,000 yards rushing since
the 2008-09 seasons. The ‘Dogs registered 2,161
yards rushing aided by four different ball carriers
producing 250 or more yards apiece. Despite
missing three games and starting just seven due to
a spring football injury, sophomore Ronnie Rivers
led the team with 743 yards and 10 touchdowns,
which included a breakout performance in the Las
Vegas Bowl that earned him MVP honors. Rivers
accounted for the fourth-most all-purpose yards
in school history with 286 in the contest, 212 of
those being rushing yards.
The former Bulldog fullback (1991-93) spent the
previous two seasons as the running backs coach
at UNLV; in his time there the Rebels rushing
offense dramatically improved from ranking
102nd (129.2 yards/game) in the FBS before he
arrived, to 36th (193.7 yards/game) in his rst
year, and 15th (241.5 yards/game) in 2016.
Christian arrived in Las Vegas after serving as the
special teams coordinator and inside receivers and
tight ends coach at Houston.
In Christian’s nal season at UH before the Tom
Herman regime took over, the Cougars had a
passing offense that produced 230.2 yards per
game and was led by Fresno native (Washington
Union HS) Deontay Greenberry, who was named
a second-team All-American Athletic Conference
wide receiver in 2014.
Greenberry led the team with 841 yards receiving,
with the next closest teammate trailing him by 302
yards. He left the program with the ninth-most
receiving yards in school history (2,612) and eighth
on the all-time list for career receptions (201).
In 2013, Christian’s special teams at UH earned
three honors from the American Athletic
Conference as freshman Demarcus Ayers was
named the league’s Co-Special Teams Player of
the Year and was named to the American’s rst-
team while Richie Leone was named second-team.
Christian’s other unit, inside receivers, received
postseason accolades in 2013 as well. Greenberry
was named to the American’s rst-team as he
led the league with an average of 100.2 receiving
yards per game and was second with 11 receiving
touchdowns. Greenberry was second in the
American with ve 100-yard games.
Noted as a strong recruiter with ties to California,
and now Houston and Louisiana, he was named to
Rivals’ top recruiters list in 2013.
Before joining the Cougars in 2012, Christian
spent ve seasons coaching the special teams,
running backs, tight ends and inside receivers at
Arizona State of the Pac-12 Conference, including
mentoring 2007 Lou Groza Award winner
Thomas Weber. Christian also tutored ASU’s
Gerell Robinson, one of college football’s top
pass-catchers in 2011, making 77 receptions for
1,397 yards and seven scores.
Prior to his time at Arizona State,
Christian spent ve seasons with
Dennis Erickson (his uncle) at the
University of Idaho (2006), the San
Francisco 49ers (2003, 2004) and at
Oregon State (2000, 2001). Christian
has also coached at Northern Arizona
(2002) and at Sacramento State (2005).
Christian was a fullback at Fresno
State (1991-93) before transferring to
Central Washington to nish out his
collegiate career as a running back. In
Christian’s sophomore season in 1992,
Jeff Tedford arrived to Fresno State as
a rst-year assistant coach. Christian
switched to running back as a senior at
Central Washington and was its leader
in rushing yards and touchdowns and
helped lead the Wildcats to the 1995
NAIA National Championship.
J C
R B/S C
S | C W ()
C E
Fresno State (2017-pres.)
• Assistant Coach (RB/STC)
UNLV (2015-16)
• Assistant Coach (RB)
Houston (2012-14)
• Assistant Coach (STC/TE/IWR)
Arizona State (2007-11)
• Assistant Coach (STC/IWR/RB)
Idaho (2006)
• Assistant Coach (RB)
Sacramento State (2005)
• Assistant Coach (RB)
San Francisco 49ers (2003-04)
• Defensive Quality Control
Northern Arizona (2002)
• Assistant Coach (DB)
Oregon State (2000-01)
• Defensive Graduate Assistant
P
Hometown
• Milpitas, Calif.
Education
•
Central Washington (1999)
Playing Exp.
•
Central Washington (RB)
• Fresno State (FB)
Family
• Wife: Deja
• Children: Cree
• Grand Children: Akari
COACHES AND STAFF
| 2019 FRESNO STATE FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE
16
Danny Langsdorf enters his rst season at Fresno
State as the quarterbacks coach and Bulldogs’
passing game coordinator. Langsdorf comes to
the Central Valley from Oregon where he served
one season as an offensive analyst.
Prior to Oregon, Langsdorf was an FBS level
offensive coordinator 12 of the previous 13
seasons, having spent one season in that span in
the NFL.
Langsdorf paired with Mike Riley for a second
time at Nebraska for three seasons from 2015-
17 as an offensive coordinator after working with
Riley in the same capacity for nine seasons at
Oregon State from 2005-13.
Langsdorf helped the NU offense to impressive
numbers in his rst season, as the Huskers nished
in the top three in the Big Ten in passing, scoring,
total offense and third-down offense. NU showed
good balance, with 3,000 passing yards and 2,000
rushing yards for only the third time in school
history and the rst time since 2008.
Individually, Tommy Armstrong Jr. threw for
better than 3,000 yards for the second straight
season while connecting on 22 touchdown passes.
Receiver Jordan Westerkamp set an NU receiver
record with 65 receptions, while producing the
third-highest yardage total in school history.
In 2016, the Husker offense was one of the
nation’s most improved teams in protecting the
football. Nebraska turned the ball over on offense
just 14 times, NU’s lowest total since 1992. The
Huskers also ranked among the nation’s leaders in
sacks allowed and time of possession. Five Husker
offensive players earned All-Big Ten honors in
2016, including quarterback Tommy Armstrong
Jr., who became NU’s career leader in passing and
total offense.
In year three, Nebraska’s offense was led by
standout wideout Stanley Morgan Jr. The second
team All-Big Ten honoree set a Nebraska season
record with 986 receiving yards on 61 receptions
and his 10 touchdown catches ranked third on the
NU single-season list. Morgan led the Big Ten
Conference in touchdown catches (10), receiving
yards per game (89.6 ypg) and 100-yard receiving
games (5), while ranking second in receiving yards
(986) and third in receptions (61).
In 2014, Langsdorf served as the quarterbacks
coach with the New York Giants. Langsdorf
worked directly with two-time Super Bowl winning
quarterback Eli Manning, who had one of the top
seasons of his career.
Before joining the Giants’ staff, Langsdorf spent
the previous nine seasons as Riley’s offensive
coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oregon
State. Langsdorf’s Oregon State offenses were
regularly among the most
productive in the Pac-12
Conference, and nine of
OSU’s top 13 single season
yardage outputs came under
Langsdorf ’s coaching. The play
of the Beaver offenses helped
OSU to six bowl appearances
in eight seasons from 2006 to
2013, including four bowl wins.
From 2002-04, Langsdorf was
on the New Orleans Saints’
coaching staff. Before New
Orleans, he spent three seasons
in the Canadian Football League
with the Edmonton Eskimos.
Langsdorf rst worked for
Riley at Oregon State in 1997
and 1998, when he coached the
tight ends.
D L
Q/P G C
S | L (O.) C ()
C E
Fresno State (2019-pres.)
• Assistant Coach (QBs)
Oregon (2018)
• Oensive Analyst
Nebraska (2015-17)
• Oensive Coordinator (QBs)
New York Giants (2014)
• Assistant Coach (QBs)
Oregon State (2005-13)
• Oensive Coordinator (QBs)
New Orleans Saints (2002-04)
• Assistant Coach (QBs)
Edmonton Eskimos
(1999-2001)
• Oensive Coordinator (QB/WR)
Oregon State (1997-98)
• Graduate Assistant (TE)
California Lutheran (1996)
• Assistant Coach
P
Hometown
• McMinnville, Ore.
Education
• Lineld College (1995)
Playing Exp.
• Lineld College (QB)
• Boise State (QB)
Family
• Wife: Michele
• Children: Carter, Dawsen
COACHES AND STAFF
2019 FRESNO STATE FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE |
17
Kirby Moore joined Fresno State in 2017 as a wide
receivers coach following two years as a graduate
assistant at Washington.
In Moore’s rst season at Fresno State he helped
guide KeeSean Johnson to All-Mountain West
honors after the junior accounted for nearly half
of his group’s production in 2017 with 1,013 yards
coming on a then-career-best 77 receptions.
In year two guiding the Bulldogs’ receiving corps,
the offense amassed over 3,000 yards through the
air for the ninth time in program history, totaling
3,629 yards in 2018.
Leading the way in 2018 was Johnson as the
standout exploded in his senior campaign. Johnson
led the team in receptions (95), receiving yards
(1,340) and touchdowns (8). His 95 receptions
ranked fourth-most in the FBS in 2018 and fth-
most in a single season in program history while his
1,340 yards ranked sixth-most in the FBS in 2018
and the fth-most in a single season in program
history. The following offseason, Johnson heard
his name called in the sixth round of the NFL
Draft, selected by the Arizona Cardinals.
Moore, a former wide receiver at Boise State,
reunited with college coach Chris Petersen at
Washington, and was alongside Jeff Tedford while
he was an offensive consultant for the Huskies in
2016.
The Boise State grad earned four varsity letters
as a Bronco (2009, 2011-13), lettering on a 14-0
team as a true freshman in 2009. After redshirting
the 2010 season, he helped Boise State compile a
record of 31-8 over his nal three seasons.
As a G.A. who worked with Washington’s wide
receivers corps, Huskies’ wideouts John Ross
and Dante Pettis led the nation in touchdown
receptions as a duo with 32 in 2016. Ross was
named a rst-team All-Pac-12 selection. The
Huskies won the Pac-12 Championship and
advanced to their rst College Football Playoff
berth to cap a standout season.
In 2014, Moore’s season in between his playing
days at Boise State and serving as a graduate
assistant at Washington, he coached the wide
receivers at the College of Idaho.
As a senior in 2013, Moore caught 36 passes for
280 yards despite missing six games due to injury.
In 2012, he was the team’s second-leading receiver
with 36 catches for 368 yards. Following the 2013
season, he earned Academic All-District VII and
Academic All-Mountain West Conference honors.
As a freshman, united with older brother Kellen
Moore, the two were a part of the Broncos’ 2010
Fiesta Bowl win over TCU. Both brothers attended
Prosser High in Washington, where Kirby set
a national record with 95 career touchdown
receptions. Playing for his father, Tom Moore, he
was rst-team all-state as a junior and senior and
was named the Washington 2A Player of the Year
as a senior, when he had 131 receptions for 2,126
yards and 34 TDs.
K M
W R
S | B S ()
C E
Fresno State (2017-pres.)
• Assistant Coach (WR)
Washington (2015-16)
• Oensive Graduate Assistant
College of Idaho (2014)
• Assistant Coach (WR)
P
Hometown
• Prosser, Wash.
Education
•
Boise State (2012)
Playing Exp.
•
Boise State (WR)
Family
• Wife: Kayla
COACHES AND STAFF
| 2019 FRESNO STATE FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE
18
Will Plemons enters his rst season at Fresno State
under head coach Jeff Tedford as the team’s defensive
line coach, but is a familiar face in the Valley as a
former assistant under Pat Hill. Plemons served two
stints under Hill, once as an assistant coach from
2008-11 and as a graduate assistant in 2004-05.
Plemons most recently served as a defensive line
coach at Sacramento State. Despite a change at the
top after the 2018 season in Sacramento, Plemons
was one of two assistants retained heading into a
new era until the opportunity to return to Fresno
State arose. He was there three seasons (2016-18).
During his tenure with the Hornets, Plemons coached
a pair of rst team all-Big Sky honorees, which
included Ben Sorensen, a third team All-American
named by the Associated Press, that has since moved
on to the CFL. With Sorenson leading the way, 2017
was a highlight season as Hornet defensive linemen
combined for 32 of the team’s Div. I-era record 43
sacks under Plemons’ watch.
Alike multiple stops at Fresno State, Plemons
returned to Sacramento State in 2016, a place where
he was the defensive line coach in 2007. That year,
he guided a unit which included rst team all-Big Sky
selections Mike Brannon and Dallas Mauga. Brannon
was also an honorable mention All-American after
recording 18.0 tackles-for-loss and 9.0 sacks.
The following year, he moved to Fresno State where
he coached linebackers in 2008 before mentoring the
defensive line from 2009-11. In 2010, the Bulldogs
ranked ninth in the Football Bowl Subdivision with
2.85 sacks per game. That year, he coach Chris Carter
and Logan Harrell to rst team all-WAC honors and
Carter was named the WAC Defensive Player of the
Year.
Plemons spent the next four seasons as a defensive
line coach in the Canadian Football League. He was
on the staff of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for two
seasons before shifting to the Toronto Argonauts
prior to the 2014 season. While in Winnipeg,
Plemons coached a defensive line which accounted
for 74 of the team’s 94 sacks in his two seasons.
Prior to his rst stop at Sacramento State, Plemons
coached the defensive line at Idaho State in 2006.
He graduated from Cal Lutheran in 1997 where he
was a four-year starter for the Kingsmen and was a
team captain and all-conference player. He started
his coaching career at CLU as the tight ends and
assistant offensive line coach before being elevated
to the defensive line coach in 2002 and adding the
recruiting coordinator title the following year. During
his tenure, Plemons coached seven all-conference
players, including a second team All-American.
He and his wife, Mary Beth, have four children:
William Jr., Bear, Nadia and Anya.
W P
D L
S | C L ()
C E
Fresno State (2019-pres.)
•
Assistant Coach (DL)
Sacramento State (2016-18)
• Assistant Coach (DL)
Toronto Argonauts (2014-15)
• Assistant Coach
Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2012-13)
• Assistant Coach (DL)
Fresno State (2008-11)
•
Assistant Coach (DL) (2009-11)
•
Assistant Coach (LB) (2008)
Sacramento State (2007)
• Assistant Coach (DL)
Idaho State (2006)
• Assistant Coach (DL)
Fresno State (2004-05)
• Graduate Assistant (DL)
Cal Lutheran (1998-2003)
• Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coord.
P
Hometown
• Sprague River, Ore.
Education
• Cal Lutheran (1997) - B.A.
• Cal Lutheran (2001) - M.A.
Playing Exp.
• Cal Lutheran
Family
• Wife: Mary Beth
• Children: William Jr.
COACHES AND STAFF
2019 FRESNO STATE FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE |
19
Roman Sapolu (pronounced sap-OH-lu) joins
the Bulldogs’ staff in 2019 as the team’s assistant
offensive line coach. He will work alongside
offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Ryan
Grubb.
Sapolu has a strong tie at his new stop, working next
to a familiar face in newly appointed quarterbacks
coach Danny Langsdorf. During Sapolu’s playing
career at Oregon State (2010-14), Langsdorf was
OSU’s offensive coordinator each year outside of
his senior campaign. The two reconnected in 2015
after Sapolu’s playing career was cut short to injury
as members of the Nebraska football staff. Sapolu
served as a graduate assistant for three seasons for
NU’s offensive line, while Langsdorf was again
the offensive coordinator.
Sapolu earned his rst full-time assistant coaching
position at Idaho State in 2018. In his only season
at ISU, the Bengal offense tallied 5,403 total
yards, the third most since their 1981 National
Championship season. That season’s squad saw
eight offensive players earn all-conference honors.
Sapolu is the son of Jeese Sapolu, a four-time
Super Bowl Champion during a long NFL career
with the San Francisco 49ers from 1983-97. His
father played college football at Hawai’i.
R S
A O L
S | O S ()
C E
Fresno State (2019-pres.)
•
Assistant Coach (Asst. OL)
Idaho State (2018)
• Assistant Coach (OL)
Nebraska (2015-17)
• Graduate Assistant (OL)
• Graduate Manager
P
Hometown
• Huntington Beach, Calif.
Education
• Oregon State (2014) - B.A.
Playing Exp.
• Oregon State (OL)
COACHES AND STAFF
| 2019 FRESNO STATE FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE
20
Kenwick Thompson enters his second season
at Fresno State and will serve as the Bulldogs’
linebackers coach.
In Thompson’s rst year in Fresno, middle linebacker
Jeff Allison was named Mountain West Defensive
Player of the Year, the program’s second player to
win the honor and rst linebacker to do so. The
junior ranked 11th in the FBS in total tackles with
132. Along with Allison being an All-MW First Team
selection, George Helmuth also earned All-MW
honorable mention.
His three starting linebackers in Allison, Helmuth
and James Bailey accounted for 299 tackles, 26.5 for
loss, were key in helping the team rank No. 1 in the
FBS in the red zone defense and third in scoring
defense.
Thompson previously spent the past two seasons as
the defensive coordinator at East Carolina. He joined
the Pirate staff after two seasons at Vanderbilt, where
he served as an associate head coach and linebackers
coach in 2015.
In 2015, he helped the Commodores to Top 25 FBS
statistical rankings in fourth down defense (4th), rst
down defense (5th), redzone defense (6th), third
down defense (7th), most fumbles recovered (20th)
and scoring defense (23rd) by allowing only 21.0
points per game. His star pupil Zach Cunningham
earned Associated Press First-Team All-SEC honors
after ranking among league leaders in tackles for loss
(16.5), solo tackles (69), overall stops (103), forced
fumbles (4) and recovered fumbles (3).
Thompson was hired by Vanderbilt after spending
the 2013 season as defensive coordinator at San
Jose State. While coaching the Spartan linebackers,
Thompson helped senior captain Keith Smith
become just the second player in school history to
earn All-MWC honors for four years after leading
the nation in total tackles with 159. In addition to
Smith, Thompson also tutored First-Team All-
MWC defensive back Bene Benwikere at SJSU.
Benwikere matched the Spartan career record with
14 interceptions, including ve picks as a senior. He
also ranked among NCAA leaders with 16 passes
defended.
Thompson was rst hired by Tedford in 2007 to
be his linebackers coach. By the time 2012 rolled
around, Thompson was promoted to associate head
coach by Tedford in their sixth season together.
Prior to Thompson’s promotion, the 2011 Golden
Bears’ team led the Pac-12 in total defense (332.92
ypg) and pass defense (204.23 ypg) and the linebacker
corps accounted for 307 of the team’s 517 tackles,
which was led by linebacker Mychal Kendricks, the
Pat Tillman Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year
and a second-team All-American that recently won a
Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles.
From 2007 to 2012, Thompson worked as linebackers
coach and recruiting coordinator at California,
playing a key role assisting the Golden Bears to
four bowl appearances. In 2012, he was elevated to
associate head coach status.
In 2011, Thompson’s linebacker corps helped the
Golden Bears lead the Pac-12 in both total defense
(332.9 yards) and pass defense (204.2 yards) during
a 7-6 regular season that concluded with a Holiday
Bowl appearance. Cal also topped the Pac-12 in total
defense during the 2010 season.
In the recruiting world, Thompson helped guide Cal
to three consecutive classes from 2010-12 ranked as
high as No. 11, No. 13 and No. 15 nationally.
During his rst tour of duty at San Jose State from
2001 until 2006, Thompson served in a variety of
coaching roles under head coaches Fitz Hill and Dick
Tomey. His positions included linebackers coach
(2001-03), defensive line coach (2004), defensive
tackles coach (2006), recruiting coordinator (2001-
2004) and head strength and conditioning coach
(2005).
From 1994 to 2000, Thompson was on the coaching
staff at Texas Southern University, including the
last ve seasons as defensive coordinator. During
the summer of 2000, he was a participant in the
prestigious National Football League Minority
Coaching Fellowship with the Oakland Raiders,
working with the linebackers and defensive line.
K T
L
S | H ()
C E
Fresno State (2018-pres.)
•
Assistant Coach (LB)
East Carolina (2016-17)
•
Defensive Coordinator
Vanderbilt (2014-15)
•
Associate Head Coach (LB)
San Jose State (2013)
• Defensive Coordinator (LB)
California (2007-12)
• Associate Head Coach (LB) (2012)
• Assistant Coach (LB) (2007-11)
San Jose State (2001-06)
• Assistant Coach (DT) (2006)
• Strength & Conditioning Coach
(2005)
• Assistant Coach (DL) (2004)
• Assistant Coach (LB) (2001-03)
Texas Southern (1994-2000)
•
Assistant HC/Defensive Coordinator
(1996-2000)
• Assistant Coach (DL) (1995)
• Assistant Coach (RB) (1994)
Harding University (1991-92)
•
Graduate Assistant
P
Hometown
• Houston, Texas
Education
• Harding (1992
) - B.A
Playing Exp.
•
Harding (LB)
Family
• Wife: Monica
• Children: Jaxson, Jacob
COACHES AND STAFF
2019 FRESNO STATE FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE |
21
Scott Thompson, a Fresno State alum, enters his
third season coaching the Bulldog tight ends.
In 2018, Thompson’s development of Mackey
Award watch lister Jared Rice continued as the
Bulldog produced the best single season for a tight
end in Fresno State history. The junior broke Bear
Pascoe’s program records for receptions (55) and
receiving yards (664) in a season. His 55 receptions
ranked fourth among FBS tight ends while his 664
yards ranked sixth. Rice was selected to the All-
Mountain West second team.
Prior to Fresno State, Thompson spent seven
seasons at Southern California, holding positions
of director of player personnel (2010-14), director
of scouting/high school relations (2015) and as an
offensive assistant that helped with the tight ends
and specials teams (2016).
He managed all aspects of USC recruiting and
supervised all ofcial and unofcial visits for
nearly six years, assisting in the Trojans bringing in
30 rst-team All-Pac 12 selections from 2010-16.
Before the June Lake, California native returned
home in 2010, he spent the 2009 season at
Tennessee as an offensive assistant (tight ends/
running backs). Thompson assisted the Volunteers
in opponent lm breakdown and evaluation and
assisted in week-to-week game planning.
Prior to joining the college ranks, Thompson
coached at Crespi High School (CA) from 2004-
2009. He was the offensive coordinator while also
focusing on quarterbacks and tight ends.
Thompson, a former Fresno State tight end,
lettered from 1995-98, and was coached by then-
offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford during his
freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. As
a senior, Fresno State quarterback Billy Volek
connected with Thompson for 31 receptions and
375 yards and a touchdown. His older brother,
Marty Thompson, played three seasons in the
NFL after a standout Fresno State career from
1989-92.
S T
T E
S | F S ()
C E
Fresno State (2017-pres.)
•
Assistant Coach (TE)
USC (2010-16)
• Assistant Coach (TE/ST) (2016)
• Director of Scouting/High School
Relations (2015)
• Director of Player Personnel (2010-14)
Tennessee (2009)
• Oensive Assistant (TE/RB)
Crespi HS (2004-09)
• Oensive Coordinator
P
Hometown
•
Lake June, Calif.
Education
•
Fresno State (2010)
Playing Exp.
•
Fresno State (TE)
Family
• Wife: Alise
• Children: Charlotte, Glenn
COACHES AND STAFF
| 2019 FRESNO STATE FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE
22
J.D. Williams enters his third season at Fresno State
as the Bulldogs’ defensive backs coach. He returned
to his alma mater for his third coaching stint at
Fresno State in 2017.
Williams’ impact took a step forward in year two
with the Bulldogs’ as his secondary ranked as one the
best in the nation in 2018. His group totaled 13 of
the Bulldogs’ 19 interceptions which was fth-best
for a FBS team, and as a defensive unit Fresno State
was tied for the third-most passes defended in the
nation with 79, the most by a Bulldog defense since
1999. The team also held opposing quarterbacks to
the fth-lowest pass efciency in the FBS at 104.09.
Under his guidance, Tank Kelly was named to the
All-Mountain West rst team. The senior nished
third in the nation with 22 passes defended and was
tied for a MW-best four interceptions. He was tied
with teammate Juju Hughes who, along with fellow
Bulldog safety Mike Bell, was selected to the All-MW
second team.
During his rst year back in Fresno, the Bulldogs
ranked as one of the top defensive units in 2017,
nishing 10th in the FBS in scoring defense at 17.9
points per game and 15th in total defense with 320.6
yards allowed per game. Williams guided one of
the Bulldogs’ youngest groups on the eld with his
secondary accounting for 11 of the team’s 19 forced
turnovers.
A wide receiver turned cornerback at Fresno State
from 1986-89, he is one of ve Bulldogs to have
been selected in the rst round of the NFL Draft
(16th overall by the Buffalo Bills, 1990) in school
history. Williams was an AP honorable mention All-
American in 1988, a second-team Sporting News
All-American, and a third-team AP All-American in
1989. During his seven-year professional career, he
was a member of all four Bills’ teams that advanced
to the Super Bowl from 1991-94.
Williams was a G.A. one season under Pat Hill
(1997) – Tedford was on that staff as the offensive
coordinator. He returned as an assistant coach under
Pat Hill from 2000-01.
Williams nished his second season of his second
stop at UNLV in 2016. He returned to Las Vegas
after serving as the defensive backs coach and special
teams coordinator at Georgia State for two seasons
(2013-14).
In 2013, the GSU special teams featured all-
conference return specialist Albert Wilson, who
ranked in the top ve in the Sun Belt Conference in
both punt returns and kickoff returns and is now a
member of the Miami Dolphins.
During his rst go-around at UNLV, Williams served
two seasons (2010-11) as the Rebels’ assistant head
coach, secondary coach and pass defense coordinator
before he was elevated to defensive coordinator in
2012, when he continued to coach the defensive
backs.
Williams went to UNLV after spending the 2009
season as the cornerbacks coach at Utah. The
Utes posted a 10-3 record, including a victory over
Washington in the Poinsettia Bowl, and ranked 16th
in the nation in passing yards allowed and ninth in
pass efciency defense.
He joined Utah after seven years working in the
Pac-10. Williams was the defensive backs coach at
Washington from 2006-08. He went to Washington
after four seasons coaching the secondary at
California.
Under then-head coach Jeff Tedford, the Bears
amassed a 33-17 record and played in three bowl
games during Williams’ stay from 2002-05. In 2005,
Cal led the Pac-10 in pass efciency defense (24th in
the nation) and nished second in the league in total
defense. In 2004, Cal ranked eighth in the nation in
scoring defense and 24th in total defense.
Prior to going to Berkeley, Williams served two
seasons as secondary coach at his alma mater, Fresno
State, from 2000-01. Fresno State posted an
18-7 record and made back-to-back Silicon
Valley Bowl appearances.
Williams also coached the secondary at Cal
Poly in 1998 and San Jose State in 1999. He
began his coaching career in 1997 as a Fresno
State graduate assistant.
As a player, in addition to being named an
All-American, he was a two-time all-Big West
rst-team selection and the Defensive MVP
of the East-West Shrine game. He was also a
standout triple jumper and sprinter, winning
the 1986 Big West triple jump crown and
competing on the conference championship
4x100-meter relay team that set a school
record of 40.18. In 2002, he was inducted
into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame.
J.D. W
D B
S | F S ()
C E
Fresno State (2017-pres.)
•
Assistant Coach (DB)
UNLV (2015-16)
• Assistant Coach (DB)
Georgia State (2013-14)
• Assistant Coach (DB/ST)
UNLV (2010-12)
• Defensive Coordinator (2012)
• Assistant HC/pass defense co-
ordinator/Defensive Backs Coach
(2010-11)
Utah (2009)
• Assistant Coach (DB)
Washington (2006-08)
• Assistant Coach (DB)
California (2002-05)
• Assistant Coach (DB)
Fresno State (2000-01)
• Assistant Coach (DB)
San Jose State (1999)
• Assistant Coach (DB)
Cal Poly (1998)
• Assistant Coach (DB)
Fresno State (1997)
• Graduate Assistant
P
Hometown
• Fresno, Calif.
Education
•
Fresno State (1997)
Playing Exp.
• San Francisco 49ers (1996)
• Arizona Cardinals (1994)
• Bualo Bills (1990-93)
•
Fresno State (DB)
Family
• Wife:
Jamie
• Children: Nicole, Kyra, Zoe,
David
COACHES AND STAFF
2019 FRESNO STATE FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE |
23
M MH
A. A D
O/C O S
S | F ()
Mike McHugh reunited with Jeff Tedford in 2018 after having spent
10 seasons (2003-12) at California serving as director of football
operations as well as two seasons at Oregon (1999-2000) when
Tedford was the Ducks’ offensive coordinator. McHugh also returns
to familiar territory as he was the Bulldogs’ director of football
operations in Fresno State’s 2013 Mountain West Championship
season.
Since McHugh’s one season at Fresno State, he was the director of
football operations for two seasons (2014-15) at Washington under
Chris Petersen and two seasons (2016-17) at Missouri under Barry
Odom.
In his career, McHugh has turned in over 24 years of experience in
the crucial role of ops director. In the role, McHugh is involved in a
wide variety of important administrative duties related to overseeing
the coordination of all team travel, oversight of the football budget,
handling compliance and academic issues, scheduling of facilities,
assisting with recruiting operations and managing the day-to-day
functions of the program.
A native of Boyertown, Pa., McHugh started his playing career at
Potomac State College (Keyser, WV) in 1976 and ‘77 and was the
team’s leading receiver and elected team captain for the 1977 season.
McHugh continued his playing career at Findlay University in Ohio,
where he was a member of the Oilers’ 1979 NAIA championship
team. He led Findlay in receiving in 1981 and earned a bachelor’s
degree in health and physical education in 1983.
McHugh served as Findlay’s head women’s track & eld coach in
1982 before going on to a football coaching job at Liberty Benton
High School in Findlay, Ohio that same year. He took an assistant
football coaching position at Northmor High in Galion, Ohio for the
1983 season and then became head coach from 1984-87. McHugh
was also Northmor’s girls’ track coach in 1984 and 1985. McHugh
moved to the college ranks in 1989, working as an offensive line coach
at Eastern Michigan in 1989 and 1990 before moving to recruiting
coordinator in 1991 and defensive line coach in 1992. He earned a
master’s degree in physical education from EMU in 1993.
In 1993, McHugh was named Video Coordinator/Recruiting assistant
at Missouri, and became the Director of Football Operations in 1994,
a position he held through the 1998 season, and he was part of the
Holiday Bowl (1997) and Insight.com (1998) bowl teams. After six
seasons at MU, he joined Mike Bellotti’s staff at Oregon for the 1999
and 2000 seasons. He then spent two seasons as a quality control
coach with the Detroit Lions in 2001 and 2002 before taking the
operations job at California, where he worked for Tedford from
2003-12.
A W
H S C
C, F
S | C S S ()
Andy Ward enters his third year as Fresno State’s head football
strength and conditioning coach. He joined the program after six
years at Stanford.
Ward worked full-time with the Cardinal football program for three
seasons and with the team for six total seasons. Before going full-time
with football, he also oversaw developing strength training aspects
for the Cardinal track and eld program.
Prior to arriving at Stanford, Ward split the 2010-11 academic year
with internships at UC San Diego and Sacramento State. At UC
San Diego, Ward assisted with the design and implementation of
13 sport-specic programs. His time at Sacramento State was spent
implementing programs for the men’s soccer, women’s soccer and
men’s golf teams while assisting with 11 other programs.
Ward earned an undergraduate degree in physical education from
Cal State Stanislaus in 2009, where he was a student assistant in the
strength program while serving as a performance trainer at nearby
Custom Built Personal Training.
The Sutter, California native earned his master’s degree in exercise
science at California University (Pa.). He is married to
Erin Blech-Ward.
B V
O A
S | U S ()
Brad Vonnahme is in his fourth season as an offensive analyst for the
Bulldog football coaching staff.
The Omaha, Neb., native came to Fresno State after spending a year
(2014) as a graduate assistant coach at Hawai`i and a year on staff at
Utah State (2015).
Vonnahme spent the 2013 season as linebackers coach and special
teams coordinator at Midland University in Fremont, Neb. He also
assisted with the strength and conditioning program. Prior to that,
he was a graduate assistant at Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb.,
from 2011-12.
During his two-year stint as defensive administrative assistant at Utah
State from 2009-10, Vonnahme’s duties included lm breakdown,
preparing scouting reports and running the scout teams.
From 2006-08, Vonnahme served as a student manager at the
University of Nebraska before transferring to USU, where he earned
his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies in 2011. He also
earned a master’s degree in sport management from Wayne State in
2013.
He and his wife Ashley reside in Fresno.
COACHES AND STAFF
| 2019 FRESNO STATE FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE
24
T G
D P P
S |
G ()
Giles enters his rst season at Fresno State as the team’s director of
player personnel. He served in a similar role for one season at San
Jose State in 2018.
Giles is a graduate of the University of Georgia and coupled that
with experience in its football ofce. Giles worked directly with
Georgia’s director of player personnel Marshall Malchow for three
seasons helping identify and evaluate high school and junior college
prospects. All three seasons, Georgia held top 10 recruiting classes,
including the nation’s number one class in 2018.
Giles earned a bachelor’s of science in education from Georgia in
July of 2017.
T B
D O-C R
S | K S ()
Bradford enters his rst season on the Fresno State football staff
after most recently served as a volunteer assistant for the defense at
USC during the 2018 season.
Bradford nished school at Kennesaw State following stops at Eastern
Illinois and Georgia Southern as a member of their football teams,
respectively. He earned a bachelor’s degree in integrative studies with
a focus in business management and psychology. Played linebacker at
both Eastern Illinois and Georgia Southern.
He graduated from North Gwinnett HS in 2014 in his hometown of
Suwanee, Ga.
His Dad, Ronnie Bradford, played 10 seasons in the NFL, including
the Atlanta Falcons’ 1998 Super Bowl team, and coached for another
eight with the Broncos and Chiefs before joining Coach Tedford’s
staff at Cal in 2010. Is now an assistant coach at USC.
Q T
A. D F
S | C ()
Quinn Tedford is in his third season with Bulldog football program,
he serves as the assistant director of football operations.
He spent four seasons as an assistant coach in various capacities.
Tedford was last with the BC Lions of the CFL in 2015 as an
offensive quality control/assistant wide receivers coach. Prior to that,
he spent the 2014 season as an offensive intern/wide receivers coach
with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At UC Davis in 2013, he served in
the same capacity as his time with the BC Lions. Tedford began his
venture into coaching in 2012 on his father’s staff where he served as
a volunteer assistant wide receivers coach at Cal.
He joined the Golden Bears’ staff after playing in Berkeley from
2008-11 where he graduated with a degree in sociology.
COACHES AND STAFF
2019 FRESNO STATE FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE |
25
M B
G.A. - D
C ()
T P
G.A. - D
M S ()
B G
G.A. - O
B S ()
M L
G.A. - D
UNLV ()
Michael Barton enters his second season at Fresno
State, but in a new capacity as a defensive graduate
assistant. Bartson served as a member of the
quality control staff for the defense in his rst year.
A former linebacker, Barton’s playing career started at the
University of California under Coach Jeff Tedford in 2012
and nished at the University of Arizona as a graduate
transfer in 2016. Barton graduated in 2011 from De La Salle
High School, located in the Bay Area. MaxPreps named
Barton an All-American selection and the California Division
I Player of the Year as well as a rst-team All-State choice.
Barton played in 32 games with 13 starts at Cal with all
of his action coming in the last three campaigns of his
four seasons with the program after redshirting as a true
freshman in 2012. Barton announced in December of
2015 that he would nish his collegiate career as a graduate
transfer elsewhere and then in January of 2016 announced
he would play at Arizona in 2016. Barton, who graduated
from Cal with a bachelor’s degree in legal studies in May of
2016, nished his Cal career with 169 tackles, 16.5 tackles for
loss, 3.5 sacks, one interception, four passes defensed, three
pass breakups, one fumble recovery and two quarterback
hurries. He led Cal with 80 tackles as a 2014 sophomore
while also pacing the squad with 7.5 tackles for loss, both
career highs. In Barton’s sole season with the Wildcats, he
was the team’s third leading tackler with 65 stops, which
included 8.0 TFLs and 3.0 sacks.
Blake Gonzalez enters his rst year as an offensive
graduate assistant at Fresno State. He assists with the
running backs, special teams unit and kickers.
Gonzalez graduated from Boise State in the spring of 2018
with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. While pursuing his
degree during his senior year, he began his coaching career
at Rocky Mountain High School (Meridian, Idaho) and
coached there a second season after earning his degree.
In his rst year at Rocky Mountain HS, Gonzalez coached
the Wing Backs in the Triple option offense, and was the
assistant special teams coach for a team that nished 9-3
and lost in the seminals of the state playoffs. In year
two, he coached the receivers and specialist for a team that
went undefeated (12-0) for the rst time in school history
and was the 2018 5A Idaho State Champions.
Gonzalez is from San Clemente, Calif. and graduated
from San Clemente High School in 2014. He was four-
year letter winner that played receiver, kicker and punter.
He earned a preferred walk-on spot at Boise State as a
place kicker and was a member of the team during its
2014 and 2015 seasons.
Tyson Prince enters his rst season at Fresno State as an
offensive graduate assistant that will have a focus with the
wide recievers.
While an undergrad at Michigan State, Prince worked as a
recruiting assistant in 2015-16 before shifting to coaching as
a student assistant from 2016-19 with the Spartants.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State in the
spring of 2019.
Matt Lea, a Fresno native, returns to the Bulldogs’ staff for
his third season as a defensive graduate assistant. He assists
with the linebackers.
Lea attended Central High School in Fresno and played
college football at UNLV.
Lea, a three-year starting linebacker, started 23 games and
played in 33 games during his career. In his nal season (2016),
he started eight games and played in all 12. He recorded 30
tackles and one sack during his senior campaign.
Lea is a 2012 graduate of Central HS under coach Casey
Quinn. He was a three-year letterwinner that earned All-Tri-
River Athletic Conference honors all three seasons on the
eld.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in the spring
of 2016.
James Bailey
Defensive Quality Control
Ryan Juarez
Athletic Trainer
Krystina McLain-Meisner
Admin Support Coord.
Shawn McGuire
Student-Athlete Services
James Perez
S&C Assistant
Josh Hewitt
Equipment Manager
Alyssa De La Vega
F
ootball Admin Asst.
Stephen Babagian
Student Asst. Coach
Alex Jones
S&C G.A.
Jovany Gonzalez
Graphic Designer
Willy Peterson
Video Coordinator
ADDITIONAL FOOTBALL SUPPORT STAFF
TEAM DOCTORS
Head Team Physician
Dr. Eric Hanson
Family Practice/Sports Medicine
Dr. Rod Kra
Internal Medicine
Dr. Jean Linder
General Surgeon
Dr. William Carveth
Orthopedics (Foot/Ankle)
Dr. Francis Glaser
Orthopedics (Upper Extremity)
Dr. Cary Tanner
Orthopedics
Greg Mellor, PAC
Orthopedics (Upper Extremity)
Dr. Toby Johnson
Orthopedics (Upper Extremity)
Dr. Julia Lee
Physiatrist
Dr. Jerry Wiens
Team Dentist
Dr. Xavier Gutierrez
Primary Care Sports Medicine
Dr. Robert Gousse
Chiropractor
Mark Molthen, DC
Luis Contreras
Football Assistant
Henry Adelman
S&C G.A.
