DII Report ™️: Times, They Are A'Changin... on the DII football sidelines

New coaches are preparing for 2025. Here's a look at who they are.

The DII football season is quickly approaching, and summer practices are set to begin. Some of those practices are going to be headed by new coaching staffs, which always comes with a learning curve. How long those adjustments take can be the difference between playing football at the end of November or enjoying Thanksgiving dinner at home.

There were some massive coaching changes to discuss. If my numbers are correct, 26 head coaches switched spots, whether they were promoted from within or came to the school from somewhere else. Let’s take a look at some of those incoming new chiefs of staff.

The big ones

Scott Cochran, West Alabama. Cochran certainly has some serious championship experience. He won the first of his national championships during his stint as LSU’s strength and conditioning coach when Nick Saban roamed the Tigers’ sidelines. He eventually followed Saban to Alabama, where he was again head strength and conditioning coach (and coined the “architect behind Alabama’s super athletes”), winning five national championships. He then went with Kirby Smart to Georgia, now ready for a position on the field, and served as the special teams coordinator for two more titles.

Cochran clearly has a winning mentality and has had strong mentors along the way. The Tigers are coming off a 9-2 season, but as with many teams, are going to see a lot of roster change. With Cochran’s background in strength and conditioning, the Tigers will definitely be one of the toughest teams in the Gulf South.

Graham Craig, Valdosta State. While the Blazers may have earned the nickname “Titletown,” they may also deserve the moniker “Head Coach U.” Craig is the fourth head coach since 2018 — and all three previous head coaches reached the national championship game.

Craig is no stranger to the Blazers, as he served as assistant coach for the Gulf South’s top offense and 11th-best offense in DII. He won’t have Sammy Edwards, but his offensive prowess is proven with his successful stops at Memphis (where he won the Liberty Bowl) and West Georgia, where he had some of DII’s most prolific offenses. Tremaine Jackson — now at Prairie View A&M — struggled to open his first season after replacing Gary Goff. We will see if Craig’s Blazers go through the same growing pains.

Nate Garner, North Greenville. You may be wondering why I have the 6-5 Trailblazers coaching change under big ones. If you weren’t paying attention, North Greenville was a few scores away from a much different season in 2024. The Trailblazers were within one score of Valdosta State in an 8-point loss despite leading the majority of the game; they beat Delta State and Mississippi College, and lost by a field goal to West Alabama.

Enter Nate Garner, who comes over from Limestone, which was coming off the most successful three-year run of its brief history. He certainly has extensive experience, having played tackle for the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins before beginning his coaching career with the New Orleans Saints. We will see if that toughness helps North Greenville win those close games in Conference Carolinas.

Chris Goode, Miles. The Golden Bears reached new heights last season, not only winning the SIAC but also winning their first-round playoff game against Carson-Newman. That got then-head coach Sam Shade a job at Alabama A&M and gave Goode his first head coaching gig.

We don’t know much about Goode as a coach. He played his collegiate football first at North Alabama as a running back and then at Alabama as a defensive back. He turned that into a seven-year NFL career where he started 66 of 96 games for the Indianapolis Colts. He was a defensive coordinator in the Arena Football League and now takes over the top team in the SIAC. It will be interesting to see what’s next for the Bears.

John McMenamin, Northwest Missouri State. The gig in Maryville is definitely one of the most sought-after in DII football. After seeing their 18-year playoff streak snapped in 2023, the Bearcats finished 6-5, missing the tournament for a second-straight year — something they hadn’t done since 1996.

McMenamin takes the reins and has recent success to prove he was the right choice. He worked with the offense in Tulane as the Green Wave had one of the largest turnarounds in college football history — even winning the Cotton Bowl against Southern California in 2023. He also has MIAA experience, having coached at Central Missouri, and has head coaching experience, having served in the position at Wayne State (NE). The Bearcats switch from defensive-minded Rich Wright to the offensive intellect of McMenamin. With a lot of turnover on the roster, we’ll see what Coach can put together.

Bob Stitt, Colorado School of Mines. Stitt is back in Golden for Round 2. His first coaching stint was in the early 2000s, and he can be considered the architect of what we know the Orediggers to be today. The two-time RMAC coach of the year led the Orediggers to their first-ever NCAA DII playoff win, which obviously, became common place as the years moved forward. He spent time at Montana and Oklahoma State before returning “home.”

Last year, the Orediggers finished with fewer than 10 wins for the first time since 2017. They were still plenty good, finishing 8-3 in the first season of the post-John Matocha era. They are young at quarterback minus senior Jake Sype, but there is little question that there should be plenty of offense in Golden.

Michael Tesch, Charleston (WV). Tesch is being promoted from offensive coordinator, taking over for the departed Quinn Sanders. Tesch help orchestrate one of the most successful — if not most successful — runs in program history, with Chavon Wright putting in a record-setting season last year with 2,235 yards rushing and 38 touchdowns on the ground.

Wright followed his old coach to Northern Illinois, so Tesch will be restructuring a once-potent offense. But he should be able to recruit and find players that fit a proven system.

New places, new faces

There was a lot of coaching turnover this offseason, and much of it took place in the Northeast. The PSAC has new coaches at Edinboro, Lock Haven, and Seton Hill, while the NE10 — which is set to lose New Haven — has new hires at Bentley, Pace, and Southern Connecticut State.

Also interesting is that Sul Ross State and Roosevelt, two DII football newcomers last season, already have new faces at the helm. Here’s the rest of the new head coaches to watch in 2024.

Joe Battaglia, Lock Haven

Stanley Conner, Lane

Brian Curtain, Winona State

Cody Edwards, Concord

Levi Gallas, Adams State

Paul Hansen, Southwest Baptist

Lee Hays, Sul Ross State

Adrian Jones, Elizabeth City State

Joe Loth, Southern Connecticut State

Lamar Manigo, Shaw

Kevin May, Seton Hill

William McKeon, Roosevelt

Scott Parr, Texas A&M-Kingsville

CJ Scarpa, Bentley

Matt Scott, Edinboro

Roy Thompson Jr., Arkansas Tech

Chad Walker, Pace

Zach Watkins, Washburn

Marlon Watson, Fort Valley State