FootballScoop is proud to announce that Ryan Hodges and Tony Annese (Ferris State) are the 2024 FootballScoop Division II Coordinators of the Year, presented by AstroTurf as selected by prior winners.
Ferris State structures its defensive staff differently than most, in that both of its co-coordinators' positional responsibilities are in the secondary.
That structure worked for the Bulldogs, as their back-to-front identity resulted in yet another Division II national championship in 2024.
Ferris State defended 442 passes in 2024, permitting 229 completions (51 percent) for 2,450 yards (163 per game/5.54 per attempt) with 11 touchdowns against 20 interceptions. The Bulldogs ended the year ranked fourth in interceptions and sixth in passing efficiency.
The Bulldogs were also stout against the run, allowing a hair over 100 yards per game and nine total touchdowns on 518 runs defended.
Overall, Ferris State allowed 264.1 yards per game (12th in Division II), 13.1 points per game (seventh) and forced 31 turnovers (third).
In its run to through the Division II playoffs, Ferris State limited the nation's No. 3 scoring offense Central Oklahoma to a season-low 17 in the opening round, the nation's top scoring offense Harding to a season-low 7, and in the national championship game, No. 1 seed Valdosta State to a season-low 14.
Junior linebacker Sefa Saipaia was named a Second Team All-Super Region 3 honoree, and he was joined on the All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference First Team by defensive back Solento Smith. Defensive linemen Tyrone Fowler and Deron Irving-Bey, linebacker Jalen Jones, and defensive backs Justin Payoute and Ahlston Ware were Second Team All-GLIAC selections, while linebacker Jason Williams and defensive back Gyasi Mattson garnered honorable mention.
A Ferris State graduate, Hodges first played under Tony Annese at Montrose High School and began coaching as an FSU student in 2002 after first playing 40 games and collecting all-conference honors as a player. Hodges then coached under Annese at Muskegon High, then at Grand Rapids Community College. Together, the pair have won two high school state championships, two NJCAA national titles, and, now, three Division II national championships.
Annese, the nephew of Ferris State's head coach of the same name, played at Central Michigan before joining the Bulldogs' staff in 2019. He is Ferris State's co-defensive coordinator, pass game coordinator, and defensive backs coach.
The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by AstroTurf are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists (Brandon Anderson and Trent Earley [Valdosta State], Justin Bane [Central Missouri[, James Curlee [Central Oklahoma], Eric Fargo [Kutztown], Roddy Mote and Luke Tribble [Harding] and Hodges and Annese) were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year's winner.
Previous winners of the Division II Coordinator of the Year award are Tim Beck (Pittsburg State [Kan.], 2008), Scott Preston (Arkansas Tech, 2009), Ken Collums (Abilene Christian, 2010), Hunter Hughes (Colorado State-Pueblo, 2011), Paul Tortorella (Indiana [Pa.], 2012), Josh Kline (Shepherd [W. Va.], 2013), Rich Wright (Northwest Missouri State, 2014 and 2015), Charlie Flohr (Northwest Missouri State, 2016), Matt Storm (Texas A&M-Commerce, 2017), Donnell Leomiti (Colorado State-Pubelo, 2018), Joe Beschorner (Minnesota State, 2019), Ryan Hodges (Ferris State, 2021), Pete Sterbick (Colorado School of Mines, 2022), and Justin Bane (Central Missouri, 2023).
Since 1965, the AstroTurf brand has been driven by forward thinking ingenuity. Today AstroTurf continuously improves its system design to deliver playing surfaces with the most realistic, sport-specific performance, longest lasting durability, and sound player protection. For more information please visit AstroTurf.com.
Created in 1999, FootballScoop.com is the premier source for coaching job information and has long been the most widely viewed website by coaches, athletic directors, strength & conditioning coaches, operations and equipment staff across America. As the leading coaching job information venue, FootballScoop.com serves our viewers’ needs by providing first hand, timely & accurate information for our audience. FootballScoop.com is the premier provider of official job postings.
