Back in early February Delta State (D-II - MS) made a splash hire in announcing the hire of David Dean as the program's 20th head coach in school history.
A veteran college head coach with over two decades of head coaching experience, Dean brings a 127-47 record as a head coach and three national titles during his new role. Following a decorated career at Valdosta State, where he led the national power during two different stints, Dean served as the head coach at West Georgia (FCS) from 2017-23 where he became the school's all-time winningest head coach with a 48-20 mark.
Now embarking to build a Delta State program that finished 7-3 last season, with losses to UNC Pembroke, and then a pair of losses to #3 West Florida and Valdosta State in back-to-back weens, Dean is set to add an accomplished coordinator to his staff.
Sources tell FootballScoop former Colorado Mines (D-II) defensive coordinator Tripp Thomas is joining the staff as defensive coordinator.
Thomas previously led some of the top Division II programs in the country at Mines, where he helped lead the program to back-to-back appearances in the 2022 and 2023 Division II national title games. His units regularly ranked among the top in all of college football in sacks, leading the country in that category just a few seasons ago.
A finalist for the 2023 FootballScoop Division II Coordinator of the Year Award, sources shared back in mid-January that Mines and Thomas parted ways.
A coveted defensive mind, he landed on staff at West Texas (D-II) just a few weeks back, as we shared on February 19th, but now appears heading for another play calling opportunity at the Division II level.
Thomas climbed the coaching ladder at Mines after joining the staff as a defensive assistant back in the summer of 2019, he was elevated to defensive line coach by the winter of 2020 and added the defensive coordinator duties in 2022.
His first season as the defensive play caller resulted in not only leading the country in sacks, but also led al of Division II in turnovers gained with 33 to their credit, and they ranked among the top five nationally in defensive touchdowns with five.
Before entering college football, Thomas served as the defensive coordinator at Mountain Home HS (AR), and also spent two seasons at the NAIA level at Graceland (NAIA - IA) coaching the defensive line and serving as the program's strength and conditioning coach.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.