Abilene Christian University Football

COACHING ACCOLADES 2022 WAC Coach of the Year 2024 UAC Coach of the Year 2024 & 2025 UAC Champions Two-time finalist for Eddie Robinson Award (FCS Coach of the Year) 35 All-Conference Player Selections 9 All-America Player Selections 35 Academic All-WAC Selections 11 CSC Academic All-District Selections 1 CSC Academic All-America Selection Keith Patterson was named ACU's 21st head football coach on Dec. 6, 2021. ACU (2022-Present) Keith Patterson enters his fifth season in 2026 as the Wildcats' head football coach. He has led ACU to play for three conference championships, winning the 2024 and 2025 United Athletic Conference titles, and taken the program to heights never achieved in the Division I era. Patterson has won two conference coach of the year awards, and his players have earned 35 all-conference and nine all-America selections. He led the Wildcats to their first appearance in the FCS Playoffs in 2024 with a first round victory over Northern Arizona, and followed with a repeat performance in 2025 by defeating Lamar in the first round. In the classroom, Patterson has coached 35 Academic All-WAC selections, 11 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honorees and one CSC Academic All-American. 2025: For the second year in a row, ACU went 9-5, won the United Athletic Conference championship, and won a first round home game in the FCS Playoffs. The Wildcats completed Patterson's number one goal for each season: go undefeated at Wildcat Stadium. ACU finished 6-0

Conor Dubin, a longtime right-hand man to head coach Keith Patterson, enters his fourth season as ACU's linebackers coach in 2025. Dubin and Patterson have worked together since uniting at Arizona State in 2015. The pair spent three seasons in Tempe, then coached at Utah State (2018) and Texas Tech (2019-21). Utah State transformed into one of the most opportunistic defenses in the country during Dubin’s one season in Logan, as the Aggies shared the FBS lead with 32 forced turnovers. The defensive production helped push Utah State to an 11-2 season, matching the program record for wins in a single season. Utah State also led the country with 22 interceptions, and the Aggies were the nation’s leader in three-and-outs forced (5.7 per game) and ranked third in defensive touchdowns (6), 16th in third down conversion defense (33.0 percent), 19th in passing efficiency defense (113.76), 21st in fourth down conversion defense (41.9 percent) and 33rd in scoring defense (22.2 points per game). Dubin primarily worked with Arizona State’s linebackers prior to his arrival in Logan, as he helped mentor Pac-12 tackles leader Sam Christian in 2017 as well as fellow linebacker DJ Calhoun. Fellow linebacker Antonio Longino shared the FBS lead with 1.7 tackles for a loss per game in 2016, while Fiso Salamo led the Pac-12 in the same category (20.0 tackles for a loss) during Dubin’s first season on staff. Prior to his time in Tempe, Dubin was the inside linebackers coach and varsity defensive co

D.J. Williams enters his first season on the ACU football coaching staff in 2025. He is the defensive passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach for the ...

Eddie Easterday, Jr., enters his second season on the ACU football coaching staff in 2025. He currently serves as an offensive assistant coach. During ACU's ...

Legendary Texas high school and Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell was announced on Jan. 28, 2025, as ACU’s associate head coach and offensive coordinator. He will also coach Wildcat quarterbacks. He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Purdue in the Big Ten during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Harrell, announced on January 15 as a member of the 2025 induction class into the College Football Hall of Fame, is very familiar with ACU and its football program. His father, former head coach of Ennis High School Sam Harrell, played football at ACU under head coaches Dewitt Jones and Ted Sitton, graduated from ACU in 1979, and won Class 4A state championships in 2000, 2001, and 2004. His mother, Kathy (Stanton '80) Harrell, is also an ACU graduate, and his youngest brother, Clark, graduated from ACU in 2011 after playing for the Wildcats from 2008-2010. Harrell has coached at five Power 4 universities since 2014, working as an offensive quality control coach at Oklahoma State in 2009. He spent the next five years in the NFL and Canadian Football League before retiring and getting back into coaching. He coached with his Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach at Washington State in 2014 and 2015 before moving to North Texas, where he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2016-18. He held that position at USC for three seasons (2019-21), spent one year in the same role at West Virginia in 2022, and spent the last two seasons at Purdue. Harrell solidifie

A former first round pick in the NFL Draft, Jason Smith enters his second season on the ACU coaching staff in 2025. Smith became the Wildcats' running backs coach in January 2025. He spent the 2024 season as the tight ends coach. During ACU's United Athletic Conference championship season, Smith coached All-UAC tight end Jed Castles. Smith was selected No. 2 overall by the then-St. Louis Rams in the 2009 NFL Draft after a stellar playing career at Baylor. Smith was with the Rams until joining the New York Jets in 2012 and the New Orleans Saints in 2013. He finished his NFL career in 2014. Smith played tight end and tackle for Baylor, where he was a team captain, and earned All-American and All-Big 12 Conference honors. Smith joined the North Texas coaching staff in 2022 as an analyst and coached with the Mean Green for two seasons. In 2022, North Texas advanced the Conference USA Championship game and earned a trip to the Frisco Bowl. The Mean Green finished in the top three in CUSA in total offense, scoring offense, and rushing offense. UNT finished No. 6 nationally in sacks allowed (0.79). A Dallas native, Smith was inducted into the Baylor Hall of Fame in 2020. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Baylor in 2008. Smith and his wife, Dacie, have two children, Jate and Drue. Coach Keith Patterson says... "Smooth is one of those guys that brings a competitive edge. Being a first round NFL Draft pick, he carries that over to his coaching style and brings out the best in our pl

Joel Filani, a two-time first-team All-Big 12 wide receiver in 2005 and 2006 with ACU offensive coordinator Graham Harrell throwing him the ball, enters his first season as ACU"s wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator in 2025. Filani was the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Northern Iowa in 2024. He also served as the wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator at Northern Arizona in 2022 and 2023. Previously, he was the wide receivers coach at Texas Tech from 2019-2021, collaborating with Keith Patterson, the defensive coordinator, during those three seasons. Filani has also coached at Boise State, Washington State, and North Texas, collaborating with Harrell at Washington and North Texas. As a junior at Texas Tech in 2005, Filani earned first-team All-Big 12 honors by catching 65 passes for 1,007 yards and eight touchdowns, contributing to the Red Raiders' 9-3 record and appearance in the Cotton Bowl. In 2006, he again earned first-team All-Big 12 recognition after recording 91 catches for 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns, leading the Red Raiders to an 8-5 finish and victory in the Insight Bowl. Filani was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft and played for Tennessee, Minnesota, Seattle, Detroit, St. Louis (Rams), and Tampa Bay through the 2009 season. Coach Keith Patterson says... "Joel is a tremendous recruit and a great coach. He was a great player and is very well respected. He also has a great connection with

Former Texas Tech defensive back Joseph Plunk enters his first season as a defensive assistant coach with the ACU football team in 2025. Plunk will help coach the secondary, and assist head coach Keith Patterson with day-to-day operations. Plunk starred at quarterback for two seasons at Amarillo Tascosa High School before playing safety and excelling on special teams as a walk-on at Texas Tech. Patterson recruited him to join the Tech program, and he played for five years, earning his roster spot with his effort on the scout team and then in the secondary and special teams. As a senior at Tascosa in 2019, Plunk ran for 2,546 yards and 33 touchdowns as one of the top option quarterbacks in Texas. He was named District 2-6A MVP and earned two Class 6A all-state nods: second team by the Associated Press Sports Editors and honorable mention by the Texas Sports Writers Association. He played at Tascosa for his father, Ken Plunk, who was an assistant coach at ACU in the early 2000s. Coach Keith Patterson says... "Plunk is a young man I had the opportunity to coach at Texas Tech. He's a son of a coach and has a very good understanding of the game."

Nicholas Dill joined the ACU staff in July 2023 as academic coordinator for football. He also serves as academic advisor for men's and women's cross country....

Nick Holt, a veteran defensive coordinator with more than 30 years of experience at the collegiate level, joined head coach Keith Patterson’s staff in 2022 and enters his fourth season with the Wildcats. He has served as associate head coach, co-defensive coordinator, and defensive line coach. Last year, he coached three players – Jerry Lawson, David Oke, and Kaghen Roach – to All-United Athletic Conference honors. Lawson was selected to the first team, while Oke and Roach were each selected to the second team. The Wildcats finished 9-5, won the UAC championship, qualified for the FCS playoffs, and beat Northern Arizona, 24-0, at Wildcat Stadium in program history’s first FCS playoff game. Before joining the Wildcat coaching staff, Holt spent the 2021 season as an offensive assistant coach at Texas Tech, where he met and worked with Patterson, the Red Raiders’ defensive coordinator. Before going to Tech, he spent the 202- season as the head coach of the Varese Skorpions, a professional team in Italy. From 2017-19, he was the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Purdue, where he helped lead the Boilermarkers to two bowl appearances and memorable wins over No. 2 Ohio State and No. 19 Iowa in 2018. In the four seasons before, he coached at Western Kentucky as the defensive coordinator, associate head coach, and interim head coach. In December 2016, he was the Hilltoppers’ interim head coach, leading the team to a 51-31 win over Memphis in the Boca Raton Bowl. Holt h

FootballSkip AdMcDonald, RiggsDubin, ConorEasterday, Jr., EddieFilani, JoelHarrell, GrahamHolt, NickKeane, StantonMcDonald, RiggsMorris, TyPatterson, KeithPlunk, JosephPugh, RyanSmith, JasonVaes, RitseWilliams, D.J.

FootballSkip AdVaes, RitseDubin, ConorEasterday, Jr., EddieFilani, JoelHarrell, GrahamHolt, NickKeane, StantonMcDonald, RiggsMorris, TyPatterson, KeithPlunk, JosephPugh, RyanSmith, JasonVaes, RitseWilliams, D.J.

An All-SEC center on Auburn's 2010 national championship team, Ryan Pugh enters his fourth season as the Wildcats' offensive line coach in 2025. Pugh has coached four ACU linemen to all-conference honors: Reese Moore, Alan Hatten, Jacob Thielen and Tay Yanta. In 2024, the Wildcats' line led the way for one of the most productive offenses in the FCS. ACU finished fourth in the nation in yards per game (470), seventh in passing yards per game (304), and 16th in points per game (34). Pugh added the role of offensive coordinator for the 2023 season. Prior to working at ACU, Pugh was the offensive line and running game coordinator at Southern University, where he produced five all-conference linemen in 2021. In his lone season at Southern, the Jaguars led the SWAC with 197.8 rushing yards per game and third down conversion percentage (41.4%). Southern set a new conference single-game record for rushing yards with 267 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff last October, and Ja’Tyre Carter was named the league’s Offensive Lineman of the Year. Before coaching at Southern, Pugh spent nearly a decade coaching at the FBS level. Prior to his time in Baton Rouge, Pugh spent two seasons at Troy, where he was a 2019 Broyles Award nominee and his offensive line was recognized by Pro Football Focus as the top-graded pass blocking FBS program in the nation. Troy went over 500 total yards a program-best six times in 2019, while Pugh coached eight players to Sun Belt All-Conference honors. As the offensive

Stanton Keane enters his first season as ACU's tight ends coach in 2025. Keane has spent the past five seasons with new ACU offensive coordinator Graham Harrell at USC (2020-21), West Virginia (2022), and Purude (2023-24). At each stop, Keane worked with Harrell coaching quarterbacks. At Purdue, Keane was the senior offensive quarterbacks analyst. With the Boilmakers, Keane and Harrell were responsible for coaching and mentoring quarterbacks. He worked directly with Harrell on implementing weekly game plans and led recruiting efforts. In 2022, while at West Virginia, he organized and analyzed all practice, game, and opponent film for the offensive staff. He also planned and developed self-scout and opponent scouting reports. He also coached with Harrell at USC in 2020 and 2021, working as an offensive graduate assistant. In 2020, USC's passing offense ranked 11th nationally (first in Pac-12) at 319.3 yards per game. Quarterback Kedon Slovis made the All-Pac-12 first team while ranking in the national Top 20 in completions (first at 29.5), passing yards (sixth at 320.2), total offense (13th at 310.7), and completion percentage (18th at .670), all tops in the Pac-12. He spent the 2018 season as an offensive graduate assistant at Texas Tech and was in private business in 2019. He was also a student coach at Texas Tech in 2016 and 2017. Keane was a fullback at Texas Tech in 2014, when he redshirted, and 2015, when he appeared in 3 games (primarily on special teams) before sufferi

Ty Morris enters his second season on the ACU football coaching staff in 2025. Morris was promoted to be the Wildcats' special teams coordinator and safeties...