Colby Carthel

Biography

With deep-rooted ties to East Texas, Colby Carthel was the perfect choice to become the Lumberjacks’ 20th head coach when SFA appointed him to the position on December 4, 2018. Carthel, who is a native to Texas and a four-year letterwinner at both Friona High School and Angelo State, has left his mark in the Lone Star State as both a player and a coach. Carthel, with his Texas heritage and ties, has made it a point of emphasis to recruit in-state talent. Carthel, who has been named coach of the year on four separate occasions and took the Lumberjacks to the 2022 Western Athletics Conference Championship (WAC), begins his seventh season as head coach for SFA. Overall, he begins his 13th year as a college head coach and has compiled a career record of 91-53 (.632), and 49-25 (.628) in conference play. Last season, Carthel led the ‘Jacks to seven wins including a 5-1 mark at home in the program’s return to the Southland Conference. Of SFA’s five losses, four were decided by seven or fewer points. Offensively, the ‘Jacks led the SLC in scoring offense (35.6 ppg), redzone offense (.935) and passing efficiency (161.87). SFA’s points per game mark ranked eighth nationally, while the success had by the ‘Jacks inside the opposing 20-yard line ranked fourth among all FCS programs. Defensively in 2024, Carthel’s Lumberjacks boasted a top 20 rushing defense nationally (160.3) and a top 10 passing efficiency defense (111.66) for the league’s second-best total defense at 343.4. SFA forced