Southern Arkansas University Athletics

Chad Adams enters into his fourth season as the defensive coordinator on the Southern Arkansas football coaching staff.

In his first season, Adams oversaw a defensive unit that only allowed 19.9 points per game and 306.6 total yards per game. The Mulerider defense ranked second in rushing defense in the GAC at 120 yards per game, second in sacks (23) and third in opponent 1st downs (15.6 per game) and takeaways (23).

As a unit, the Mulerider defense had two players named GAC Defensive Player of the Week in 2018, as well as six players named to All-GAC teams. 

Adams came to SAU after a two-year stint as defensive coordinator at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla. While there, Adams helped lead the Fire to a 15-5 overall record, a pair of conference championships, and consecutive appearances in the NAIA National Championship Series playoffs.
 
In his first year as the DC at Southeastern in 2016, Adams’ defensive unit led The Sun Conference in Scoring Defense (18.8 ppg), Rushing Defense (87.6 ypg), 3^rd-Down Conversion % (26.9%), 4^th-Down Conversion % (17.6%), and Sacks per Game (3.7). In terms of NAIA national stat rankings, Adams’ initial Fire defense ranked third in Rushing Defense and ninth in Total Defense (304.1 ypg). As a team, the Fire ended the 2016 season ranked No. 18 in the final NAIA national poll.
 
This past season, Adams’ defense ranked among the upper echelon in the 20-member Mid-South Conference. His overall defense ranked sixth in the league (327.9 ypg), while his scoring defense was fourth (22.9 ppg). Nationally, the Fire ended the season ranked No. 10 as a team, while those aforementioned defensive stat categories ranked 15^th and 24^th, respectively.
 
Prior to his time at Southeastern, Adams headed up the defense at a familiar foe of the Muleriders as he spent three seasons at Ouachita Baptist. From, 2013-2015, Adams’ helped the Tigers go 24-8 overall and 24-7 in the Great American Conference. In 2014, Ouachita went undefeated in the regular season (10-0) en route to claiming their first outright conference title, and making their first NCAA Division II Playoff appearance as well after earning a first-round bye.
 
Statistically, Adams’ defenses at Ouachita ranked among the top-four in the GAC each year in scoring defense.
 
Ouachita is not the only current GAC-member school that Adams has guided their defensive efforts. Prior to a year-long stop as the assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator at Hutchinson Community College in 2012, Adams spent four seasons as the DC at Northwestern Oklahoma State from 2008-2011, and helped the Rangers begin their transition from NAIA to NCAA DII. Additionally, five years prior to being the DC at NWOSU, Adams was there as a graduate assistant for the 2003 season that saw the Rangers finish runner-up in NAIA after falling in that year’s National Championship game.
 
In his time in Alva as the defensive coordinator, Adams helped the Rangers capture a pair of conference titles and also make two NAIA playoff appearances.
 
Adams’ additional coaching experience has seen him spend time at Fort Scott Community College (2006-07), the University of Central Missouri (2005), and Coffeyville Community College (2004).
 
Overall for his career, Adams has appeared in six national playoffs and coached in five bowl games.