Campbellsville University Men's Football

Years at CU: 3rd Year Position: Defensive Line Coach Coach Owens' football career began at the collegiate level playing for the University of Georgia from 2005-2009 where he earned his bachelor's degree in child and family development. He started 39 games, was on their SEC Championship Team in 2005, and was named First-Team ALL-SEC that year. Owens was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2010 NFL Draft in the seventh round.   Owens began his coaching career in 2011 at West Forsyth High School where he served as Defensive Line Coach. He then was the Defensive Line Coach at Plantation High School before making the leap to the collegiate level as Assistant Defensive Line Coach at Savannah State University. Coach Owens joined Coach Russell's staff at Kentucky Christian University in 2022.   Owens was raised in Sunrise, Florida. He is married to his wife Shauntavia and they have four children together.

Entering 2025-26: 7th year Alma Mater: Campbellsville ('18) Fighting Tiger football announced the hiring of former All-American Hunter Brown as the quarterbacks coach at Campbellsville University in January 2019.  Brown had a loaded backfield with four QB's seeing action. Tala Sufia saw the most action tossing for 1373 yards and nine total touchdowns. The Tigers went 1-9.  "It's great to get Hunter on our staff leading our quarterbacks," said coach Thomas. "He has instant credibility with the guys because of his tremendous success as a player here. His knowledge of our offense, Mid-South Conference football and what being a Campbellsville University student is all about. All of those previous experiences will be of tremendous help in leading this young talented group of quarterbacks."   During his final season in a Tiger uniform (2017), he set new career programs records in passing attempts, passing completions, passing yards, passing yards per game, total offense, total offensive yards per game and touchdown passes. The only career passing record that Brown did not break this season was passing completion percentage, which he missed by just 0.3 percent.   Over his two full seasons as the starting quarterback for Campbellsville he threw for 7,649 yards, which is nearly 1,000 yards over the previous record held by Jacob Russell who compiled 6,691 yards during his time with the Tigers. Brown threw for over 3,700 yards in each of his two seasons as the starter with his 3,776 yards in 2017 ranking No. 1 in the program record book for most passing yards in a season.   The native of Hendersonville, Tennessee threw the ball 945 times in his career and completed 573 passes. His career completion percentage of 60.6 is second to only Russell in the all-time record book. Russell completed 60.9 percent of his passes during his career with the Tigers.   Prior to the 2017 season, Russell held all of the career program records before another recording breaking season from Brown.    During his three seasons with Campbellsville, Brown averaged 332.6 passing yards per game, while averaging over 370 passing yards per game as the Tiger starting quarterback. Brown's career average is nearly 30 yards more per game then Russell compiled during the 2014 and 2015 season.   The two-year starter also set the program mark for most yards of total offense with 7,502 yards over his three seasons and he averaged 326.2 total yards per game – which broke the previous record by nearly 2.5 yards a contest.   Brown rounds out the Campbellsville career record book with 71 passing touchdowns over his three seasons. He threw for 37 touchdowns during the 2016 season and followed with 32 touchdowns passes during his final campaign with the Tigers. Brown also came off the bench in three games during his first season with Campbellsville and threw for a pair of scores during the 2015 season.   Along with rewriting the career record book, Brown also holds season records in passing attempts (489), passing completions (292), passing yards (3,776) and most passing yards per game (377.6). All of those records were broken in 2016.   Brown guided the Tigers to the top passing attack in the nation his two years as a starter. In 2016, Campbellsville averaged 385.4 passing yards per game – which is tops in the program history for a season – and this past season, the Tigers averaged 382.9 yards through the air and is second in the record book. Individually, Brown led the NAIA in 2016 and 2017 with 377.6 and 370.5 passing yards per game, respectively.   In the single-game portion of the record book, Brown holds the record for most attempts, most completions and most passing yards. Against Bethel University during Homecoming in 2016, Brown threw the ball 67 times. He is the only player in program history to throw the ball at least 60 times in a game. Brown did that three times during his first season as the Tiger starting quarterback in 2016.   On Oct. 29, 2016, Brown completed 38-of-62 against Lindsey Wilson College to set the single-game program record for most completions in a game. He completed at least 35 passes in a game six different times in his career.   Finally, during an Oct. 1 contest in 2016 against Faulkner University, the then redshirt-junior completed 36-of-60 passes for 618 yards. That performance is the only game in school history that a quarterback has thrown for over 600 yards in a game, and Brown is the only quarterback to throw for at least 500 yards in a game – which he did three different times during his collegiate career.   Brown was selected as a First Team All Mid-South Conference West Division performer in 2016 and captured Second Team All-MSC Bluegrass Division honors during this past season. Also, in 2016 he was named the NCCAA Player of the Year and was selected as a NCCAA First Team All-American.   After compiling a 10-10 record as the starting quarterback for the Tigers, Hunter Brown capped of his record-breaking career with Campbellsville's second ever NCCAA Victory Bowl title following a 41-28 victory over Southwestern Assemblies of God in his final collegiate football game.

Entering 2025-26: 3rd year Position Coach: Offensive Line Coach Lane enters his third year as the Tigers offensive line coach. Prior to joining Campbellsville University, Coach Lane served as the Offensive Line Coach and Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Kentucky Christian University.   Lane served as a combat veteran in the United States Marine Corps and was a former player at Kentucky Wesleyan College. Following that, he earned experience as an assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Morehead State University and garnered coaching experience at both the middle school and high school levels in Kentucky, including work with Team Kentucky in the KYMSFA (Kentucky Middle School Football Association).    Coach Lane resides in Campbellsville with his wife Kadey, a teacher for the Taylor County School system, and his two daughters: Justice and Liberty.

Entering 2022-23: 3rd Year Alma Mater: Campbellsville ('07) Gribbins, a Campbellsville, Ky. native, was hired in February 2020. He has coached at every level there is in the community before finding a home at Campbellsville High School since 2007.  He becomes the fourth coach added to the staff to date joining offensive coordinator Chris Pardue, wide receivers Joseph Hawkins, and defensive line coach Brighton Hill. A United States Marine Corps veteran, Gribbins spent four years in the armed forces serving his country just six months after graduating high school. Working his way to be a Scout with the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Gribbins was a part of the first wave of marines to serve in Iraq during 2003.  As an Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran, Gribbins earned the Presidential Unit Citation Award from President George W. Bush for being heavy in support of the rescue mission to save Private First Class Jessica Lynch. Lynch was serving as a unit supply specialist with the 507th Maintenance Company when her convoy was ambushed by Iraqi forces during the Battle of Nasiriyah. Lynch was seriously injured but her subsequent recovery by U.S. Special Operations Forces on April 1, 2003 was the first successful rescue of an American prisoner of war since World War II and the first ever of a woman. After his service time ended, Gribbins returned home to Campbellsville and was on campus during the famous Mud Bowl between Campbellsville and Georgetown College. He met his now-wife Andrea and decided he wanted to be a Fighting Tiger.    During his playing days (2004-2006), Gribbins led the Mid-South Conference in tackles during the 2004 season. After graduating, he started his coaching career which has led to him being named the Defensive Coordinator, Linebackers Coach, and Strength Coordinator at Campbellsville High School. He helped lead the Eagles to a pair of District and Regional titles during his time with CHS.  Before his Marine Corps and coaching days, Gribbins played for his father, head coach Perry Thomas, while he led the Campbellsville Eagles in the late 90s.    Gribbins, the son-in-law to baseball head coach Beauford Sanders, is married to the former Andrea Sanders and they have two children, Tyler and Trinidy.

Entering 2025-26: 14th Year at Campbellsville Position: Outside Linebackers Alma Mater: Campbellsville University ('08) Matt Atwood returned to his alma mater in the fall of 2013 to coach wide receivers. Atwood spent the previous four years (2009-2013) coaching at Allen County-Scottsville High School in Scottsville, Ky. As the outside Linebackers coach, Atwood has seen multiple years of All-Conference success among his players. In the 2024 season, Ellis Reed and Jayden Cray both earned All-Conference honors.  Coach Atwood brought in some major depth in 2019 to the wide receiver position. Atwood as the WR's coach helped form Kendon Young, who was First Team All-MSC this season. Kendon racked up 951 yards, while hauling in seven TD's. He will be taking over this season as the outside linebackers coach. The Tigers in 2019 went 1-9.  Atwood has been a major asset in the offensive resurgence the past few years. As his positional coach, he coached up Kendon Young to NAIA All-American Honorable Mention as an All-Purpose player and a Mid-South Conference Bluegrass Division First Team selection. Young finished the 2018 season with 1,233 total all-purpose yards, 886 receiving yards, 250 rushing yards and 97 yards on kick return. The receiving core as a whole caught a total of 187 passes for 2,225 yards and 11 touchdowns while working with three different quarterbacks over the 10 games. He has also helped mold former Tigers Tyus Alcorn, Demytreus Gipson, Trevon Chatman and Jarrod Harrington - who hold 20 single-season and career records. Harrington, who graduated in 2015, holds the single-season and career mark in total receptions and average receptions per game. He ranked No. 2 in the NAIA averaging 7.4 catches per game and No. 4 in total receptions (81). In addition, he ranked No. 9 in total receiving yards (1,053). Harrington also was a major threat on special teams, breaking the single-season record for all-purpose yards where he ranked No. 2 with 1,993 yards in 2015. Gipson holds the record for total receiving yards in a career at 2,486, while Chatman finished 2014 with 1,083 receiving yards and averaged six catches per game.  Atwood was heavily involved in recruiting and coaching current receiver Tyus Alcorn - who broke the single-season touchdown record with 19 TDs in 2015.  Alcorn finished the 2016 season with 1,095 receiving yards and 109.5 receiving yards per game, which led the Mid-South Conference in both categories. He now joins Shane Riley, Trevon Chatman and Jarrod Harrington as the only 1,000-yard receivers in program history.   Alcorn also led the Mid-South with 6.6 receptions per game this season. At the NAIA level, Alcorn ranked fifth in receiving yards, sixth in receiving yards per game and receptions per game.   Highlighting his senior season, Alcorn hauled in 235 yards vs. Union College to break the single-game record, which was previously set by Shane Riley with 172 (2002).   Over the previous three seasons, Alcorn totaled 36 receiving touchdowns – breaking the career record which was previously set by Demytreus Gipson (2011-2014) with 29. He also holds the single-season mark of 19 touchdowns set in 2015. Alcorn was named the MSC West Division Co-Offensive Player of the Year. During his four-year playing career at Campbellsville, Atwood played wide receiver from 2004-2007 as well as playing on special teams. He was a four-year letter winner at Allen County-Scottsville High School. Following the 2007 season, Atwood served as a student assistant coach for Perry Thomas’ first year staff in 2008 before graduating in 2009. During Atwood’s first season as an assistant coach at ACS, the Patriots went 11-1 and advanced to the second round of the KHSAA Class 4A playoffs. The Patriots finished runner-up in Class 4A in 2010, losing to Boyle County in the championship game. ACS was 31-17 during his four years on staff. Atwood is involved with the campus FCA leadership team and travels on the annual Sports Reach Softball Mission Trips to Florida.

Entering 2025-26: 3rd Year Position: Defensive Coordinator Jody Ford enters his third year at Campbellsville University, but Ford is in his 31st year of coaching college football and this will be his 14th season as a Defensive Coordinator.  Jody was at Texas Lutheran University as a Recruiting Coordinator and an assistant coach on defense for 8 years with one of those years working as an assistant at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio where the Cardinals went 10-3, won the Southland Conference Championship, and went 2 rounds deep in the national playoffs.  Before UIW, Ford was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at TLU for 5 years where in 2019 TLU went 8-2 and played for the conference championship. Before arriving at TLU, Ford was the Secondary Coach and Special Teams Coordinator at Missouri Valley College for the 2016 season where the Vikings went to the National Playoffs and led the conference in every defensive category.   Ford was the Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator at Central Methodist University in Missouri from 2012 to 2015 where his defenses set records in tackles for loss and sacks.  He coached All-Americans such as Defensive Lineman Matt Fraley who was also part of the All-State Good Works Team and Cornerback Kyler Crawford.  Also, the defensive player of the week came from the CMU defense 5 of 11 weeks.  Middle linebacker Tim Cummins led the conference in tackles and the defense went 10 straight quarters without giving up a touchdown and had 5 straight second half shutouts.   Before CMU, Ford was the Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator at Mayville State University in North Dakota.  There Ford coached DeMarcus Rideaux, a blue chip All-American who went on to spend time with the Cincinnati Bengals.   Before becoming a Head Coach and Coordinator, Ford had stops at Quincy University in Illinois, Culver-Stockton College in Missouri, and Occidental College in Los Angeles. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Central Missouri and his master’s at Northeaster State University in Oklahoma.   Jody is a proud cancer survivor and is originally from Frankford, Missouri (population 474). 

Entering 2025-26: 3rd Year Lewis enters his third season as the Director of Football Operations for Fighting Tiger Football. Lewis was a two-sport athlete during his time at Union College (soccer and track). Lewis earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at Union. He interned at Eastern Kentucky University and at The Skill Factory in Atlanta, Georgia.   In 2021-2022, Lewis was a coach at the Kentucky Rush Soccer Club and an assistant girls' soccer coach with Knox Central High School. Most recently, he had served as Community Coordinator of Residential Housing at Union College.