Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Men's Football

Twitter: @CoachSweeneyCMS Kyle Sweeney was named the head coach of the CMS football program in 2011, and since then, he has brought the program to new heights, including SCIAC titles in 2018 and 2022, and matching the winningest season in program history with 8-2 marks in both 2023 and 2024. Sweeney's eighth season at the helm in 2018 resulted in the program's first SCIAC title since 1987 and the first NCAA Division III Tournament bid in program history. For his efforts, Sweeney and his assistants were named the 2018 SCIAC Coaching Staff of the Year. After suffering a winless season with a young and rebuilding team in 2012, Sweeney quickly built the program up to back-to-back 7-2 finishes in 2015 and 2016, finishing as the SCIAC runner-up both years. Including their conference championship in 2018, and another second place finish in 2021, the Stags are 45-23 since the 2015 season. Following the 8-2 season in 2024, the Stags have now had seven wins or more seven times in the last nine seasons since 2015 (around a missing year for COVID). The Class of 2025 became the winningest class in program history with 30 wins over the four year span from 2021-24, breaking the old record by five.  Sweeney came to CMS after two years as the defensive coordinator at the University of Chicago in 2009 and 2010.  During his tenure, Chicago enjoyed their best season since 1998 and back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2001.  In 2010 Chicago won the University Athletic Association title outright, while Sweeney's defense finished ranked second nationally in sacks and third in tackles for loss, as well as leading the conference in rushing defense. Before accepting the defensive coordinator job at Chicago. Sweeney was the head coach at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois for the 2007 and 2008 seasons.  From his first to second season, the team was arguably the most improved team in the country.  The scoring offense and defense improved a combined 29.5 points per game, including moving up more than 140 positions in three Division III statistical categories during his stay. Prior to MacMurray College, Coach Sweeney served as the defensive coordinator at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts for four seasons. The defense amassed some impressive statistics during his tenure, including leading the nation (all divisions) with 30 interceptions, while ranking first in Division III in turnovers gained and third in pass defense.  In 2004, Endicott ranked 19th nationally in rushing defense, while in 2005 and 2006 Endicott ranked in the top 10 nationally in several defensive categories, including first in turnover margin, third in pass defense as well as 12th in scoring defense. Endicott also ranked first in the New England Football Conference in scoring defense in 2006.   Preceding Endicott, he worked as a recruiter at his alma mater, Occidental College, during the spring of 2002 where he helped recruit a team of players that led Oxy to a 9-1 record, including two NCAA playoff wins in 2004, and another 9-1 finish, including a playoff appearance in 2005. Coach Sweeney’s first coaching stop was as the defensive back coach at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois. At IWU, he help his team to back-to-back conference titles for the only time in the last 50 years, while ranking in the top-20 nationally in Division III by the American Football Coaches Association each season.  While at Illinois Wesleyan, two of Coach Sweeney's defensive backs earned All-America recognition and both were selected to play in the Aztec Bowl, the annual Division III All Star game at that time. As an undergraduate, Coach Sweeney was a four-year starter at strong safety for Occidental College.  During his senior year, he enjoyed an opportunity unusual in modern college football, playing both wide receiver and strong safety.  He was also a four-year starter on the baseball team at Occidental. Coach Sweeney graduated from Jesuit High School in Sacramento, California, where he competed in football, baseball and track, with his teams winning section titles in all three sports.  His senior year, the football team finished undefeated, winning the Division I Sac-Joaquin Section title and was ranked 12th in the state of California out of more than 1,300 high schools. That year he received the prestigious "Iron Man" award for football and his team was later inducted into the Jesuit High School hall of fame. Kyle and his wife Ann live in Claremont with their daughters Kira and Lara.

Lutheys two seasons coaching for CMS, the Stags have led the conference in points allowed per game and rushing yards allowed in back to back years. CMS also led the league in sacks for the 2014-15 season. From 2013-2014, Luthey served as Occidental Colleges defensive line coach, recruiting coordinator, director of football operations and throws coach for the track team. In 2012, Luthey worked as Occidentals defensive line coach and director of football operations after serving as tight ends/running backs coach and recruiting and operations intern in 2011. He is also the current Head Wrestling Coach at La Cañada High School. Luthey began his coaching career as a varsity assistant at La Cañada High School from 2008-2011, working with the offensive and defensive line. He was a two-sport student-athlete at St. Olaf College in Minnesota where he played offensive line and was a three-year starter at heavyweight for the wrestling team. He graduated from St. Olaf College with double majors in Economics and Ancient Studies. In 2013, he received his M.A. in Sport Management from California State University, Long Beach.

Tarquin Stephenson enters his first season as an assistant coach with the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps football team in 2026, where he will work with the offensive line.  Stephenson has most recently worked as an offensive line coach at Mission Viejo High School, which he helped to the D1AA California State Championship in 2023, the second in program history. While with Mission Viejo, Stephenson helped coach and develop 12 Division I athletes, as well as coaching two all-county selections, 18 first-team all-league winners and six second-team all-league winners. His teams broke a number of school records during his five-year tenure.  Prior to Mission Viejo, Stephenson also held coaching positions at Dana Hills High School (2019-21) and Laguna Beach High School (2013-19), serving an offensive line coach and run game coordinator at both places.  Stephenson has also coached football internationally during his career, serving as an assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the Colchester Gladiators in England from 2007-13. He also held a similar role for the University of Essex Blades from 2006-11, and was an offensive and defensive line coach for the Great Britain Bulldogs.  A 2004 graduate with honors from the University of Herfordshire in England, Stephenson earned his bachelor's of science degree in business and IT. 

Tim Sternfeld enters his second season as an assistant coach with the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps football team in 2025, taking over as the offensive coordinator after spending his first season working with the team's quarterbacks.  Sternfeld spent his previous three seasons as the offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, where he worked primarily with the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends. He also served as the director of football operations, the video coordinator and the special teams coordinator while with WPU.  In 2023, the William Paterson quarterback ranked second in the conference in most passing statistics (completions, yards, touchdowns) and its top wide receiver was first in receiving touchdowns, second in yards and third in receptions. Sternfeld coached four all-league players, including two first-team wide receivers, as well as two offensive linemen.  In 2022, Sternfeld helped the program to its best record in 10 years, while coaching the Offensive Rookie of the Year, as well as a first-team all-league running back. Sternfeld previously served as an assistant coach for two different stints at Stevenson University, his alma mater, with a one-year stint as the offensive line coach at Johns Hopkins in between. He has also worked for the last five years at the Manning Passing Academy at Nichols State.  Sternfeld graduated from Stevenson with a degree in interdisciplinary studies in business (sports management) / economics. 

Luke Blochowski is entering his ninth season as an assistant coach for the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps football team in 2025, working with the program's wide receivers, and his second season with the additional duties as the Stags' special teams coordinator.  Blochowski was part of a coaching staff in 2018 that guided the Stags to their first SCIAC title since 1987 and their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth, earning them the SCIAC Coaching Staff of the Year Award.  In 2022, CMS added another league co-championship, while Blochowski helped coach sophomore wide receiver Anderson Cynkar to second-team all-SCIAC honors after tallying 37 catches for 521 yards on the season. The past two years, he has been part of a pair of 8-2 campaigns, tying the program record for most wins in a season.  Prior to joining CMS, Blochowski was the defensive backs coach and video coordinator for the College of St. Scholastica, where he mentored two all-conference defensive backs and one all-region selection. Blochowski began his coaching career at Heidelberg University as an assistant receiver coach after his playing career as a defensive back.

Jordan Mynatt enters his second season as an assistant coach with the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps football team in 2025, where he will lead the program's linebacking unit.  Mynatt most recently coached at the scholastic level at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, where he worked primarily with outside linebackers and special teams. He helped the program to a No. 3 national ranking and had multiple top-300 players in the classes of 2024 and 2025, developing an extensive network with collegiate coaches around the country.  Previously, Mynatt had collegiate experience at Towson University in Maryland, his alma mater, where he was a defensive quality control assistant from 2022-23, working closely with the program's defensive coordinator.  From 2017-21, Mynatt served as the defensive coordinator at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Maryland before making the jump to the collegiate level at Towson. A 2016 graduate of Towson, Mynatt earned his bachelor of science degree in communication studies. 

Reyes returns for his fourth season on staff and second as the QBs coach. During the 2013 and 2014 season, he coached the WRs for the Stags. Prior to his arrival to CMS, he spent the past three years at Chapman University as the Quarterbacks coach and the passing game coordinator. From 2007-2009 he was the offensive coordinator at Santa Monica College.

Sam Meinhard enters his first season as a member of the CMS football coaching staff in 2025, where he will work with the team's defensive line.  Meinhard most recently served as the defensive line coach at Lewis & Clark College in Oregon for two seasons. He was responsible for the overall performance and development of four positions, and helped bring in six defensive linemen recruits in the 2024 class.  Prior to his position at Lewis & Clark, Meinhard served as a strength and conditioning intern at Georgia Tech from January-May of 2023.  Meinhard has some familiarity with the SCIAC, beginning his collegiate playing career at Occidental from 2018-20. He then transferred to Lewis & Clark, where he was selected to an eight-player leadership committee by the head coach and was voted a team captain by his teammates.  Meinhard graduated from Lewis & Clark in 2022 with a degree in economics, earning Dean's List accolades. 

Lutheys two seasons coaching for CMS, the Stags have led the conference in points allowed per game and rushing yards allowed in back to back years. CMS also led the league in sacks for the 2014-15 season. From 2013-2014, Luthey served as Occidental Colleges defensive line coach, recruiting coordinator, director of football operations and throws coach for the track team. In 2012, Luthey worked as Occidentals defensive line coach and director of football operations after serving as tight ends/running backs coach and recruiting and operations intern in 2011. He is also the current Head Wrestling Coach at La Cañada High School. Luthey began his coaching career as a varsity assistant at La Cañada High School from 2008-2011, working with the offensive and defensive line. He was a two-sport student-athlete at St. Olaf College in Minnesota where he played offensive line and was a three-year starter at heavyweight for the wrestling team. He graduated from St. Olaf College with double majors in Economics and Ancient Studies. In 2013, he received his M.A. in Sport Management from California State University, Long Beach.

Marvin Sanders enters his fifth season on the CMS football coaching staff in 2025, where he serves as the program's defensive coordinator and works with the defensive backs.  In his first season with the Stags in 2021, Sanders helped the program to a 7-3 record and a 4-2 mark in the SCIAC. CMS allowed just 16.8 points per game, and yielded only 277.7 yards per game to its opponents, including a 27-0 shutout win over traditional league power Cal Lutheran. Defensive backs Ben Cooney and Michael Colangelo were All-SCIAC selections, and six members of the CMS defense in all were named all-league, including two linemen (Mason Hernandez, Tyson Jay-Saena), two linebackers (Dylan Porter, Stiles Satterlee) and two defensive backs.  In 2022, Cooney became the first Stag to ever earn first-team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association, after winning the SCIAC Defensive Player of the Year award, while defensive lineman Michael Houk was the Newcomer of the Year and linebacker Stiles Satterlee won the John Zinda Award in addition to first-team All-SCIAC honors. The Stags allowed just 9.2 ppg as a team, as well as only 211.9 yards (including 149.9 passing yards) per game, and did not allow a touchdown in five of their nine contests. CMS ranked seventh in the country in total defense and scoring defense, 18th in pass efficiency defense, and 22nd in passing yards allowed, while throwing only eight touchdown passes to go with 12 interceptions.  In 2023, Sanders helped CMS to its winningest season in program history (8-2). Jacob O'Connell was a first-team all-region selection as a defensive back from D3football.com, and was joined on the All-SCIAC first-team by three defensive teammates: Asta, Houk and Emmett Thomas King III. The 2024 team matched the same 8-2 record, with Sanders' first group of four-year seniors finishing as the winningest class in program history with 30.  Sanders brought extensive experience with him to Claremont, most recently as the defensive backs coach with the Dallas Renegades of the XFL from 2019-20, before the pandemic closed down operations for the league. Prior to joining the XFL, he had experience on the coaching staffs at 10 different colleges, representing every division.  During his collegiate coaching career, which has included stints at Nebraska (twice), North Carolina and USC, Sanders has been nominated for the Frank Broyles Assistant Coach of the Year Award, and was twice a finalist for the Defensive Backs Coach of the Year. He has coached 25 defensive backs in his career who have gone on to play in the NFL.  A former honorable mention All-Big Eight Conference selection as a safety at Nebraska, Sanders began his coaching career right in Lincoln as a defensive backs coach at Nebraska Wesleyan from 1992-93. He then spent two years at Minnesota-Morris and five years at Nebraska-Omaha, before joining his first FBS staff at New Mexico State in 2000.  After two years at Colorado State, where he helped the Rams to a Mountain West title and two bowl appearances, Sanders returned to his alma mater to coach defensive backs in 2003 at Nebraska under head coach Frank Solich. That season, Nebraska led the nation and set a school record with 32 interceptions and had the nation's highest pass efficiency defense and the second-best scoring defense.  Sanders parlayed that successful season into earning the defensive coordinator position at North Carolina, where he coached from 2004-06, hellping the Tar Heels improve from 2-10 in 2003 to 6-6 in 2004, improving by 60 spots nationally in total defense. After a head coaching change at North Carolina, Sanders returned to Nebraska again under Head Coach Bo Pelini as the assistant head coach from 2008-10. In 2009, the Cornhuskers again led the nation in pass efficiency defense, totaling 18 interceptions and allowing only seven touchdown passes, before finishing third in the country in that category in 2010.  After spending one season at USC under Head Coach Lane Kiffin in 2012, which he helped improve by 20 spots nationally in pass efficiency defense, Sanders stepped away from the college game to become the head coach at Loyola High School in Los Angeles from 2013-17, helping the program improve from a 3-7 record to 9-3 during his tenure. He served a defensive internship with the Los Angeles Rams in the fall of 2017 before returning to the college game that December as the defensive coordinator at Coastal Carolina. He coached the Chanticleers for two years before leaving to join the Dallas Renegades under head coach Bob Stoops in 2019.  As a member of the Nebraska football team from 1985-90, Sanders was part of a 1987 Sugar Bowl Championship team, and helped Nebraska to Fiesta Bowl appearances in 1988 and 1990, and an Orange Bowl appearance in 1989. Sanders earned his degree from Nebraska in business administration in 1990.