East Central University Men's Football

John Litrenta enters his first year as the East Central Univeristy head football coach. Litrenta was announced as the 20th head football coach in the history of the ECU football program on November 13, 2023. The decision followed Litrenta serving in the role as interim during the 2023 season. Litrenta assumed the role of interim head coach in December 2022 after the resignation of previous head coach, Kris McCullough. In his first year, the Tigers had four land on the All-GAC Second Team - senior wide receiver Dior Scott, senior running back Miles Davis, senior linebacker Devon Roush, and senior safety Jimmy Pitts – and four notches to the All-GAC Honorable Mention Team – junior running back David Hall, senior offensive lineman Colby Thomas, fifth-year defensive lineman Darian Williams, and junior cornerback Gio Waller. Prior to taking the helm of the program, Litrenta led the East Central University Tigers defense to Top 10 pass defense in the country in 2022. During 2022 he led 9 players to All-Conference, 1 All-American (Devon Roush), and 2 All Region Players (Devon Roush, Cody Alexander). The Tigers Defense was #1 on three GAC list, #1 scoring defense, #1 Sacks, #1 in 3rd down defense. In 2021 Litrenta led 3 players to All Conference.  Litrenta joined the East Central University football staff in the 2018 season as the outside linebackers coach before being elevated to defensive coordinator in 2020. Litrenta was an assistant coach for the University of South Dakota from March of 2016 through the end of the 2017 season as the defensive quality control coach. He assisted the defensive coordinator in safety meetings and on-field evaluations, work on the defensive side of the team’s video editing system and recruited junior college players and scouted high school.   Prior to his stint at South Dakota, Litrenta was the defensive backs coach at College of DuPage (Illinois) for the 2015 season.  He helped lead the Chaparrals to an 8-2 record and a No. 9 national ranking. DuPage’s secondary produced 18 interceptions, eighth-most in the nation. Litrenta was a three-year starter at linebacker at Olivet Nazarene, where he recorded 212 tackles and three interceptions in his career.   A native of Orland Park, Ill., Litrenta earned a bachelor’s degree in recreation and sport fitness at Olivet Nazarene in 2015 and earned his master’s degree at South Dakota in sports management in the summer of 2017.  

Chris Bolden is set to begin his first season with the Tiger football staff in 2024, taking on the role of wide receivers coach.   Bolden joins ECU after a successful year as an offensive analyst coach at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) where the team posted a 9-4 overall record, including an impressive 7-1 in conference play.   Before his time at UTSA, Bolden served as the wide receivers coach at Valparaiso University in Indiana during the 2022 season.  Prior to that, he was the tight ends coach and assistant special teams coordinator at the University of Central Oklahoma from July 2020 to December 2021. Bolden’s coaching journey also includes a stint as the running backs coach at Texas A&M University-Kingsville from August 2019 to January 2020, as well as a role coaching running backs at Butler Community College in Kansas from March to August 2019. He furthered honed his coaching skills with an internship at the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football in early 2019. An alum of Texas State University, Bolden began his coaching career at his alma mater, where he served as the assistant running backs coach from February 2017 to January 2019. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Exercise & Sports Science from Texas State (2017) after playing running back and wide receiver for the Bobcats while later earning his master’s degree in Exercise Science from Central Oklahoma (2022).  

Jack Mitchell was brought on to the coaching staff as a Tight Ends Student Assistant Coach in 2022. Where he helped lead the team to a Heritage Bowl Championship. Mitchell attended Marlow High School out of Marlow OK., where he graduated and played football. During Mitchell's senior year he helped lead the team to a quarterfinals appearance while earning Daily Oklahoman All State as Offensive Lineman.  Mitchell signed with Arkansas Tech University out of High School, but then transferred to East Central University the spring of 2022. Where he is expected to graduate with a Bachelors in Kinesiology in Fall of 2023.   Jack is the oldest of 4 sibling with two little brothers, and one sister who are from Marlow, OK. 

Stammetti enters his first season as the Tigers’ quarterback coach after serving as the quarterback coach at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in 2023. Prior to NEO, Stammetti had a one-year stint at Coffeyville Community College where he coached quarterbacks and wide receivers. During 2022, Stammetti contributed to an offense that reached a semi-final appearance in the NJCAA playoffs. Stammetti concluded his final two years as a collegiate athlete at Henderson State University where he started and played in all 23 games during the 2018-2019 seasons as quarterback, completing 433 of 771 passes for 5, 272 yards and 42 touchdowns as a Reddie. Before HSU, Stammetti spent his first two seasons at Mt. San Antonio College.