Missouri Southern State University Men's Football

Joaquin Tapusoa was named MSSU Football's Defensive Assistant ahead of the 2026 season. He served as the Lions' Tight Ends Coach in 2025.  Tapusoa played at Southern from 2020-2024. The offensive lineman from Fagasa, American Samoa, played in 38 games as a Lion. He graduated from Missouri Southern with his bachelor's in general studies in 2025. Joaquin is married to Laney Tapusoa (formerly Graham). Laney Tapusoa played goalkeeper on the Missouri Southern soccer team from 2020 to 2022.

Jalen Bethany was named Wide Receivers coach on the Missouri Southern Football team ahead of the 2026 season.    Bethany comes to MSSU after spending a season with University of Minnesota Duluth in 2025. With UMD, he coached the cornerbacks as the Bulldogs went 10-2 (9-1 NSIC) en route to a First Round NCAA Division II playoff berth. Bethany mentored a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) first team all-conference selection over the season in Duluth, Minnesota.   Bethany played in 39 career games at wide receiver over five seasons for Southeast Missouri, Lindenwood and William Jewell. He hauled in a career-best 31 receptions with four touchdowns for 352 yards over his final season at William Jewell where he earned 2024 All-GLVC Honorable Mention honors.   The St. Louis, Missouri, native, graduated from Lindenwood University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.   Bethany’s father, Corey Bethany, is the Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers coach at William Jewell.

Joe Bettasso joined Missouri Southern as the defensive coordinator in 2019. In 2018, he served as the Interim Head Coach of the Lions for the final eight weeks of the season. In 2021, the Lions saw a jump in production across the board along with steady production from the linebacking group. Richard Jordan Jr. was an All-American and along with Coleman Booker and Colton Winder were the top three tacklers for the team. Of the Lions ten All-MIAA performers six were on the defensive side. Dylan Bolden hauled in five interceptions and returned two for a touchdown while Solomona Fetuao and Nick Kruse were able to finish with more than five tackles-for-loss on the defensive line. Year two for Bettasso saw the Lions post two of the top linebacking performances in the MIAA as Richard Jordan Jr. led the league in tackles, while freshman Colton Winder posted the most stops by a freshman in the league, was second overall in total tackles in the MIAA and ranked second nationally in tackles by a freshman.   Bettaso came to Southern after three seasons at McKendree University where he served as the Bearcats’ Defensive Coordinator.   The 2017 Bearcats’ defense helped the team to a 7-4 record and was led by Austin Weltha who had 129 total tackles with 12.5 for a loss and five interceptions with two sacks. McKendree ranked second in the GLVC in sacks and led the league in interceptions.   The Bearcats' 2016 defense ranked among the top units in the Great Lakes Valley Conference once again. For the second year in a row, McKendree led the league in scoring defense, allowing a paltry 18.4 points per outing. The Bearcats also had the conference's top overall defensive squad, giving up just 315.7 yards per contest. As a team, McKendree set a new program record with 53 sacks and ranked among NCAA Division II team leaders in the category.  Bettasso guided two of the top defensive players in the GLVC during their final seasons in a Bearcat uniform in 2016. Linebacker A.J. Wentland set a school single-season record for the third consecutive year with 145 tackles, and became the Bearcats' career leader in stops with 421. For his efforts, Wentland was named the 2016 GLVC Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the second McKendree player in three seasons to capture the honor. The other McKendree GLVC Defensive Player of the Year, defensive end Lucky Baar (who was the 2014 winner) made his assault on both the McKendree and NCAA record books in 2016. In just nine games, Baar registered 17 1/2 sacks and 21 1/2 tackles for loss, which led the Bearcats. With the final sack of his career, Baar became the NCAA Division II career leader in the category, finishing his playing days with 46 1/2 sacks. He also collected 65 1/2 tackles for loss, which is also a new McKendree program mark.  Baar earned numerous post-season honors, including first-team All-GLVC accolades for the third straight season. He was an AP Little All-American for the second time in three years, and also collected first-team All-America accolades from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).  In his first year at McKendree in 2015, Bettasso helped engineer a turnaround that saw the Bearcats rise to become one of the top units in the GLVC. McKendree paced all GLVC teams in scoring defense, allowing just 19.8 points per contest. In addition, the Bearcats ranked third among all conference squads in total defense. In the final NCAA Division II statistical report for 2015, McKendree was fourth among all teams in sacks per game, taking the opposing quarterback down behind the line of scrimmage 3.5 times per game.  Seven Bearcats collected All-GLVC honors in 2015, led by junior linebacker A.J. Wentland. For the second year in a row, Wentland established a new program record for tackles in a season, posting 135 stops which was good for eighth among all NCAA Division II players. Defensive ends Brett Pearman and Lucky Baar combined for 27 tackles for loss and 15 1/2 quarterback sacks in 2015.  In 2014, the McKendree linebacking corps continued to shine and was led by sophomore linebacker A.J. Wentland. A starter in all 11 games at middle linebacker, Wentland rewrote the Bearcats' annals by registering a school-record 132 tackles. He also tied for the team lead with two interceptions on his way to first-team All-GLVC honors. Four of McKendree's top five tacklers in 2014 were linebackers, including senior Bryce Colvin. A three-year starter for the Bearcats, Colvin matched his uniform number with 52 tackles to close his career with 178 stops.  Bettasso came to McKendree after spending three years on the coaching staff at Quincy University. Bettasso joined the Hawks’ staff as a defensive backs coach before being elevated to the role of defensive coordinator prior to the 2013 season. He was responsible for all facets of the Quincy defensive scheme, including play-calling. Under his leadership in 2014, the Hawks ranked second in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) in total defense and rushing defense.   Before his time at Quincy, Bettasso spent five seasons at McPherson College in Kansas. From 2007-09, He served the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator during that time while also coaching the program’s linebackers and defensive backs. Following the 2009 season, Bettasso was promoted to the role of head football coach at McPherson, a position he held for two years before heading to Quincy.   In 2010 – Bettasso’s first as the head coach at McPherson – he led the Bulldogs to a school-record 10 victories and the program’s highest NAIA national ranking at No. 6. He was named as the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region 4 Coach of the Year for his efforts. Bettasso guided McPherson to the school’s first KCAC championship since 1952 and the program’s second NAIA Football Championship Series berth. Ironically, McPherson hosted McKendree in a first-round playoff game that year, with the Bearcats posting a 38-14 win in the meeting. That game marked the Bearcats' final post-season football victory as members of the NAIA. It was also the 200th collegiate coaching win for former McKendree head coach Carl Poelker.    Bettasso began his coaching career as a student assistant and later a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, Missouri Southern State University. Bettasso was also a four-year letterman as a defensive back with the Lions. He paced Missouri Southern with 8 ½ tackles for loss as a junior in 2004 and followed that with a team-leading two fumble recoveries during his senior season of 2005.    Bettasso and his wife, Shandi, have three children, Grace Tobias, Gabe Tobias and Cole Bettasso.     

Colton Meyers joined Missouri Southern in 2021 as the quarterbacks coach before taking over as the offensive coordinator and maintaining his responsibility for coaching the quarterbacks in 2024.  Year three saw Luke Sampson settle into his role as the starting quarterback, finishing with a 25-7 touchdown to interception ratio. He completed 174-291 passes, throwing for 2,514 yards on the year. On National Signing Day, the Lions signed 44 players from Illinois, Tennessee, Florida, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Iowa, Wisconsin, California, and American Samoa. Year two would see quarterback duties split between Dawson Herl and Luke Sampson as the Lions combined to go 158-of-287 for 1,793 yards while throwing only seven interceptions. On the recruiting front the Lions signed 43 on national signing day with players from Missouri, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Mississippi, Tennessee, Colorado, California, Florida and Iowa. Year one saw Dawson Herl win the quarterback battle and have one of the better freshman season's in program history. Herl finished the season with 2,260 yards throwing only six interceptions and finished with 177 completions. Set a single-season and career record with 138 attempts before his first interception in his career along with having the third best passing total and completions for a freshman in school history and his yardage was good for ninth overall in the school's history. Meyers comes to the Lions from McKendree University where he coached with Lions' head coach Atiba Bradley.  Meyers returned to the McKendree University football coaching staff prior to the 2017 season as the Bearcats' wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator. Meyers spent the 2016 season as an assistant coach at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo. Prior to the 2018 season, Meyers was moved into the role of quarterbacks coach and will continue to serve as the Bearcats' recruiting coordinator.  In 2019, Meyers helped freshman quarterback Turner Pullen to the Great Lakes Valley Conferenc Freshman of the Year award. Pullen completed 169-of-280 Pass attempts for 2,407 yards with 24 touchdowns, all of which represent program records for a freshman quarterback. Meyers helped senior quarterback Reece Metcalf enjoy a record-breaking season in 2018. Metcalf tossed a school-record 27 touchdown passes while throwing for 2,622 yards in the process. The Bearcats' signal-caller ranked third among all NCAA Division II quarterbacks in passing efficiency with a rating of 172.8 for the entire 2018 campaign. Metcalf was also ranked in the top 10 in NCAA Division II in completion percentage (sixth at .658) and points responsible for per game (ninth at 18.8 PPG) on his way to second-team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference honors.  In 2017, Meyers was able to aid in the emergence of wide receiver Jalyn Williams, who caught a career-high 45 passes for 596 yards. He ranked fourth in the GLVC in receptions and receiving yards per game as well. Four of Williams' receptions went for touchdowns to also lead the Bearcats on his way to second-team All-GLVC honors after the season.  Meyers first became a member of the McKendree football coaching staff prior to the 2014 season. Meyers served as a graduate assistant coach in 2014 and 2015 for the Bearcats and tutored the team's tight ends. Meyers also helped coach wide receiver Matt Cole, who went on to play in the NFL and is currently a member of the Carolina Panthers.  Meyers originally came to McKendree after serving as an intern at Southwest Minnesota State University. There, Meyers served a variety of roles. He helped coach the Mustangs' defensive line, served as a strength and conditioning coach and assisted the recruiting coordinator. Meyers was also an adminstrator for the SMSU football camps. Prior to his experience at Southwest Minnesota State, Meyers spent one year as an assistant coach at Elverado-Trico High School in Illinois. Meyers was the Falcons' defensive line coach and special teams assistant.  A native of Williamsville, Ill., Meyers graduated from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in sports administration with a minor in coaching. He earned his master's degree from McKendree in 2016. 

Dantrell Kelley was named Running Backs coach on the Missouri Southern Football team ahead of the 2026 season.    Kelley comes to Joplin after spending the past three seasons at Iowa State, where he served as assistant director of player personnel, after returning to his alma mater in August of 2023.   Kelley helped the Cyclones to bowl eligibility in three-straight seasons, including a Pop-Tarts Bowl championship in 2024 after defeating No. 15 Miami in a 42-41 thriller.   In 2025, Iowa State went 8-4 overall and 5-4 in Big 12 action. That season included wins over nationally-ranked Kansas State, as well as a home win over in-state rival Iowa and a road victory at TCU to highlight the season.   The 2024 Cyclones posted the greatest season in school history, finishing 11-3 overall and reaching double-digit victories for the first time in program history.   In 2023, Iowa State finished 7-6 overall and played in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.   Kelley, a Clinton, Iowa, native, rejoined the Cyclones after spending the 2022 season as a running backs coach at Black Hills State University.   In his only season with the Yellow Jackets, Kelley helped BHSU to a 7-4 record behind a rushing attack that led the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) in rushing yards per game, while also finishing second in total rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.   Kelley coached fifth-year senior Nolan Susel to second-team all-conference honors while freshman running back Cameron Goods averaged 7.3 yards per carry.   Prior to BHSU, Kelley served as a tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator at Basha High School in Chandler, Arizona, from 2020 to 2022. The 2021 squad went 10-0 in the regular season and made the Open State Division Playoffs.   Kelley earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and exercise science in 2018 from Iowa State University. While at ISU, he worked with the strength and conditioning staff and the quarterback coaches. He also earned his Liberal Arts degree from Ellsworth Community College in 2015.   Kelley and his wife Denisse, have one son.

Casey Carlo joined Missouri Southern in 2019, serving as the defensive line coach.  Carlo comes to Southern after a season at Wayne State College where he was the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator for the Wildcats. Prior to WSC, Carlo spent time at Bacone College where he coached the d-line and was the head strength coach from 2016-17. He also coached at Independence Community College and Morehead State.  Carlo spent two seasons as the Co-Defensive Coordinator for former Lions' assistant Kenny Evans at Northeastern State in 2013-14. Carlo has also spent time at Texas A&M Commerce, Southwest Minnesota State and Drake University.  He got his start in coaching at his alma mater, Northern Iowa where he served as the Assistant Strength Coach from 1998-2001. He then moved on to Upper Iowa where he was the Head Strength Coach and Defensive Coordinator from 2005-08.  A 1996 graduate of Northern Iowa, Carlo was part of three Gateway Football Conference Championships and a NCAA FCS National Football Playoff team. 

Akeem Gilmore was named MSSU Football's Wide Receivers Coach ahead of the 2025 season. Gilmore played four seasons at Southern as a wide receiver. He racked up 508 receiving yards and four touchdowns over 36 games including 315 yards over his junior season in 2023. The Little Rock, Arkansas, native graduated from Missouri Southern with his bachelor's in general studies in 2024.

Tyler Cupp was named Tight Ends coach on the Missouri Southern Football team ahead of the 2026 season.  Cupp previously spent three years as a student assistant at MSSU where he worked on the offensive side of the ball and with the offensive line. The Sarcoxie, Missouri, native, graduated from Missouri Southern with his bachelor's in sports and recreation management in fall 2025. 

Eric Lee was named MSSU Football’s Defensive Backs Coach ahead of the 2026 season. Lee joins the Lions after spending two seasons at Lincoln University, where he served as the Defensive Backs Coach and Passing Game Coordinator beginning in 2024. During his time with the Blue Tigers, Lee played a key role in developing the secondary, coaching two all-conference cornerbacks and helping elevate the unit’s overall on-field performance. Prior to Lincoln, Lee coached at the University of Nebraska–Kearney during the 2023 season as the secondary coach. While at UNK, he worked with both cornerbacks and safeties, coaching two All-MIAA honorees and contributing extensively to scouting, recruiting, and weekly game planning through detailed film breakdowns. Before entering the collegiate ranks, Lee served as the Head of Football Operations and Defensive Backs Coach at Orange Lutheran High School from 2021–22. During his tenure, Orange Lutheran captured a CIF Championship in 2021. Lee coached two Trinity League Second Team selections and helped develop four student-athletes who went on to compete at the NCAA level, including two Division I signees. A graduate of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lee, a Denver, Colorado, native, earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration–Management in 2018 and completed his master’s degree in Education Administration in 2020.

Dr. Brett Miller serves as the Sports Psychologist for MSSU Football.  Miller previously worked at Compass Health for 12 years before joining Southern.  The Buffalo, Minnesota, native, earned his PsyD in 2012 from Forest Institute of Professional Psychology. Brett and his wife, Jessica, have three children, Landon, Carson, and Nolan.