Austin Peay Taps Jeff Faris As Next Head Football Coach
CLARKSVILLE, TN – Welcome home, Jeff Faris. Vice President and Director of Athletic Gerald Harrison announced that Faris, a Tennessean with a dozen years of Division I coaching experience at the FBS level, has been named the 22nd head football coach in Austin Peay State University history.
CSA is grateful to have assisted Harrison and the Governors on this search.
“I could not be more excited to welcome Jeff, Natalie, and the entire Faris Family back home to the State of Tennessee, specifically to Clarksville and Montgomery County,” said Harrison. “Jeff is a brilliant offensive mind and a tireless recruiter. He will be an impactful member of our community and has an infectious personality that will galvanize our student-athletes, our fans, and all of Stacheville. Coach Faris is committed to the tenets of the ‘Total Gov Concept’ and I am confident that he will be a great steward of Clarksville’s Hometown Team!”
A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Faris spent the past two seasons as the tight ends coach for head coach Chip Kelly at UCLA. Before his time in Los Angeles, he was on head coach David Cutcliffe’s coaching staff at Duke, where he was named the 2018 American Football Coaches Association’s Assistant Coach of the Year. By the end of his 10 seasons in Durham, North Carolina, Faris had become the Blue Devils’ co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
“Natalie, Jack, Eli, and I are thrilled to be joining the Austin Peay family,” said Faris. “To come home and be a part of the incredible history and tradition of our great University is a dream come true. We love the Clarksville community and look forward to meeting everyone. I cannot wait to get to work with this special group. It is a great day to be a Gov! Let’s Go Peay!”
A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Faris spent the past two seasons as the tight ends coach for head coach Chip Kelly at UCLA. Before his time in Los Angeles, he was on head coach David Cutcliffe’s coaching staff at Duke, where he was named the 2018 American Football Coaches Association’s Assistant Coach of the Year. By the end of his 10 seasons in Durham, North Carolina, Faris had become the Blue Devils’ co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Faris helped return the Blue Devils to national prominence as they reached six bowl games and won the 2015 Pinstripe Bowl, the 2017 Quick Lane Bowl, and the 2018 Independence Bowl. At UCLA, Faris helped guide the Bruins to the 2022 Sun Bowl and the 2023 LA Bowl.
Faris is a three-time graduate of Duke, earning his bachelor’s degree in economics in 2011 before earning a master’s degree in economics in 2012 and a second master’s degree in Christian Studies in 2013. Faris also played safety for the Blue Devils from 2008-12 and earned the Mike Suglia Award in 2009, an honor that is annually presented to the sophomore member of the Duke football program who best exemplifies the academic and athletic qualities of the late Mike Suglia.
In 2011, Faris received the Micah Harris Trinity Teammate Award, which is presented each season to a Duke player who displays the traits of a true teammate – character, unselfishness, compassion, and pride. Faris also was honored by the ACC with a Top 6 For Service award in the spring of 2011.
Faris and his wife Natalie welcomed twin sons, Jack and Eli, in June 2023.
For the full release from APSU Athletics, click HERE.
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