BOULDER — Ross Els, a 27-year veteran in the collegiate coaching ranks, has been hired as an assistant coach on the University of Colorado football staff, head coach Mike MacIntyreannounced Friday.
Els, 51, will coach the inside linebackers as he fills the remaining vacancy on the CU staff. His paperwork was completed in time for him to join the team on the field in the Buffaloes' second practice of the spring Friday morning.
He joins the Colorado program from Purdue University, where he served as the Boilermakers' defensive coordinator in 2016 under head coach Darrell Hazell.
"Coach Ross Els brings a lot of energy," MacIntyre said. "He has great experience as a coordinator, positions coach and special teams coach, and we're really excited about having his expertise in those phases in our program."
The reshuffled defensive staff under MacIntyre for this season features three new faces: Els, D.J. Elliot (defensive coordinator and outside linebackers) and ShaDon Brown (secondary). Jim Jeffcoat returns for his fifth season coaching the defensive line.
"I'm extremely excited to be a part of a class program like Colorado that does things right and wins football games," Els said. "Coach MacIntyre's reputation – of doing things right and the success he's had at San Jose and here – was a draw obviously as well as being able to work with D.J. Eliot, who's done a great job wherever he's been. It's really a quality staff with a bunch of good people that win games."
Els has the bulk of his experience as an assistant coach working with the linebackers, and all but one of his 27 years devoted on the defensive side of the ball. He spent four years at the University of Nebraska from 2011-14 under coach Bo Pellini, his first season as linebackers coach with the responsibilities of coordinating both special teams and recruiting added to his duties for the last three years. One of his top players while he was with the Huskers was Lavonte David, a finalist for the Butkus Award and the 2011 Big Ten Linebacker of the Year, as well as a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Lott Trophy. He was a second round selection by Tampa Bay in the 2012 National Football League Draft.
In 2012, he coached Nebraska's leading tackler, Will Compton, who record 110 total stops, six of which were for losses including three quarterback sacks. That aided a 10-win season and a berth in the Big Ten's championship game.
Nebraska was 37-16 in his four years on its staff, including four bowl appearances: Capital One (2012 and 2013), TaxSlayer Gator (2014) and Holiday (2014). In-between his Nebraska and Purdue appointments, he spent the 2015 season as an assistant coach at his son's high school, Lincoln (Neb.) Southwest.
Prior to Nebraska, he was the linebackers coach for six seasons, working under a former NU graduate in Frank Solich. In his third season there, he was named the Bobcats' special teams coordinator, and in his final year there (2010), Solich promoted him to assistant head coach. He coached four All-Mid-American Conference linebackers, in addition helping OU to two MAC East Division titles and three bowl appearances:
In 2010, Ohio's defense ranked 20th nationally and second in the MAC in rushing defense. Els' special teams were also a key part of Ohio's 8-5 season that culminated with a trip to the New Orleans Bowl. The Bobcats ranked first in the 14-team MAC in net punting, third in punt returns and fifth in kickoff returns. In 2009, he tutored linebacker Noah Keller, who led the MAC with 155 tackles en route to earning honorable mention All-America honors. He also coached punt returner LaVon Brazil to second-team All-America honors that season, while placekicker Matt Weller was named a Freshman All-American after kicking a school record 21 field goals.
He coached in Division I (now the FBS) for the first time when he spent four years at New Mexico State University, first tutoring the safeties and special teams for the 2001 and 2002 seasons, and then the linebackers along with a promotion to defensive coordinator in 2003 and 2004. He worked under Tony Samuel, another former Nebraska player and assistant coach, during his time in Las Cruces.
Els was the head coach at Hastings (Neb.) College from 1997-2000, where he was the quarterbacks coach in 1995 and the defensive coordinator and secondary coach in 1996. As Hastings' head coach, Els compiled a 32-9 record, including NAIA playoff appearances in 1998 and 1999.
A 1988 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where he majored in Management Information Systems and lettered four years as a safety. He got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Northern Iowa, where he earned his Master's degree in Physical Education in 1999; that's where he began his coaching career a decade earlier as a graduate assistant (in 1989), working with the linebackers and secondary.
He then returned to his alma mater, UNO, for his first full-time position in the ranks, coaching the secondary for four seasons (1990-93).
Els obviously has a lot of ties to the state of Nebraska, and the Huskers reappear on CU's schedule in 2018 (at Lincoln) and 2019 (in Boulder). "We had to play Nebraska when I was at Purdue. That's part of the deal whenever you go somewhere near where you're from. That won't be a factor until that game week. Then, it'll be just like any other game."
He was born August 14, 1965 in Lincoln, Neb., and graduated from Lincoln Northeast High where he lettered in football, basketball and baseball. He is married to the former Jane Ketterer, and the couple has two daughters, Julie and Taylor (a sophomore on the volleyball team at Northern Colorado), and a son, Bo.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
1989 Northern Iowa Graduate Assistant (Defense)
1990-93 Nebraska-Omaha Secondary
1994 Northern Iowa Secondary
1995 Hastings College Quarterbacks
1996 Hastings College Defensive Coordinator / Secondary
1997-00 Hastings College Head Coach
2001-02 New Mexico State Safeties / Special Teams
2003-04 New Mexico State Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers
2005-06 Ohio University Linebackers
2007-09 Ohio University Linebackers / Special Teams Coordinator
2010 Ohio University Asst. Head Coach / Linebackers / Special Teams Coordinator
2011 Nebraska Linebackers
2012-14 Nebraska Linebackers / Special Teams Coordinator / Recruiting Coordinator
2015 Lincoln Southwest (H.S.) Assistant / Defense, Linebackers
2016 Purdue Defensive Coordinator / Safeties
Els, 51, will coach the inside linebackers as he fills the remaining vacancy on the CU staff. His paperwork was completed in time for him to join the team on the field in the Buffaloes' second practice of the spring Friday morning.
He joins the Colorado program from Purdue University, where he served as the Boilermakers' defensive coordinator in 2016 under head coach Darrell Hazell.
"Coach Ross Els brings a lot of energy," MacIntyre said. "He has great experience as a coordinator, positions coach and special teams coach, and we're really excited about having his expertise in those phases in our program."
The reshuffled defensive staff under MacIntyre for this season features three new faces: Els, D.J. Elliot (defensive coordinator and outside linebackers) and ShaDon Brown (secondary). Jim Jeffcoat returns for his fifth season coaching the defensive line.
"I'm extremely excited to be a part of a class program like Colorado that does things right and wins football games," Els said. "Coach MacIntyre's reputation – of doing things right and the success he's had at San Jose and here – was a draw obviously as well as being able to work with D.J. Eliot, who's done a great job wherever he's been. It's really a quality staff with a bunch of good people that win games."
Els has the bulk of his experience as an assistant coach working with the linebackers, and all but one of his 27 years devoted on the defensive side of the ball. He spent four years at the University of Nebraska from 2011-14 under coach Bo Pellini, his first season as linebackers coach with the responsibilities of coordinating both special teams and recruiting added to his duties for the last three years. One of his top players while he was with the Huskers was Lavonte David, a finalist for the Butkus Award and the 2011 Big Ten Linebacker of the Year, as well as a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Lott Trophy. He was a second round selection by Tampa Bay in the 2012 National Football League Draft.
In 2012, he coached Nebraska's leading tackler, Will Compton, who record 110 total stops, six of which were for losses including three quarterback sacks. That aided a 10-win season and a berth in the Big Ten's championship game.
Nebraska was 37-16 in his four years on its staff, including four bowl appearances: Capital One (2012 and 2013), TaxSlayer Gator (2014) and Holiday (2014). In-between his Nebraska and Purdue appointments, he spent the 2015 season as an assistant coach at his son's high school, Lincoln (Neb.) Southwest.
Prior to Nebraska, he was the linebackers coach for six seasons, working under a former NU graduate in Frank Solich. In his third season there, he was named the Bobcats' special teams coordinator, and in his final year there (2010), Solich promoted him to assistant head coach. He coached four All-Mid-American Conference linebackers, in addition helping OU to two MAC East Division titles and three bowl appearances:
In 2010, Ohio's defense ranked 20th nationally and second in the MAC in rushing defense. Els' special teams were also a key part of Ohio's 8-5 season that culminated with a trip to the New Orleans Bowl. The Bobcats ranked first in the 14-team MAC in net punting, third in punt returns and fifth in kickoff returns. In 2009, he tutored linebacker Noah Keller, who led the MAC with 155 tackles en route to earning honorable mention All-America honors. He also coached punt returner LaVon Brazil to second-team All-America honors that season, while placekicker Matt Weller was named a Freshman All-American after kicking a school record 21 field goals.
He coached in Division I (now the FBS) for the first time when he spent four years at New Mexico State University, first tutoring the safeties and special teams for the 2001 and 2002 seasons, and then the linebackers along with a promotion to defensive coordinator in 2003 and 2004. He worked under Tony Samuel, another former Nebraska player and assistant coach, during his time in Las Cruces.
Els was the head coach at Hastings (Neb.) College from 1997-2000, where he was the quarterbacks coach in 1995 and the defensive coordinator and secondary coach in 1996. As Hastings' head coach, Els compiled a 32-9 record, including NAIA playoff appearances in 1998 and 1999.
A 1988 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where he majored in Management Information Systems and lettered four years as a safety. He got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Northern Iowa, where he earned his Master's degree in Physical Education in 1999; that's where he began his coaching career a decade earlier as a graduate assistant (in 1989), working with the linebackers and secondary.
He then returned to his alma mater, UNO, for his first full-time position in the ranks, coaching the secondary for four seasons (1990-93).
Els obviously has a lot of ties to the state of Nebraska, and the Huskers reappear on CU's schedule in 2018 (at Lincoln) and 2019 (in Boulder). "We had to play Nebraska when I was at Purdue. That's part of the deal whenever you go somewhere near where you're from. That won't be a factor until that game week. Then, it'll be just like any other game."
He was born August 14, 1965 in Lincoln, Neb., and graduated from Lincoln Northeast High where he lettered in football, basketball and baseball. He is married to the former Jane Ketterer, and the couple has two daughters, Julie and Taylor (a sophomore on the volleyball team at Northern Colorado), and a son, Bo.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
1989 Northern Iowa Graduate Assistant (Defense)
1990-93 Nebraska-Omaha Secondary
1994 Northern Iowa Secondary
1995 Hastings College Quarterbacks
1996 Hastings College Defensive Coordinator / Secondary
1997-00 Hastings College Head Coach
2001-02 New Mexico State Safeties / Special Teams
2003-04 New Mexico State Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers
2005-06 Ohio University Linebackers
2007-09 Ohio University Linebackers / Special Teams Coordinator
2010 Ohio University Asst. Head Coach / Linebackers / Special Teams Coordinator
2011 Nebraska Linebackers
2012-14 Nebraska Linebackers / Special Teams Coordinator / Recruiting Coordinator
2015 Lincoln Southwest (H.S.) Assistant / Defense, Linebackers
2016 Purdue Defensive Coordinator / Safeties
