61 Days Until Catamount Football - #61 Bryan McCollum

 

It's now 61 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC. 

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

Today we will highlight a Kicker: 

#61 Bryan McCollum

Position Kicker
Height 5-8
Weight 160
Class Freshman
Hometown Sanford, N.C.
High School Southern Lee HS

Prior to Western Carolina: Four-year varsity letter winner … Named special teams MVP … According to MaxPreps, over 35 career games, scored 94 points kicking – 67 made PATs and nine field goals, including a career-long of 56 yards as a junior … Had 16 kickoffs with nine touchbacks … Named to the 5th annual Academic All-America team in North Carolina by High School Football America … Also played baseball as a prep where he was an All-Sandhills Athletic Conference selection.

Personal: Is the son of Carolina and Fredy McCollum … Is the younger brother of former Catamount kicker Richard McCollum, who finished his career at WCU ranked second in the program for career points scored … Older brother, Freddy, kicked collegiately at Wingate.

62 Days Until Catamount Football - Ethan Harris

 

It's now 62 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC. 

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

No Catamount player is currently assigned to #62, so we will highlight a member of the Coaching Staff:  

Ethan Harris

Title Assistant Coach / Cornerbacks




A former Catamount defensive back, Ethan Harris shed the cleats for a whistle while a student at Western Carolina before remaining on the coaching staff as the defensive quality control coach. In the spring 2024, Harris was hired as a full-time assistant coach working with WCU's corner backs.

Harris first earned his start with the Catamount coaching staff in spring 2022 as a student assistant. He has earned his way onto the staff as a part of the quality control coaches/

A two-star, two-sport recruit out of Byrnes High, Harris played in four games for the Catamounts making his collegiate debut in the spring meeting with instate foe North Carolina in the hybrid 2020-21 season altered by COVID. He twice earned Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll plaudits as a WCU student-athlete and received a SoCon Commissioner's Medal in 2021-22.

63 Days Until Catamount Football - Malik Goodman

 

It's now 63 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC. 

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

No Catamount player is currently assigned to #63, so we will highlight a member of the Coaching Staff:  

Malik Goodman

Title Assistant Coach / Safeties


Malik Goodman, who played collegiately at Tusculum University and earned his coaching start at his alma mater, joined the Catamount football defensive coaching staff in January 2024. Goodman will coach the safeties in the Catamount defensive secondary.

Goodman joins former Tusculum head coach – and current WCU defensive coordinator – Jerry Odom on the Catamount defensive staff after serving as the defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator from 2021-23.

Goodman began his career as a defensive graduate assistant for the Pioneers in the COVID-abbreviated Spring 2021 season. Guided by a defense that limited opponents to just 17.6 points and 311.2 yards per game, Tusculum posted a 4-1 record and won the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) championship. The Pioneers allowed a league-low 84 rushing yards per game.

Between the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Tusculum’s defense recorded a combined 36 interceptions including a SAC-leading 19 in 2022 that ranked third in the NCAA Division II rankings. The Pioneers ranked second in the conference with 17 picks in 2023 – a mark that also ranked among the Top 15 nationally. The 2022 Tusculum defense limited opponents to just 159.6 passing yards per game, ranked 15th in the country.

During his three seasons at Tusculum, he mentored two-time All-South Atlantic Conference selection in nickelback Ryan Dolce, with safety Jermaine Witherspoon, and cornerbacks Andrae Robinson and Tykorian Brown also earning postseason plaudits.

Originally from Jacksonville, Fla., Goodman was a two-time All-South Atlantic Conference (SAC) standout where he played in 39 career games for the Pioneers. He recorded 193 career tackles including 14 for loss with three sacks. He accounted for 19 passes defended, finishing his career tied for the 10th in program history. He added five career takeaways with three interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries while also forcing two fumbles.

Goodman earned All-Super Region 2 honors in 2018 as he tallied 48 tackles including five for loss with a sack, an interception, a fumble recovery, and two pass breakups. He was awarded SAC Defensive Player of the Week after posting eight tackles and forced a critical fourth-quarter force with the recovery to preserve a 31-28 win over Mars Hill in October 2018.

As a senior, Goodman collected All-SAC plaudits for a second consecutive season as he recorded 47 stops with an interception and three passes defended.

Goodman graduated from Tusculum in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He also earned a Master of Arts in Organizational Training & Performance Management from Tusculum in 2021.

Malik is married to Yoland Goodman.

64 Days Until Catamount Football - Kyle Dickey

 

It's now 64 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC. 

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

No Catamount player is currently assigned to #64, so we will highlight a member of the Coaching Staff:  

Kyle Dickey

Title   Assistant Coach / Tight Ends



Kyle Dickey, the former offensive coordinator at Tusculum University, joined the Catamount football offensive coaching staff as the tight ends coach in January 2024.

Dickey joins a Catamount offensive staff that includes first-year coordinator Rylan Wells, who was promoted from the same position group on Bell’s staff. Greg McGruder was also promoted to wide receivers coach after three seasons on staff as a quality control coach.

On staff at his alma mater, Tusculum, since 2019, Dickey worked on the coaching staffs of former head coach – and now WCU’s defensive coordinator, Jerry Odom – and coached alongside former Catamount offensive coordinator Kade Bell who ACC-member Pittsburgh hired in December 2023.

Most recently, Dickey was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tusculum, also carrying the title of interim head coach upon Odom’s departure for Cullowhee. While Dickey was on staff in Greeneville, Tenn., the Pioneers won two South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Mountain Division titles and finished in the top four of the conference in each of his five seasons. Tusculum posted back-to-back winning seasons in 2022 and 2023 with the team’s 8-3 record in 2022 marking the program’s best since 2008. During his tenure, Dickey also mentored 16 All-South Atlantic Conference standouts on offense.

The 2020-21 Tusculum offensive unit generated some outstanding numbers as the Pioneers went 4-1 and claimed the SAC Mountain Division title and posted a thrilling 28-23 win at defending league champion Lenoir-Rhyne as TU won its third SAC Championship. The Pioneers led the league in scoring offense (37.6 ppg), total offense (533.4 yds/gm), and passing offense (394.2 yds/gm).

He took the reins as offensive coordinator in 2021 when Kade Bell joined his father on staff at WCU. In his first season, the Pioneers scored 366 points (33.3 points per game – 2nd in SAC, 38th in NCAA II), representing the fifth-highest season total in program history. The offense was a balanced attack with 21 rushing touchdowns and 21 passing TDs. All told, Tusculum finished the season third in the league in total offense at 400.5 yards per game including 257 passing yards per game – second in the SAC and 31st nationally.

The following season, the Pioneers went 8-3 in 2022 and finished runner-up in the SAC Mountain Division. Tusculum averaged 30.5 points (4th in SAC 50th in NCAA II) and 395.6 yards of total offense per game (2nd in SAC / 49th in NCAA II). Tusculum also finished second in the SAC averaging 235.2 passing yards per contest (39th in NCAA II).

Dickey has experience in Western North Carolina as he earned his coaching start on the sidelines at nearby Brevard High. From 2015-2018 as an assistant coach and the offensive coordinator for the final three years, he helped the Blue Devils to three North Carolina state playoff appearances (2016-2018) including a 2016 conference championship – the program’s first in 10 years.

Leading Brevard’s offense, the Blue Devils posted a 27-13 record that included a regional runner-up finish. His 2016 unit averaged 37.2 points per game while amassing 332.3 yards offensively per contest. Over three seasons, BHS averaged 31 points per game on offense before he returned to Tusculum as the offensive graduate assistant coach in June 2019.

A versatile student-athlete, Dickey played at Tusculum from 2011 to 2014 where he saw action at quarterback, wide receiver, and tight end. He was the first player in program history to record a touchdown pass, catch, and scoring rush in a career. His 61.9 completion percentage remains the fourth-best in Tusculum history.

As a senior in 2014, Dickey led Tusculum to four straight come-from-behind wins to end the season including a 14-10 road win at Wingate. That was followed by a 20-17 overtime win over UNC Pembroke the next week as he completed a 27-yard TD pass on fourth down for the game-winner. In his final collegiate game, Dickey rallied Tusculum from a 12-point deficit with 3:29 left in the contest with two TD passes in a 38-35 win at Mars Hill, earning SAC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

A native of McDonough, Ga., just southeast of Atlanta, Dickey played his prep career at Luella High in Locust Grove, Ga., where he garnered All-Region honors while passing for 3,500 yards and 35 touchdowns. He led the 2009 team to its first-ever playoff appearance in program history.

Dickey graduated from Tusculum in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sports science while minoring in coaching. He earned his master's degree at Tusculum in 2020 in organizational training and performance management. While a student-athlete, he was a member of the Tusculum Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.

65 Days Until Catamount Football - #65 Nicholas Foster

 

It's now 65 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC. 

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

Today, we will highlight a member of the Defensive Line:

#65 Nicholas Foster

Position Defensive Tackle
Height 6-1
Weight 290
Class Freshman
Hometown Charltote, N.C.
High School Indian Land HS

Prior to Western Carolina: Joined the Catamount football team as a walk-on … Started his prep career at Julius Chambers High before finishing at Indian Land High … Played multiple positions along the offensive and defensive line as a prep ... Played alongside his brother, Mike.

66 Days Until Catamount Football - #66 John Hammond

 

It's now 66 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC. 

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

Today, we will highlight a member of the Offensive Line:

#66 John Hammond

Position Offensive Line
Height 6-5
Weight 300
Class Freshman
Hometown Spartanburg, S.C.
High School Spartanburg HS

Prior to Western Carolina: Two-time All-Region selection … Versatile offensive lineman who played center as a senior … Was among the Prep Redzone South Carolina’s Fab 50 breakdown of offensive linemen in the state.

Personal: His father, Vance Hammond, was recruited to and played at Clemson before playing professionally … Was a fifth-round draft pick by the Phoenix Cardinals and was in camp by the Los Angeles Rams … Played in the WLAF for San Antonio and Sacramento … Played for two US-based teams in the CFL – Sacramento and Memphis – before being drafted in the dispersal draft by Calgary.

67 Days Until Catamount Football - #67 Steven Hamby

 

It's now 67 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC. 

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

Today, we will highlight a member of the Offensive Line:

#67 Steven Hamby   

Position Offensive Line
Height 6-5
Weight 320
Class Redshirt Sophomore
Hometown Statesville, N.C.
High School Statesville HS











2023 (Freshman): Dressed for a couple of home games during the season, but did not see game action ... Expected to take a redshirt ... Named to the 2023-24 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll and Received a SoCon Commissioner's Medal.

Prior to Western Carolina: Three-year varsity starter including at right tackle as a sophomore and left tackle his junior and senior seasons ... Team captain as a senior ... Was a two-time All-Western Foothills Athletic Conference selection and a three-time All-County selection along the offensive line ... Named first-team 3-A All-State on the offensive line as a senior while also earning All-State honors as a junior ... Selected to the 2022 North Carolina High School Bluesheet All-State Academic Team in 2022 ... Selected as an alternate for the North Carolina-South Carolina Shrine Bowl ... Played for the North Team in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl game in January 2023 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. ... Also wrestled as a prep where he won the conference heavyweight championship as a junior and qualified for the state tournament.

68 Days Until Catamount Football - #68 Aidan Cooper

 

It's now 68 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC. 

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

Today, we will highlight a member of the Offensive Line:

#68 Aidan Cooper   

Position Offensive Line 

Height 6-4

Weight 300
Class Freshman
Hometown Charlotte, N.C.
High School Butler HS

Prior to Western Carolina: Joined the Catamount football team as a walk-on … Played multiple positions along the offensive line … Also played rugby as a prep.

69 Days Until Catamount Football - #69 Cole Cooke

 

It's now 69 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC. 

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

Today, we will highlight a member of the Offensive Line:

#69 Cole Cooke 

Position Offensive Line
Height 6-8
Weight 315
Class True Freshman
Hometown Fort Myers, Fla.
High School Riverdale HS








Prior to Western Carolina: Named to the News Press first-team All-Area offense as a senior after helping his high school rush for 2,579 rushing yards with 20 touchdowns … Chosen for the Rotary South All-Star game … Selected as one of the top 10 Florida prospects along the offensive line by FLAVARSITY through Rivals.com … Was ranked among the News Press “Big 15” in back-to-back years after just starting to play football as a freshman … Also played defensive line, recording 21 tackles including 15 solo stops, five TFLs with a sack in 2023 … Listed as a three-star recruit by 247Sports and a two-star recruit by Rivals.com … Originally committed to FAU.

70 Days Until Catamount Football - #70 Dale Greene

 

It's now 70 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC. 

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

Today, we will highlight a member of the Offensive Line:

#70  Dale Greene

Position Offensive Line
Height 6-3
Weight 300
Class Redshirt Freshman
Hometown Buford, Ga.
High School Buford HS

Prior to Western Carolina: Four-year varsity letter winner ... Two-time state championship, helping compile a 53-6 record over his four-year career ... Also participated in track & field and wrestled as a prep.

Personal: Full name is Michael Dale Greene, prefers to go by Dale ... Is the son of LuAnn and Mike Greene ... Has an older sister, Caroline.

71 Days Until Catamount Football - Brian Cochran

 

It's now 71 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC. 

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

No Catamount player is currently assigned to #71, so we will highlight a member of the Coaching Staff:  

Brian Cochran

Title  Defensive Line Coach



Brian Cochran joined the Catamount football coaching staff as the defensive line coach ahead of spring drills in mid-March 2022. Cochran is a veteran collegiate coach who spent the previous four seasons in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) between both the University of Akron and Kent State University.

Cochran came to Cullowhee having spent the past three seasons as the defensive line coach at the University of Akron. He coached at rival Kent State in 2018 where he mentored second-team All-Mid-American Conference defensive lineman Kalil Morris.

His experience also includes a year in the Southern Conference as he coached the defensive line at Chattanooga in 2017. That season, the Mocs led the league in total defense, allowing just 326.4 yards per game overall and just over 300 yards of offense against conference opponents. UTC also paced the SoCon in pass defense and allowed the second-fewest first downs.

Much of Cochran’s football career has ties in Northeast Ohio. Before his stints at Akron and Kent State, he spent 11 seasons as a coach and four as a player at John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio, just east of Cleveland. He served in a variety of roles including defensive line coach, defensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator, and director of football operations at his alma mater. The Blue Streaks made three NCAA playoff appearances from 2013-16 including a semifinals appearance in 2016, finishing 13th in the nation in rushing defense and averaged just over three sacks per game.

In six of his 10 seasons at JCU, Cochran was the defensive line coach with the squad pacing in the nation in several categories including rushing defense and points allowed per game. His 2015 defensive line unit led the nation in sacks (45) and landed four players on the all-conference team, while JCU’s 2014 NCAA quarterfinalist team ranked seventh in the nation in total defense.

Prior to returning to his alma mater, Cochran spent time as a head coach at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio, from 2003-06 and as an assistant coach at both MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Ill., and Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. In addition to football where he fostered 10 all-conference selections and one All-American, Cochran was the head wrestling coach at Heidelberg for two years.

A 1990 graduate of John Carroll University, Cochran was an All-American nose tackle as a senior in 1989, helping earn the program’s first NCAA Division III tournament bid. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1990. He was inducted into the JCU Athletic Hall of Fame on Sept. 30, 2011.

A native of Painesville, Ohio, Cochran, earned a master’s degree in education from Dayton in 1993.

72 Days Until Catamount Football - Kerry Webb

 

It's now 72 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC. 

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

No Catamount player is currently assigned to #72, so we will highlight a member of the Coaching Staff:  

Kerry Webb

Title  Special Teams Coordinator




Kerry Webb (pronounced "Curry") joined the Western Carolina football coaching staff in the spring of 2021, where he will serve as the special teams coordinator and coach the nickelbacks on defense.

Webb's collegiate coaching experience spans four different institutions, including Valdosta State, Tusculum, Jacksonville University, and the University of Florida, where he earned his start as a student video assistant. During his coaching career, Webb has coached 14 all-conference players, and his recruiting efforts led to the signing of two All-Americans and three players who progressed onto the NFL.

Webb came to Cullowhee after a couple of coaching stints at Valdosta State, starting as a graduate assistant in the mid-2000s and most recently, returning as the special teams coordinator and running backs coach from 2017-20. He was the program’s recruiting coordinator from 2019-2021 and was named interim head coach in January of 2019 during VSU’s coaching search.

Webb was a part of Kerwin Bell's staff on Valdosta State's 2018 undefeated season, winning the NCAA Division II National Championship. In 2019, VSU also won the Gulf South Conference title as it went 10-0 overall through the regular season and 8-0 in conference play. VSU finished the season 10-1 as it earned a berth in the NCAA Second Round.

Under Webb's guidance, 2018 VSU freshmen running backs Jamar Thompkins (first-team) and Seth McGill (second-team) both garnered All-Gulf South Conference honors. In addition, kicker Andrew Gray became the VSU Blazer all-time leading scorer while also being voted second-team All-Gulf South Conference. In 2019, Thompkins and McGill earned first-team all-conference honors, while kicker Fernando Ramirez earned second-team all-league accolades.

Before returning to Valdosta in 2017, Webb took a position at Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tenn., where he spent one year as the associate head coach and special teams coordinator while also coaching the wide receivers. Webb's direction helped produce first-team All-South Atlantic Conference honors for return specialist Jay Boyd in 2016.

On the back end of his time with the Blazers as a graduate assistant in the mid-2000's, Webb transitioned into his first full-time coaching position as a running backs coach and special teams coordinator at Jacksonville University under Bell.

Notable accomplishments throughout Webb's career include the guidance of the Jacksonville running backs in 2010, which led the Dolphins offense to a No. 1 ranking in the country. The squad nearly repeated the feat in 2013 with a No. 5 ranking, and the Dolphins ranked 3rd nationally in overall scoring during that same season. Webb also coached Jacksonville University's career all-time leading rusher Rudell Small and second all-time leading rusher Ulysses Bryant. He additionally coached the school's career all-time leader in kickoff return yards and average per return, Colby Walden.

A 2004 graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor of arts degree in sociology, Webb earned his Master's degree in Education Health and Physical Education from Valdosta State in 2006.

73 Days Until Catamount Football - Rylan Wells

 

It's now 73 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC. 

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

No Catamount player is currently assigned to #73, so we will highlight a member of the Coaching Staff:  

Rylan Wells

Title Offensive Coordinator



Rylan Wells joined the Western Carolina football coaching staff in the spring of 2021, working with the Catamount tight ends and fullbacks. He was later named the program's recruiting coordinator. In January 2024, Wells was promoted to the position of Offensive Coordinator by WCU head coach Kerwin Bell.

A former college quarterback under Bell, Wells has experience coaching across the field having worked with nearly every position group during his career. Wells came to Cullowhee initially after a year at Tusculum University.

Over the past three seasons at WCU, Wells has been a part of the Catamount offensive coaching staff that has broken the school record for total offense twice with 5,339 yards in 2022 eclipsed by a record 5,545 yards last fall. WCU has scored an average of 33.9 points per game on an average of 486.8 yards of total offense since 2021. Wells has been an integral part of the staff as one of the coaches in the press box each week. His younger brother, Rogan, finished his collegiate career at WCU in 2021 with the sixth-most passing yards in a single season at 2,595 yards, capping a career that included stops at Valdosta State and Tusculum.

While coaching at Tusculum University with Kade, Wells mentored the Pioneers’ running backs. He was a part of claiming the 2021 spring South Atlantic Conference championship. He also served as the video coordinator while at Tusculum.

In the five-game 2021 spring schedule, Tusculum averaged 37.6 points per game and over 530 yards of offense per game including 139.2 yards per game on the ground. Under Wells’ tutelage, the junior running back tandem of TJ Jones and Maurice Gomillion accounted for 501 rushing yards and nine of the team’s 12 scores on the ground. The duo also recorded 26 receptions for 368 yards in five games, an average of 73.6 receiving yards per game, and amassed 173.8 yards of total offense per game.

Wells earned his coaching start on staff at his alma mater Jacksonville University for two seasons (2018-2019) where he was an offensive graduate assistant. With the Dolphins, he coached the offensive tackles in 2018 and the wide receivers in 2019. The 2018 Jacksonville offense ranked third in the nation in rushing, averaging 345.3 yards per game while boasting the nation’s fifth-ranked individual rusher in Calvin Turner, who ran for 1,431 yards in 10 games and posted the nation’s third-best average per game (143.1). Wells additionally served as the film coordinator for JU during the 2019 campaign.

Originally from Tega Cay, S.C., Wells was a member of the Jacksonville football team from 2013-2017 where he started at quarterback for 34 games. He finished his collegiate career ranked among the top five in Jacksonville history in rushing touchdowns (20), pass completions (257), passing attempts (444), completion percentage, and total offense (5,519 yds).

A 2017 team captain at Jacksonville, Wells started in all 11 games under center, passing for 1,480 yards and 11 touchdowns while also rushing for 472 yards and eight scores. A three-time Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Week honoree, he was recognized as an Honorable Mention for the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Week following a performance against Davidson College that included five combined touchdowns and a Dolphins win.

In 2016, he became the first Jacksonville player to lead the Dolphins in both rushing and passing yards in the same season, accumulating 1,744 passing yards and 614 yards on the ground in 10 games. He scored 11 touchdowns and fell one score shy of the program single-game record against Marist, rushing for four scores in one game.

Wells earned a bachelor's degree in business management from Jacksonville in 2018 and completed his master’s degree in sport management in 2020.