Football Head Coach
Jeff Sokol
E-mail: sokol@rose-hulman.edu
Phone: 812-877-8936
Jeff Sokol, the 17th head coach in the 119-year history of Rose-Hulman football, has helped the Fightin' Engineers continue their recent history of success.
The third-year head coach has helped Rose-Hulman continue the most consistent era in program history. The Fightin' Engineers enter the 2013 season with a school record eight consecutive years with records of .500 or above.
Sokol helped the Fightin' Engineers finish second in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference standings in 2011, matching the program's best league finish since 1988. His career record stands at 10--6 in HCAC action.
The 2011 team included Sokol leading an offensive unit that featured NCAA Division III all-purpose yardage national champion Kyle Kovach, who also set a new single-game school record with 246 rushing yards in a win at Anderson.
The 2012 squad won its last three games to finish 5-5 overall in a competitive season that featured three overtime games in a four-week span and the first triple overtime game in Fightin' Engineer history.
In Sokol's first sideline appearance as Rose-Hulman head coach, he helped lead the Fightin' Engineers to a 35-34 overtime victory over the Austrian National Team as part of the team's trip to Vienna and the Czech Republic in June 2011.
Sokol came to Rose-Hulman after spending the past 11 seasons as offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at the University of Chicago, a member of NCAA Division III and the University Athletic Association.
The Maroons captured UAA championships in 2000, 2005 and 2010, while recording three runner-up league finishes during his 11 years as coordinator under head coach Dick Maloney.
Sokol's efforts included recruiting planning and coordination at the internationally regarded academic institution.
Prior to his Chicago experience, Sokol spent one season at fellow UAA member Case Western Reserve University as the recruiting coordinator and defensive backs coach. He also spent two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Defiance College and one year as wide receivers coach at Kalamazoo College.
Chicago established a modern era school record with eight wins in 2010, including victories over Case Western Reserve and Washington University to win the league championship.
Sokol earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Kalamazoo in 1996 and completed a master's degree in education from Defiance in 1999.
Offensive Coordinator
Offensive Line Coach
Recruiting Coordinator
Brian White
E-mail: white1@rose-hulman.edu
Twitter: @CoachWhite_RHIT
Phone: 812-877-8471
Brian White begins his third season on the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology coaching staff and his second season as offensive coordinator in 2013.
White also serves as the team's recruiting coordinator and the offensive line coach.
White joined the Rose-Hulman coaching staff after serving assistant roles at the University of Cincinnati, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Maryland.
In his first season at Rose-Hulman in 2011, White's offensive line provided blocks that allowed Kyle Kovach to earn the NCAA Division III all-purpose yardage championship. The Fightin' Engineers also established a school record for total offense with 625 yards in a 53-50 win at Anderson as part of a second place season in the HCAC.
In 2012, White led an offensive line that featured a first-team all-HCAC selection (Trey Cahill) and a second-team Capital One Academic All-American (Nick Buchta).
White's efforts helped Cincinnati led the Big East Conference in almost every offensive category in 2010. The Bearcats had the league's top passing offense and produced the school's first 1,000 yard rusher since 2004. Additionally, five Bearcats received all-conference honors on the offensive side of the ball.
In 2009, while at Notre Dame, White assisted on an offensive staff that produced the eighth-rated offense in the nation, averaging 451.75 yards per game, and the winner of 2009 Biletnikoff Award.
During the 2008 season at Maryland, White also filled the role of special teams and tight ends coach in preparation for the Humanitarian Bowl. White's special teams unit featured a 99-yard kickoff return for touchdown, setting a bowl record, and helped Maryland defeat Nevada 42-35. Additionally, White also served on Maryland staffs that made appearances in the 2006 Champs Sports Bowl, beating Purdue 24-7, and the 2007 Emerald Bowl.
Prior to his stint at Maryland, White spent two seasons with the postgraduate football program at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., serving as offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. During his tenure at Hargrave, White tutored two future NFL offensive linemen, Branden Albert (Chiefs) and Jared Gaither (Ravens).
A native of Oakland, N.J., White is a 2004 graduate of Juniata College where he earned a bachelor's degree in history. He received a master's degree in special education from Maryland in 2008.
Defensive Coordinator
Brian Vaughn
E-mail: vaughnba@rose-hulman.edu
Phone: 812-877-8913
Brian Vaughn enters his fifth year on the Rose-Hulman defensive coaching staff and has completed three seasons as the team's defensive coordinator.
In his Rose-Hulman era, Vaughn has led a defense that has held 12 of a possible 29 opponents to 20 points or less. The Fightin' Engineers are 12-0 in those games.
The 2012 squad also featured three first-team all-conference selections, including one defensive lineman, one linebacker and one defensive back.
Vaughn served as assistant coach at NCAA Division III Western New England from 2005-08, including three years as defensive coordinator. He also coached a secondary that ranked sixth nationally in interceptions with 22 in 2005.
Vaughn played four years of varsity football at Illinois College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in exercise science in 2005.
Running Backs
Video
Nick Davis
E-mail: davis5@rose-hulman.edu
Phone: (812) 877-8560
Nick Davis begins his second season as running backs coach at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and will add video responsibilities for the 2013 season.
Davis spent the previous two years at Ottawa University on the defensive side of the football, coaching defensive backs in 2010 and linebackers in 2011. He helped coach 10 all-conference defensive players and also served as the junior varsity defensive coordinator. His efforts also included coaching three NAIA All-Americans.
At Rose-Hulman, Davis coached a unit that featured school record setting running back Kyle Kovach and emerging talent Danya Francis, who had three 100-yard rushing games in a four-game stretch in 2012.
Prior to his time at Ottawa, Davis served as a strength and conditioning football intern at the University of Michigan and Western Illinois University in 2010.
As a player, Davis earned three varsity letters and captured academic all-conference honors at NCAA Division III Monmouth College. He later served as a defensive line assistant at Monmouth.
Davis earned a bachelor's degree in physical education with a minor in communications from Monmouth in 2010. He also completed a master's degree in edcuation curriculum and instruction at Ottawa University.
Wide Receivers
Chris Scheidt
E-mail: scheidt1@rose-hulman.edu
Phone: (812) 877-8560
Chris Scheidt begins his second season as wide receivers coach at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
Scheidt most recently spent one season as wide receivers coach and recruiting assistant at the University of Cincinnati. His efforts helped the Bearcats recruit a class judged by national services as the top recruiting class in program history in 2012. He also served roles in game film breakdown, practice scripts, playbooks and data input.
In his first season at Rose-Hulman, Scheidt coached a wide receiving corps that featured second-team all-league selections Aaron Abbott and Jacob Dye.
Prior to his time at Cincinnati, Scheidt completed a football assistant practicum at Bowling Green State University. He helped organize and run the team's 7-on-7 passing camps, organized the budget and assisted with the team's recruiting process.
Scheidt played four seasons of college football as a wide receiver at Bowling Green State. He earned a bachelor of science degree in sports management with a minor in marketing in 2011.
Defensive Line
Etta Tawo
E-mail: tawo@rose-hulman.edu
Phone: (812) 877-8557
Etta Tawo begins his second season as defensive line coach at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
Tawo comes to Rose-Hulman following a one-year stint as the defensive line coach at Bridgewater College in Virginia and one year on the defensive line staff at the North Dakota State College of Science.
His efforts included film breakdown, assisting the defensive coordinator, developing players and through strength and conditioning activities, preparing scout teams, and monitoring team study sessions.
At Rose-Hulman, Tawo coached a defensive line group that featured first-team all-conference selection Dean Griffing, who tallied 16 tackles-for-loss and 10 sacks last season.
Tawo completed an NCAA Division I playing career at Clemson University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business management in 2010. He competed in the 2006 Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando and also played on a 2007 Music City Bowl team in Nashville.
While at Clemson, Tawo served as a student coach on the defensive line from 2007-10. He served on the coaching staff for teams that qualified for the 2009 Gator Bowl, 2009-10 Music City Bowl, and won the Atlantic Coast Conference Atlantic Division title in 2010.