LAKELAND, Fla.—Southeastern University head football coach Keith Barefield has announced the hiring of Drew Engels as the new offensive line coach and run game coordinator for the Fire.
Engels comes to SEU after spending the past three seasons as the offensive line coach, assistant head coach, and recruiting coordinator at Warner University. There, he tutored two-time AFCA All-American tackle Dajshon Oliver. Under the tutelage of Engels, the Royals’ offensive line went from giving up nearly three sacks per game to 1.3.
“I’m excited to be at such a strong Christian institution in Southeastern, and work for Coach Barefield, who has an outstanding reputation,” said Engels. “They’ve done some great things offensively over the past four years, and we have some talented guys that I’m looking forward to working with.”
During the 2014 season, Engels was a graduate assistant for Chuck Martin at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, working with the Redhawks’ offensive line. He also spent two seasons working at Western Michigan University under coaches Bill Cubit and P.J. Fleck.
“Drew Engels is an excellent addition to our coaching staff,” said Barefield. “As our offensive line coach and running game coordinator, he will serve as a perfect compliment to Coach Joseph. He has a proven track record of excellence in coaching offensive linemen, which can be credited to his broad background of coaching and serving under some of the best offensive coaches in the game today.”
Engels has also coached at Hope College, where he graduated from, as well as Grand Valley State University, helping the Lakers reach the NCAA Division II Championship, and Grandville High School.
During the 2017 season, the Fire offensive line cleared the way for the top scoring offense in the NAIA at 55.1 points per game, and cleared the way for the second-best rushing attack at 330.4 yards per game, and allowed just 1.2 sacks per game.
The Fire finished the 2017 season 8-2 and won their third consecutive conference title.
