DURANGO, Colorado — Fort Lewis College Athletics is excited to announce the hiring of Darrius G. Smith as the Skyhawks next Head Football Coach heading into the 2020 season.

Smith and Fort Lewis College inked a three-year contract on Friday for him to become the 15^th head coach in program history. His first day on campus is scheduled for Monday, February 24.

"Coach Smith is committed to Skyhawks Football and we're committed to supporting his vision for taking Fort Lewis College football to the next level," said Fort Lewis College Director of Athletics, Brandon Leimbach.

Smith brings a resume that features over 20 years of collegiate coaching experience to Durango, which includes success at the NCAA Division I FCS and FBS levels.

"I couldn't be more excited, honored, and proud to be the head football coach at Fort Lewis College. Together, my staff and I are going to work so hard to put a product on Ray Dennison Memorial Field that everybody can take such pride in," Smith said. "And not only that, but pride in how we reconnect with our football alums, engage the community, how we collaborate across campus and, of course, how we work in the classroom."

Coach Smith spent the 2019 season at Bryant University as the Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach and has helped transform offenses at Massachusetts and Villanova.

Under Smith's tutelage at UMass, Marquis Young went on to be a three-time Doak Walker Award candidate; an award given to the top running back in the country. Young rushed for over 3,000 yards and scored 29 touchdowns at UMass, while Smith's running back group posted 22 rushing touchdowns in 2018 — the most in UMass' FBS history — and averaged 141 yards per game. Smith would also serve as the Offensive Recruiting Coordinator during his final season at UMass.

Prior to his time at UMass, Smith spent eight seasons at Villanova, where he helped the Wildcats to the 2009 FCS National Championship. The program qualified for the postseason four times, including two CAA conference titles during Smith's tenure.

The Wildcats featured a prolific rushing attack, leading the CAA in rushing in five of Smith's eight seasons — 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 — including a league-leading 252.8 yards per game in 2012.

Smith also has made successful coaching stops at Northeastern (2004-06), James Madison (2002-04), Idaho (2001-02), Indiana (Pa.) (2000-01) and at New Mexico Highlands University (1995-2000), where he served as the Co-Offensive Coordinator for the Cowboys during their run to a RMAC Championship in 1999.

"Coach Smith is a high energy coach, a relentless recruiter and possesses an outstanding offensive mind along with a passion for serving student-athletes both on and off the field. He firmly believes in shaping the lives of young men and pushing them for a lifetime of achievement beyond football," Leimbach said. "He is one of the most driven people I have ever met and he's fired up to win a lot of football games along the way."

Smith's coaching career began at his alma mater Frostburg State University as a student assistant following his collegiate playing career as a defensive back. He was a three-year starter for the Bobcats, a NCAA Division II program in the East Coast Conference, and earned his bachelor's degree in Health and Physical Education.

In addition to his collegiate experience, Smith also received an NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the summer of 2005.

He now prepares to take over a Fort Lewis team that finished 3-7 overall in 2019, starting the season 3-2 before being decimated by injuries over the final two months. Despite the attrition, the Skyhawks boasted the third-ranked defense in the RMAC (21.3 points allowed per game) and are set to return over a dozen starters heading into 2020.

"I hope everyone's ready for an exciting, passionate, fast-paced, aggressive and attacking style of football played across all three phases of the game like people haven't seen on the Rim before," Smith exclaimed. "I can't wait to get to work with our student-athletes and prepare for next fall."