Fort Lewis College Athletics announced the hiring of Darrius G. Smith as the Skyhawks Head Football Coach in February of 2020, making him the 15th head coach in the program's history.
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.
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.
His 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.
