Jan. 8, 2025

Ferris State duo selected as FootballScoop Division II National Coordinators of the Year

A pair of Ferris State University football coaching staff members have been honored for their work during the Bulldogs' recent national championship season as co-defensive coordinators Ryan Hodges and Tony Annese were chosen as the 2024 FootballScoop Division II Coordinators of the Year presented by AstroTurf.

The Bulldog duo were selected as the recipients of the award by past winners.

Hodges previously claimed the distinction following Ferris State’s 2021 championship. Annese, who is the nephew of Bulldog head coach Tony Annese, earned the honor for the first time.

Ferris State structures its defensive staff differently than most, in that both of its co-coordinators' positional responsibilities are in the secondary. That structure worked for the Bulldogs, as their back-to-front identity resulted in yet a third Division II national championship in 2024.

Ferris State defended 442 passes in 2024, permitting 229 completions (51 percent) for 2,450 yards (163 per game/5.54 per attempt) with 11 touchdowns against 20 interceptions. The Bulldogs ended the year ranked fourth in interceptions and sixth in passing efficiency.

The Bulldogs were also stout against the run, allowing a hair over 100 yards per game and nine total touchdowns on 518 runs defended.

Overall, Ferris State allowed 264.1 yards per game (12th in Division II), 13.1 points per game (seventh) and forced 31 turnovers (third).

In its run to through the Division II playoffs, Ferris State limited the nation's No. 3 scoring offense at the University of Central Oklahoma to a season-low 17 in the opening round, the nation's top scoring offense Harding University to a season-low seven, and in the national championship game, No. 1 seed Valdosta State University to a season-low 14.

A Ferris State graduate, Hodges first played under Tony Annese at Montrose High School and began coaching as a Ferris State student in 2002 after first playing 40 games and collecting all-conference honors as a player.

Hodges then coached under Annese at Muskegon High School, then at Grand Rapids Community College. Together, the pair have won two high school state championships, two NJCAA national titles, and now, three Division II national championships.

Annese played at Central Michigan before joining the Bulldogs' staff in 2019. He is Ferris State's co-defensive coordinator, pass game coordinator, and defensive backs coach.

The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by AstroTurf are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football.

The finalists were Brandon Anderson and Trent Earley, Valdosta State; Justin Bane, Central Missouri; James Curlee, Central Oklahoma; Eric Fargo, Kutztown; Roddy Mote and Luke Tribble, Harding.

Hodges and Annese were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year's winner.

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