2020 - Craig Jersild took over as the defensive coordinator in 2019 and now has 15 total seasons under his belt, as part of the Eagles' staff, spread over the past 28 years.
Jersild's work with the CSC defensive backs and special teams has been impeccable. His DBs regularly hold down one of the top passing defenses in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, and his special teams units have led the league in multiple statistical categories annually, including kick return average, punting average, blocked punts, kick and punt return defense, and blocked kicks and punts allowed, in each of the past seven years.
Under Jersild, better known as ‘Coach Jersey,’ the Eagles' total pass defense has been in the top three of the RMAC for 6 of the past 10 seasons, leading the conference three times.
He coached a DB unit in 2012 which accumulated 19 of the team’s 21 interceptions and they broke up another 29 passes. The 21 interceptions is the most by a CSC football team since the 1995 season. He guided All-RMAC performer Trelan Taylor to several All-American teams and two other of his defenders earned accolades from the RMAC.
While coordinating special teams at CSC, Jersild mentored Zach Smith, who holds the CSC career punting yardage record, and Zack Kozlik, who nearly took that record in 2018. Cody Paul finished in 2016 with the record for most kick return yards, and Randy Wentz (2013-16) is CSC's field goal percentage leader.
Prior to joining the Eagles full-time in 2010, and taking the special teams assignment, Jersild coached the Eagles’ secondary from 1992 to 1995 as a graduate assistant and he was a volunteer assistant coach during the 2007 season.
Beyond CSC, his coaching resume is impressive. He was an assistant coach at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City for a year, the defensive coordinator at Butler County Community College for two years, the defensive coordinator at Northwest Mississippi College for three years, and then he was at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas for four years, serving as the head coach for three of those seasons.
While he was the head coach at Hutchinson Community College from 2003-06, he tallied a record of 18-22.
Perhaps his biggest achievement came in 1998 when Butler County won the National Junior College championship.
Northwest Mississippi had a 33-3 record during Jersild’s tenure, and Hutchinson advanced to the playoffs the first two years he was head coach.
Jersild was born in Texas, but graduated from Monte Vista High School in Alamo, Calif., where he was an all-conference player.
He was a starting defensive back at Colorado State University, where his career culminated in the 1990 Freedom Bowl and a 9-4 season record.
Jersild, who graduated from Colorado State with a degree in social science in 1992, and his wife Sandy, have four children, Jessica, Lane, and twins Beau and Drew. Lane joins the staff this fall as a coaching assistant.
