Tyson Summers

Tyson Summers is an American college football coach and is the head coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles football team. He was named to the position at the end of the 2015 season.^[1]

Playing career

A four-year letterwinner at Presbyterian Blue Hose, Summers earned All-South Atlantic Conference honors as a linebacker in 1999 and was selected as team captain as a senior. He received his bachelor's degree in political science from Presbyterian in 2002.^[2]

Coaching career

Colorado State

2014-2015 Defensive Coordinator

UCF

2012-2014 Linebackers, Defensive Coordinator In his first full season at the DC level in 2014, Summers guided the top defense in the American Athletic Conference. UCF ultimately went 9-4 on the year with a spot in the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl and back-to-back conference titles. Opponents averaged less than 300 yards per game (298.5), including six which posted less than 100 rushing yards and nine schools had less than 200 passing yards.^[2]

UAB

2011 Safeties/Co-Special Teams Coordinator 2007-10 Linebackers Summers had been on UAB's staff since December 2006 as the Blazers' linebackers coach and was their safeties coach and co-special teams coordinator in the final season of his tenure.

In his first year working with the UAB safeties in 2011, Summers helped mentor Jamie Bender in his senior season as he led the Blazers with 119 tackles. Bender also posted 7.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, six break-ups and four forced fumbles. He was voted on to the All-C-USA Second Team for that performance. On special teams, UAB ranked 17th in the nation by allowing just 4.71 yards per punt return, while freshman kicker Ty Long was named a 2011 Freshman All-American by Phil Steele's College Football Preview.

Summers took over UAB's linebackers in 2007, where Joe Henderson was named to the All-C-USA Second Team. In 2008, Henderson climbed up to the first team thanks to a team-high 87 tackles as well as 12.5 tackles for loss, and went on to play for the BC Lions of the CFL from 2010-11. With a new wave of linebackers under Summers' control in 2010, Marvin Burdette paced the Blazers with 114 tackles en route to All-C-USA Honorable Mention accolades. While Summers was with UAB, kicker Swayze Waters was an All-C-USA First Team pick in 2007 and 2008, and has appeared in NFL preseason games highlighted by a stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011. ^[2]

Georgia Southern

2006 Safeties Summers coached the safeties at Georgia Southern in 2006.

Georgia

2005 Graduate Assistant/Defensive Backs Summers served as a graduate assistant for Georgia in 2005. That season the Bulldogs won the SEC title and earned a berth in the Sugar Bowl. Summers worked with the secondary and witnessed three UGA defensive backs get selected in the NFL Draft: Tim Jennings (second round, First-Team All-SEC), DeMario Minter (fifth round, First-Team All-SEC) and Greg Blue (fifth round, First-Team All-American). ^[3]

Troy

2004 Graduate Assistant/Wide Receivers During the 2004 season Summers was a graduate assistant at Troy, which reached the postseason and the Silicon Valley Classic.

Presbyterian

2003 Defensive Backs In Summers 2003 helped guide the defensive backs at Presbyterian.

Tift County (Ga.) High School

2002 Assistant Coach/Defensive Backs Summers earned his first coaching position at Tift County High School in Georgia where he was taking care of the defensive backs in 2002.

References