Class: Junior Hometown: Holly Springs, N.C. High School: Holly Springs HS Height / Weight: 6-4 / 235 Position: D
2013 (Freshman): Played in 11 of the team's 12 games on the year, all as a reserve along the defensive front and on special teams ... Made his collegiate debut in the second game of the season at Virginia Tech, making his first career tackle against the ACC's Hokies ... Finished with 10 tackles including three solo stops in his freshman season ... Charted a career-high two tackles in three different games - setting the career-best at Samford and matching it against Wofford and Elon at home ... Missed portions of spring drills due to illness.
Prior to Western Carolina: Earned All-Tri-Nine Conference accolades as a senior, garnering first team defense honors ... Selected as the Holly Springs High Defensive Player of the Year ... Played as a defensive lineman and linebacker as a prep ... Was named the overall MVP as a junior at the National Underclassmen combine held in Greensboro.
Personal: Full name is Daniel Lawrence Nash ... Is the son of Evelyn Worthy and step-father, Patrick Worthy ... Was born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. ... Has an older brother, Michael Bayon Jr ... Is a member of the media ministry at his church, Wake Chapel, where he operates the boom camera during Sunday services.
• Head coach Jerome Souers enters his 17th season with Northern Arizona University. Souers, the longest tenured football coach in the history of the program, ranks second all-time in Big Sky history with 93 career victories.
• The 2013 season saw NAU post a 7-1 league record to finish second in the Big Sky (the highest finish since 2003), and a 9-3 overall record. The Lumberjacks earned an at-large bid to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs for the first time since 2003. Four players earned a total of seven All-American honors, while 19 Lumberjacks earned Big Sky All-Conference accolades. NAU finished the regular season undefeated at home with a 5-0 record. The ‘Jacks ranked as high as No. 8 during the season and finished ranked No. 15 in the final polls. NAU also led the FCS in defensive touchdowns. Souers was a recipient of the Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., Salute to Excellence Award.
• During his 16-year tenure, Souers has coached 149 student-athletes to all-conference honors a combined 239 times with 53 first-team selections and 76 All-American accolades.
• Souers and his team posted an 8-3 overall record in 2012, the best performance since the 2003 season. The record includes tying a school record eight consecutive wins which was sparked by a 17-14 win at UNLV. Included in the win streak was a 28-24 defeat over No. 14 Montana. The win snapped a 14-game losing streak to the Grizzlies and propelled NAU into the top 25 poll. The Lumberjacks had 22 players earn All-Big Sky honors, and three receive All-American accolades. Senior Austin Shank was named the College Football Performance Awards FCS Punt Returner of the Year.
• In the classroom, the football program has produced the Golden Eagle Scholar Athlete of the Year seven times (Blair Boynton, Eric Damko, Steve Gomez, Mark Gould, Paul Ernster, Jeff Wheeler and Jake Hess). Overall, the program has earned 144 Big Sky academic honors over the last 16 seasons with seven Academic All-Americans.
• In 2006, Jason Murrietta had a stellar senior season highlighted by a runner-up finish for the Walter Payton Award, All-America honors and his second Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year Award. He threw for 2,827 yards with a 65.0 completion percentage and a school-record 34 touchdowns, leading the Big Sky in passing efficiency (168.2) and total offense (243.1), while ranking fifth and 11th nationally.
• The 2003 season saw Souers become a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, an award presented by The Sports Network to the top head coach in I-AA football. Souers led the Lumberjacks to a record-breaking NCAA I-AA Quarterfinal appearance in 2003, and its first Big Sky Conference title since 1978.
• Behind the play of true freshman Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year Jason Murrietta, the Lumberjacks upset top-seeded McNeese State on the road and played host to the first home playoff game since 1996 with a quarterfinal appearance against Florida Atlantic. NAU finished ranked 10th in the national polls as Souers’ players were honored on and off the field for their performances. Eighteen players were recognized with All-Big Sky honors highlighted by first-team All-America accolades for punter Mark Gould, who was recognized by five different organizations. Gould led the accolades off the field, too. He was a CoSIDA Academic All-America selection for the second consecutive season as NAU led the nation with five CoSIDA academic all-district selections.
• In 2001, the Lumberjacks posted one of the nation’s most improved records, recording an 8-4 mark to tie for second place in the Big Sky Conference. NAU earned a berth in the I-AA playoffs for the second time in school history before dropping a 34-31 decision at Sam Houston State in the first round.
• Fifteen student-athletes were recognized with 2001 All-Big Sky Conference honors. All-Big Sky first-team selections linebacker Keith O’Neil signed as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys and won a Super Bowl title with the Indianapolis Colts in his fourth year in the NFL. Senior tackle Eric Damko was named to the Verizon Academic All-America squad for the second consecutive season.
• Souers was named the 1999 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year in his second season with the Lumberjacks.
• Souers showed his winning touch from the start in January 1998 when he took over a program in limbo, becoming the first NAU coach since Dwain Painter in 1979 to begin his career with a winning record.
• Despite dressing only 44 players for his first spring practice, including walk-ons, Souers led the Lumberjacks to a winning season. Highlights from Souers’ first season at NAU included the Lumberjacks’ first shutout of a Division I opponent (NAU 9, Cal Poly 0) in 31 games, two near road victories against league title contenders Eastern Washington and Montana State and a season-ending two-game winning streak.
• Souers arrived in Flagstaff after spending 12 years at Montana with a proven track record. His last eight seasons in Missoula he served as defensive coordinator. During his stay with the Grizzlies, Montana was transformed from a Big Sky also-ran into a perennial league and national title contender. Souers’ tenure in Missoula produced 12 straight winning seasons, seven playoff berths, four appearances in the national semifinals, a national runner-up finish (1996) and a national title (1995). Montana won three Big Sky titles during that span.
• The peak years during Souers’ stay at Montana came from 1993 to 1996. During that period, the Grizzlies made four straight playoff appearances, played in three semifinals and two national title games. The 1995 squad won the national title and the 1996 team was the NCAA runner-up. The four-year record for Montana during that time was 48-8.
• In 1996, when head coach Mick Dennehy was sidelined after undergoing major surgery, Souers stepped in as head coach and led the Grizzlies to victories over Cal State Northridge and Portland State.
• During Souers’ nine years as defensive coordinator at Montana, the Grizzlies twice ranked among the nation’s top-10 in rushing defense, finishing third in the country in that category in 1992. His last unit in Missoula led the Big Sky Conference in scoring defense.
• During the national title run, Souers’ defense became the first in NCAA history to post consecutive playoff shutouts (Eastern Kentucky and Georgia Southern).
• He coached six All-America defensive backs at Montana, including future NFL stars Tim Hauck of the Seattle Seahawks and Blaine McElmurry of the Green Bay Packers.
• In 1989, Souers added defensive coordinator to his duties and the Grizzlies posted an 11-2 record with an appearance in the national semifinals. Montana also tied a national interception record in one game with 10 picks vs. Boise State. A year later, the Grizzlies opened the 1990 campaign with a 22-15 road win at Oregon State.
• A hint of things to come came in 1988 when the Grizzlies went 8-4 and led the Big Sky Conference in all defensive categories.
• In 1984 he made his foray into the collegiate ranks, joining the staff at Western Washington where he coordinated the defense and coached the defensive backs. Souers then joined Don Read’s staff at then-Division II Portland State for one year as the running backs coach.
• He began his coaching career while still attending Oregon. Souers spent time on the staff at North Eugene High School and Williamette, working in the same area of the state where his father, Dwight, was a successful prep coach. Souers earned his degree in physical education in 1983 and upon graduation returned to the high-school ranks. He spent eight years coaching in Oregon high schools before making the move into college football.
• Jerome Souers was born May 20, 1958, in Oregon. He attended North Eugene High School, along with former Phoenix Suns coach and current President of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics Danny Ainge.
