Assistant Coach | Defensive Tackles/Director of Football Operations
SUU ‘04
2024: 20th Season at SUU
Ryan Hunt is in his 20th year on the Thunderbird staff and his 19th as a full-time member after serving the 2004 season as a student-assistant. Coach Hunt has worked with the offensive and defensive side of the ball, and currently serves as Assistant Coach with the defensive line and Director of Football Operations.
Durining the 2023 campaign, Hunt helped the Thunderbirds to achieve a 6-5 record, the first winning season since 2017 for Southern Utah. Additionally Hunt has coached several players over the last two seasons who have received accolades from both the WAC and the United Athletic Conference.
In the 2022 season, Hunt helped lead the Thunderbirds to a 5-6 overall record with a 2-3 mark in Western Athletic Conference play.
Through the 2021 spring season, Hunt mentored the duo of Francis Bemiy and Greg Rogers, who combined for 46 tackles and 5.5 sacks. The defensive-line duo led their positional unit in nearly every statistical category and kept the Thunderbirds close in every game. Bemiy Would go on to finish his senior season at SUU and become the 9th overall draft pick in the 2023 CFL draft. Bemiy was picked by the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League.
During the 2019, Bemiy led the Thunderbird defensive line in tackles with 51 total. Under coach Hunt’s direction, he also finished the season with five tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries and two sacks. Bishop Jones also had a very productive season in 2019, as he finished the season with eight tackles for loss and three sacks.
On coach Hunt’s defensive line in 2018, Lehi Afatasi led the way in tackles. He finished the season with 26 tackes, 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Raymond Fiame and Watson Asi were closely behind in terms of total tackles, with 25 and 24 respectively.
In 2017, Hunt’s defensive line was a terror for opposing offenses. Under Hunt’s guidance, Anu Pole’o was named First Team All-Big Sky by racking up 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Robert Torgerson was named Second Team All-Big Sky and Chance Bearnson was named Honorable Mention. Hunt’s defensive front was critical in Southern Utah’s push for a Big Sky Conference Championship.
Coach Hunt helped former Thunderbird and current Oakland Raider James Cowser during his time at Southern Utah, overseeing him on the defensive line. While playing for the Thunderbirds Cowser broke the FCS record in the tackles for loss category, which was held by NFL great Jared Allen. In 2015 Cowser was named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year, and named to several All-American teams while competing under the guidance of coach Hunt.
In 2012 Coach Hunt's defensive line ranked among the nation's leaders in sacks, averaging 2.64 per game, the fifth-best mark in the Big Sky and the 27th-best in the country. The D-line was also a big reason the Thunderbirds led the Big Sky and were among the nation's elite in red zone defense. Two of Hunt's defensive linemen earned all-Big Sky and all-American honors, tackle Cody Larsen, who was a first-team all-BSC honoree and end James Cowser, who earned honorable mention all-BSC honors and freshman all-American recognition.
In 2011 Coach Hunt directed a unit which finished 13th in the FCS in sacks with 2.82 per game. The pressure applied by the SUU line were definite factors in the Thunderbirds ranking 19th against the pass, allowing just 178.2 yards per game through the air.
Hunt was also the position coach for Tyler Osborne, the Great West Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2011, as well as Larsen, a 2011 all-GWC performer.
In 2010 SUU's run defense was one of the best in the school's history, as the Thunderbirds held opponents to just 1,279 yards on the ground, the program's fifth-best effort in an 11-game season. The 2010 defense also ranked third in SUU's 11-game history in total yards allowed, giving up just 3,407 yards. In addition to its success against the run, the 2010 unit ranked 21st nationally in total defense and 17th in scoring defense after allowing just 19.18 points per game. SUU also ranked 24th in the FCS with 2.45 sacks per game and 25th in tackles for loss with 7.09 per game. Osborne and Larsen earned all-GWC honors in 2010 as well.
In 2008 Coach Hunt's unit ranked 18th in the country in tackles-for-losses and he saw two of his players, defensive tackles Austin Curtis and Aaron Fernandez, earn first-team all-GWC recognition. Curtis was also an honorable mention all-American in '08 after ranking among the nation's leaders in both sacks and tackles-for-loss. In 2009 defensive tackle Chad Westwood earned all-conference honors.
Coach Hunt spent the 2006 and 2007 seasons as offensive line coach before moving back to the defensive side, where he began his coaching career. As offensive line coach, Hunt helped mold a unit which improved the Thunderbird offense in almost every statistical category. SUU's rushing offense improved by nearly 71 yards per game, moving it up 51 spots in the national rankings from 2005 to 2006, and in 2007, despite playing one of the toughest schedules in the country, the SUU offense continued to improve.
In 2004, Hunt helped coach a Thunderbird defense that ranked sixth in 1-AA total defense, including a No. 7 ranking against the run. In 2005 as a full-time member of the coaching staff Coach Hunt coached three all-Great-West honorable mention defensive linemen.
A 2003 graduate of SUU, Coach Hunt was a three-year starter at offensive tackle for the Thunderbirds before joining the staff. While playing for the Thunderbirds Coach Hunt started 33 straight games from his sophomore to senior seasons, never missing a game during his career.
A native of Erda, Utah, he is a graduate of Tooele High School, where he was an all-state and all-region performer. Coach Hunt and his wife Sami are the parents of three children, Hadli, Haze, and Huxen.
