BYU Football Hires 33-Year Coaching Veteran Darrell Funk As Offensive Line Coach
Feb 5, 2021, 8:30 PM
ANN ARBOR, MI - APRIL 16: University of Michigan offensive line coach Darrell Funk watches the action during the annual Spring Game at Michigan Stadium on April 16, 2011 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
(Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
PROVO, Utah – BYU football has a new coach to oversee the offense line and that’s Darrell Funk.
Head coach Kalani Sitake announced the hiring of Funk late Friday night.
#BYU has hired Darrell Funk as its new offensive line coach.
Here is Funk’s resume, prior to #BYU.#BYUFootball #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/IWFewKh0q2
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 6, 2021
“Darrell is an exceptional football coach with extensive experience teaching tough, physical offensive line play,” Sitake said. “I’m excited to have him join Coach Roderick and our offensive staff and start working with the great young men we have in our program. He knows BYU from his days at Colorado State as a player and then as a coach under Sonny Lubick, and also at San Diego State working with Brady Hoke. We are happy to now welcome Darrell to Provo to be part of Cougar football.”
Funk was previously the offensive line coach at UTSA in 2019. He also had Power 5 coaching stops at Purdue in 2016 and Michigan from 2011-14.
“What an honor it is for me to join the BYU football program as the offensive line coach,” Funk said. “I am really excited by this opportunity to join Coach Sitake, Coach Roderick and the rest of the staff as we work to build on the tremendous 2020 season. BYU has an unbelievable tradition of excellence, both on and off the field, and I am looking forward to helping build on that success. I’m looking forward to meeting the players I’m going to coach and to get to work.”
Funk replaces Eric Mateos who departed BYU after two seasons to take Baylor’s offensive line spot with Jeff Grimes. Offensive Coordinator Aaron Roderick cast a wide net with his coaching search and took his time to find a line coach who could continue the success that the Cougars experienced upfront in 2020.
Last season, BYU’s offensive line was a Joe Moore semifinalist. An award that is given to the top offensive line unit in college football.
With the hire of Funk, BYU now has a full 10-man staff plus head coach Sitake as spring practices get started on March 1st.
Prior to Michigan, Funk had coaching stops at San Diego State and Ball State with Brady Hoke, Colorado State, and Northern Illinois at the FBS level. Funk’s first year in coaching was in 1987 when he became a student assistant coach at his alma mater Colorado State.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m., KSL Newsradio). Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper and the KSL Sports app.
