Now in his second stint as offensive coordinator, Greg Stevens returned to the Southeastern football program in January 2018.
Stevens returned to Hammond, where he was the offensive coordinator for former head coach Ron Roberts’ first two seasons at SLU. His second season saw the Lions win the 2013 Southland Conference championship and make the program’s first-ever trip to the NCAA Playoffs.
In 2022, the Lion offense averaged 35.3 points per game and 439.8 yards per contest, both good for the FCS top 20. Southeastern was also 13th nationally with 291 first downs on the way to the 2022 Southland Conference championship. John Allen was named SLC Offensive Lineman of the Year and was among fellow SLU All-SLC offensive honorees Gage Larvadain, Carlos Washington Jr., Ivan Drobocky and Jhy Orgeron.
Stevens, who also coaches the quarterbacks, engineered one of the top seasons by a quarterback in FCS history by Lion signal caller Cole Kelley in 2021. The Southland Conference Player of the Year, Louisiana Offensive Player of the Year, Walter Payton Award runner up and consensus All-American threw for 5,124 yards and 44 touchdowns on 406-for-552 passing (73.6 completion percentage), while also rushing for a team-high 491 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Kelley led the FCS in passing yards, total offense, completion percentage and points responsible for, as his 60 total touchdowns (44 passing, 16 rushing) were one off the single-season FCS record set by Willie Totten in 1984. Kelley’s single-season totals for passing yards (2nd), total offense (5,615 yards, 3rd) and passing touchdowns (10th) were all among the best performances in the history of FCS football.
Kelley was the leader of a Southeastern offense that finished among the national leaders in third-down conversion percentage (52.1, 2nd), fourth-down conversion percentage (70.0, 5th), completion percentage (72.8, 1st), first downs (376, 1st), passing offense (407.2, 2nd), scoring offense (45.1, 1st), passing efficiency (173.35, 2nd) and total offense (551.8, 2nd) under Stevens’ direction. Kelley, Southland Freshman of the Year Larvadain and SLU career receiving leader Austin Mitchell were part of an all-conference offensive contingent that included Allen, Nolan Givan, Rendon Miles-Character, Taron Jones, Jalen Bell, Drew Jones and Ethan McMullan.
Under his tutelage in the 2020 season that was moved to the spring, Kelley won the Walter Payton Award – the Heisman of the FCS – and was a consensus All-American. Kelley, the Southland Conference and Louisiana Offensive Player or the Year was one of nine All-Southland Conference offensive players under Stevens in spring 2021, as CJ Turner, Bell, McMullan, Damien Dawson, Mitchell, Drew Jones, Miles-Character and Cooper all were named among the league’s best.
Kelley threw for 2,662 yards and accounted for 27 touchdowns (18 passing, seven rushing and two receiving) in the seven-game spring season to lead a high-powered SLU offense. SLU ranked in the top 10 nationally in passing offense, scoring offense, total offense, pass efficiency, third down conversion percentage, fourth down conversion percentage and red zone offense.
The 2019 Lion offense was one of the nation’s most explosive, finishing ranked among the national leaders in total offense (484.8 ypg, 2nd), passing offense (354.4 ypg, 2nd), first downs (322, 5th) and scoring offense (36.6 ppg, 12th) on the way to the third FCS playoff appearance in school history.
Doubling as quarterbacks coach, Stevens schooled the 2019 tandem of Chason Virgil (3rd in FCS with 3,791 passing yards; 25 TD) and Kelley (team-high 10 rushing touchdowns). Stevens’ offense was the only one in FCS with five different pass catchers over 500 receiving yards. Under his tutelage, Virgil, Mitchell, Pat Allen, Bransen Schwebel, Jarius Gooch and Devonte Williams all earned All-Southland Conference honors.
In his first season back with the Lions in 2018, Stevens tutored Virgil, who led the Southland Conference and ranked ninth in the Football Championship Subdivision with 3,034 passing yards. Wide receiver Juwan Petit-Frere earned All-American all-purpose honors, while Petit-Frere, Schwebel, Allen and running back Darren Johnson received All-Southland recognition.
Stevens came back to the Southeastern campus after spending four seasons as the offensive coordinator at Eastern Illinois. During his first season at EIU, the Panthers ranked among the national leaders in total offense (480.1 ypg, 13th), rushing offense (236.3 ypg, 11th) and scoring offense (31.3 ppg, 38th). His 2014 EIU offense featured a pair of All-Americans and six All-OVC performers.
Stevens’ debut season in Hammond saw the Lions post a 5-2 record in Southland Conference play. His 2012 SLU offense featured four All-Southland Conference performers. Stevens’ tutelage of quarterback Nathan Stanley led to the Lion senior’s participation in the East-West Shrine Game and the Casino del Sol Collegiate All-Star Classic.
The 2013 Southeastern offense was the most prolific in the history of the program under Stevens’ command. Led by Southland Conference Player of the Year and LSWA Offensive Player of the Year Bryan Bennett, SLU finished with an 11-3 record and a 7-0 mark in league play.
The Lion offense featured a pair of All-Americans in Bennett and running back Xavier Roberson, as Southeastern placed 10 offensive players on the All-Southland Conference teams. SLU set single-season records that still stand for rushing yards (3,271), rushing touchdowns (42), points scored (538) and total touchdowns (70). Bennett’s 3,145 yards passing and 21 passing touchdowns were among the best in school history, while the Lion quarterback also set a school record with 16 rushing touchdowns in his debut season under Stevens’ direction.
Stevens first worked with Roberts’ staff at Delta State. In his two years as offensive coordinator, the Statesmen advanced to the 2010 Division II national championship game and the 2011 national semifinals. His offenses both ranked 12th nationally, as he mentored Micah Davis to a third place showing in the Harlon Hill Trophy voting and coached three-time All-American Trevar Deed – the only player in Gulf South Conference history to finish his career with 2,000 yards both rushing and receiving.
Prior to joining Roberts, Stevens spent four seasons as the wide receivers coach at Utah State. Offensive coordinator stints at Stephen F. Austin (2002-04) and Arkansas-Monticello (1999-2001) preceded his time at USU. Stevens also spent time at Mesa State (1992-94), Eastern Arizona (1995-97) and Snow Junior College (1998).
A 1992 graduate of Eastern Oregon, Stevens was an All-Conference quarterback at Snow JC before concluding his career at his alma mater, where he was team MVP as a senior. The Ephraim, Utah native is married to the former Amy Steadman and they have three children, Tyler, Ryan and Hannah.
