New Marietta College head football coach Tom Kaufman recently solidified his coaching staff for the 2025 season with the hiring of four new assistant coaches and announced some promotions of some returning coaches. The new additions include Austin Cordova, Scott Sallach, Chase Farris, and Colin Hughes. Longtime assistant Tom Hinkle was given the promotion of associate head coach.

“I am excited to promote Tom to associate head coach,” Kaufman said. “We believe in increased responsibility through demonstrated excellence, and Tom certainly did an excellent job as the interim head coach. Under his leadership, weight room numbers increased, recruits either committed or remained interested, and the core of the football team stayed together. This is no easy feat, so it was an easy decision to promote Tom, who is a phenomenal defensive line coach and strength coach as well. His track record of developing All-American defensive linemen speaks for itself.”

Cordova, a 2015 graduate of Baldwin Wallace University, will serve as defensive coordinator and coach the linebackers. He spent last season as the linebackers coach for Ithaca College.

In that year, Ithaca’s defense gave up less points and rushing yards than the prior year and drastically improved their pass efficiency defense.

He coached a defense that improved from 62nd in red zone defense in 2023 to 21st in Division III last year.

The Perry, Ohio native has also had stops at the University of Rhode Island, Austin Peay, and with OAC-foe Ohio Northern University. Along with coaching duties, Cordova also has experience in recruiting and has covered a lot of ground in those stops along the way.

“Austin comes highly recommended.” said Coach Kaufman.

“He stood out in the interview process because of his intensity and energy, but most importantly his knowledge of both front end and back end play. He also works very hard to develop relationships with his players, going above and beyond to show his guys how much he cares. He’s a football guy and will do a great job leading our defense.”

Sallach, who will serve as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, brings with him over 15 years of coaching experience to the Pioneers, including eight years as the tight ends coach at Division I Mississippi State University. During his tenure, Sallach coached and gave instruction to several players who would go on to have successful careers in the National Football League. The 1994 graduate of Ursinus College helped Mississippi State improve its winning percentage during his tenure, including winning five of seven bowl games.

The Bound Brook, New Jersey, native spent time working in his home state where he coached wide receivers and quarterbacks at Princeton University. At this stop, and many of his others along the way, Sallach was heavily involved in recruiting efforts.

“Scott has an incredible pedigree and is one of the most intelligent football coaches I’ve been around,” said Coach Kaufman. “His experience as a full-time coach in the SEC, the Ivy League, and the Patriot League will serve him well as our offensive coordinator. Scott is intense but also shows a great deal of love to his players. We are fortunate to have him running our offense.”

Ferris, a 2022 graduate of Centre College, will coach the offensive line. Before coming to Marietta College, he spent the last two season with the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology as their offensive line coach and video coordinator. Before that, the Louisville, Kentucky native served as offensive line coach and run game coordinator at Anderson University.

“Chase is an intelligent, driven, and highly organized offensive line coach,” said Coach Kaufman. “It felt like he was the top free agent on the market this offseason, as we had to battle several other schools for his services. In the end, we are fortunate he chose Marietta. Chase demands excellence from his guys and has a tremendous knowledge of not just offensive line fundamentals, but offensive schemes as a whole. He will also serve as our recruiting coordinator and has performed impressively in that role already.”

Hughes, who will coach the defensive backs, is a 2022 graduate of Heidelberg University. The Oak Hill, Ohio native spent the last two seasons as a graduate assistant defensive backs coach at his alma mater. He also gained experience in those seasons in recruiting and strength training.

“Colin is a passionate, dedicated, and strong-minded defensive backs coach,” said Coach Kaufman. “Colin is young, but he behaves and coaches like a savvy veteran. He is a great teacher on the field and in the meeting room and works extremely hard on the recruiting trail. He’s from Southern Ohio and we really liked his local ties. Colin’s future is bright.”

With the new additions, Kaufman also announced some other promotions to the staff. Bryce Agnew was named the wide receivers coach, Brandon Braham will coach the inside receivers, Chase Lawrence will coach the defensive ends, and Adam Eichhorn will return to coach the running backs. Connor Fee, Sal Laurie, Gabe Tingle, and Brady Panucci will serve as student assistant coaches this next year.

“Bryce is a former all-American running back who is constantly working on developing his craft,” said Kaufman. “Brandon and Chase are very intelligent young men who will no doubt have successful careers in this profession. Adam’s intensity and knowledge of running back play is invaluable to our program, and he also works very hard to really get to know his players. Connor has impressed me with his focus, intelligence, and work ethic. Having Gabe, Sal, and Brady as young student assistants really adds value to our staff. They relate well with our players but also demand the respect and attention of their respective groups.”

The Pioneers will open the season with the team they closed with in 2024. Marietta will travel to battle Westminster College for its season opener on Sept. 4, hoping to avenge their defeat in the 2024 Extra Points Bowl. Kickoff for this special Thursday night game is slated for 7 p.m.