FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Jan. 17, 2024) – Northern Arizona University head football coach
Brian Wright has finalized his coaching staff with four new additions.
Wright welcomes linebackers coach
Aaron Cheatwood, special teams coordinator
Josh Robinson, strength and conditioning coach
Matt Sommers, and defensive line coach
Manako Tuifua.
The four join defensive coordinator
Adam Clark, offensive line coach
Bryan Larson, defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator
Devante Sims, running backs coach
Terry Swanson, tight ends coach
Nick Fett, and wide receivers coach and offensive pass game coordinator, Jerry Diminno who joined the Lumberjacks in December.
To read more about the entire coaching staff, see below. To read more about the assistant coaches hired in December, click
here.
Aaron Cheatwood – Linebackers Coach
Aaron Cheatwood joined the Lumberjacks in January of 2024 as the linebackers coach. The 2024 season is his first on staff. Cheatwood comes to NAU from New Mexico State where he served as a defensive analyst.
Before New Mexico State, Cheatwood was the Defensive Coordinator for Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kansas. Cheatwood started at Garden City as a defensive line coach in 2019 before being elevated to the defensive coordinator in June of 2021.
During his first two seasons as defensive line coach, the Broncbusters finished in the top 20 in yards per game allowed (14th in the spring and 20th in 2019). During that same time frame, he tutored two All-Americans in defensive end, Ali Gaye, who signed with Louisiana State following the 2019 campaign, and defensive lineman, Raymond Cutts, who returns for his second season in Garden City as a Rivals Preseason NJCAA All-American. Cheatwood was also the defensive coordinator with the Broncbusters.
Cheatwood has strong ties to the state of Arizona with his previous stops at Yuma Catholic and Arizona Western.
During his eight years at Yuma Catholic, Cheatwood carried multiple titles: offensive line coach, defensive line coach, defensive backs coach, quarterback coach, defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator, assistant athletic director, and head football coach. The school played in four state championships and won three.
Cheatwood began his career as the defensive line coach at Arizona Western College in the spring of 2007. The next two seasons, he moved over to the offensive side of the ball to coach the offensive line. During his time at Arizona Western, Cheatwood's position group was ranked near the top in the NJCAA with multiple players moving on and producing in the NFL. He also coached the El Toro Bowl with Arizona Western in 2009.
After graduating from Parker High School in 2004, Cheatwood played two years at Dana College in Blair, Neb. and also attended Arizona Western. A native of Parker, Ariz., Cheatwood and his wife Bre have two sons, Carson and Duke.
Manako Tuifua - Defensive Line Coach
Manako Tuifua joined the Lumberjacks in January of 2024 as the defensive line coach. The 2024 season is his first on staff.
Tuifua comes from Texas A&M - Kingsville where he was also the defensive line coach for the Javelinas during the 2023 season. In 2023, Tuifua produced four all-conference players and one newcomer of the year. As a defense, the Javelinas led the conference in sacks (24) and interceptions (15).
Before his time with the Javelinas, he was the defensive line coach at Lane College. With the Dragons, Tuifua coached defensive All-American Andrew Farmer who led the country in tackles for loss, as the Dragons were nationally ranked on defense with the second most defensive touchdowns and 11th in tackles for loss.
Before he was at Lane College, he served as the defensive line coach at Angelo State from March 2019 – February 2022 as the defensive line coach. Manako helped produce one All-American defensive lineman and seven Lone Star Conference (LSC) selections. Additionally, he assisted the Rams' defense to the top spot in several statistical categories within the LSC including total defense, rush defense, third-down defense, defensive touchdowns, sacks and interceptions. The Rams also had the second-best pass defense and scoring defense in the conference during his tenure.
Tuifua's first coaching stop was at Azusa Pacific in 2013 after finishing his collegiate playing career at APU where he was named the GNAC Defensive Lineman of the Year in the Cougars' first season of Division II competition. With the Cougars, Tuifua produced 15 all-conference defensive linemen and one lineman of the year contributing to the winningest five-year period in program history that featured four conference championships.
A native of Hawaii, Tuifua played his first two seasons of college football at Pasadena City College before graduating from APU with a degree in sociology in 2013.
Josh Robinson – Special Teams Coordinator
Josh Robinson joined the Lumberjacks in January of 2024 as the special teams coordinator. The 2024 season is his first on staff. Before coming to NAU, Robinson was a special teams analyst at Oregon.
Prior to working with the Ducks, Robinson spent two seasons with the Toledo Rockets as a quality control coach and working with special teams. Robinson was an offensive graduate assistant at Ole Miss in 2017. He spent the spring of 2017 as a quality control coach at Louisiana-Monroe.
Robinson was born in Raleigh, N.C., and grew up in Bellville, Texas. He earned his bachelor's degree in kinesiology at Sam Houston State in 2016. He served as a student assistant coach from 2013 to 2016 at Sam Houston. He and his wife, Angelica, have three kids, Isabella, Theo, and Charlie.
Matt Sommers – Football Strength and Conditioning Coach
Matt Sommers joined the Lumberjacks in January 2024 as the football strength and conditioning coach. The 2024 season is his first on staff.
Before NAU, Sommers spent two seasons at Pittsburg State University with Coach
Brian Wright as the Director of Sports Performance.
Before Pitt State, Sommers was the Director of Sports Performance at Youngstown State University. At YSU, he oversaw program development and day-to-day operations of eight sports performance coaches. Sommers worked with the Penguins football, baseball, volleyball, cross country and track and field athletes.
Prior to YSU, Sommers also worked in strength and conditioning and sports performance positions at the University of Findlay, the University of Texas, and Kent State University. He earned a bachelor's degree in exercise science at Kent State in May 2018, after enjoying a four-year football career for the Golden Flashes (2014-17).
