Kwahn Drake - Football Coach - University of Colorado Athletics

TCU

Oct 4 (Sat)

5:30 p.m.

Kwahn Drake

Title:
Assistant Coach/Defensive Line
Email:
kwahn.drake@colorado.edu

Last update on July 19, 2018

Kwahn Drake is in his first season as the defensive line coach, working with both the ends and the tackles, as he joined Mike MacIntyre’s University of Colorado staff on January 24, 2018.

He came to Colorado after serving as the defensive line coach for the 2017 season at Eastern Illinois University. On the fast track as a rising star in the profession, EIU head coach Kim Dameron had promoted Drake to co-defensive coordinator following the season. The Panthers finished 6-5, with a 5-3 record in Ohio Valley Conference play for third place and including a win over a ranked Tennessee State team.

At EIU, under Drake’s tutelage, David Johnson earned second-team All-OVC honors for a second consecutive season. Under Drake’s tutelage, he finished his senior season with 51 tackles, 9.5 tackles for a loss which included three-and-a-half quarterback sacks. He ranked 11th in the OVC in sacks and 12th in tackles for a loss.

Prior to his one-year stint at EIU, Drake spent the 2016 season as an offensive analyst for the University of Memphis under head coach Mike Norvell. The Tigers finished 8-5 and earned an invitation to the Boca Raton Bowl. The offense was the second most-prolific in program history, amassing 6,028 yards of offense and scoring 57 touchdowns and 505 points, all the second-highest numbers in school annals. The Tigers’ 3,957 passing yards and 303 completions both were the third-most for a season in school history, with 34 touchdown passes a school best.

He got his start in coaching in 2008 as a student assistant at his alma mater, Nicholls State, where he assisted with the defensive line and scouting reports. In 2009, he served as the defensive line and special teams coach for St. James (La.) High school, where it finished as the District 8-3A co-champions.

He then moved on New Orleans’ St. Augustine High School as defensive line coach for two years (2011-12). The Purple Knights claimed the District 10-4A championship in 2011 and finished as District 10-5A co-Champions in 2012. He was also the recruiting coordinator and academic advisor, and saw 25 of his players receiving football scholarships at NCAA Division I colleges during his time at St. Augustine.

His first taste in the collegiate coaching ranks came as graduate assistant at Tulane in 2012; he was named the full-time defensive line coach for the 2014-15 seasons, the latter of which saw his players help Tulane rank 12th in the FBS in tackles for a loss per game. In 2012, Drake assisted the Green Wave defensive unit that ranked 22nd in the nation in total defense (352.1), 17th against the rush (123.7) and 18th in scoring (21.4).

He received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in computer information systems from Nicholls State in 2009. He earned his master’s degree in Liberal Arts from Tulane in 2013.

A New Orleans native, he graduated from Destrehan (La.) High School where he lettered in football, basketball and track. Drake had spent most of his life in the Central Time Zone and noted that the farthest west he had ever been in the United States was when he interviewed for the CU position.

AT-A-GLANCE—He has coached in 24 Division I-A (FBS) games as a full-time coach, and with 11 more on the FCS level, he’s coached in a total of 35 collegiate games.

COACHING EXPERIENCE
2009	St. James (La.) HS	Defensive Line/Special Teams
2010-11	St. Augustine (La.) HS	Defensive Line
2012-13	Tulane	Graduate Assistant
2014-15	Tulane	Defensive Line
2016	Memphis	Offensive Analyst
2017	Eastern Illinois	Defensive Line
2018-	Colorado	Defensive Line