Coaching Staff

Willie Cashmore
Special Teams Coordinator / Co-Defensive Coordinator / Defensive Line

Willie Cashmore, a former Drake University football standout, returned to his alma mater for the 2013 season. He was promoted to co-defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator for the 2019 season and also coaches the Bulldogs’ defensive line. In his first season back at Drake in 2013, Cashmore coached the Bulldogs' tight ends and following that year he coached the Bulldogs' defensive line while also assisting with special teams.

In 2019, several Bulldogs defensive linemen had outstanding seasons. Gavin Dineen earned his second-straight All-Pioneer Football League First Team honor while Erin Morgan was named to the All-PFL Second Team for the second consecutive year. Jacob Hardy and Victor Jergens collected All-PFL Honorable Mention accolades. Jergens was later named to the CoSIDA Academic All-American First Team.

Former Bulldogs defensive lineman Nathan Clayberg had an outstanding final season in 2018 being named the Pioneer Football League Defensive Player of the Year. Clayberg recorded 33 tackles including 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 stacks, and also broke up six passes and blocked two kicks.

That 2018 season, Clayberg and the others on the Bulldogs' defensive line were instrumental in helping the defense be one of the best in the nation. The Bulldogs' defense ranked ninth nationally in scoring defense (19.1 ppg), ninth in total defense (296.0 ypg), sixth in rushing defense (96.8 ypg), 10th in interceptions (17 INT), 10th in tackles for loss (8.1 TFL/g) and 15th in defensive touchdowns (3). Clayberg was selected to the All-PFL First Team for the second-straight year while Dineen earned his first All-PFL First Team honor. Morgan was picked to the All-PFL Second Team while Peter Read garnered All-PFL Honorable Mention honors.

Cashmore's  2017 defensive line group ranked second in the PFL with 27 sacks and was led by First Team All-PFL selections Clayberg and Tanner Evans. Clayberg led the Bulldogs' defensive line with 44 tackles, while Evans led the group with six sacks. To go along with their success on the field, Clayberg and Evans were just as successful in the classroom as they both were named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.

Under Cashmore's direction, Josh Lee was named 2016 Pioneer Football League Special Teams Player of the Year, while return specialist Terry Wallen, Clayberg, Evans and Mack Marrin each received All-PFL honors.

In 2015, Cashmore led Marrin to first-team All-PFL honors and guided seniors punter Cam Bohnert, long snapper Michael Vankat, and defensive lineman Al Wegener to honorable mention honors. Marrin was named the PFL Freshman Defensive Player of the Year.

Cashmore helped guide seniors Matt Acree and Brett Park to first-team All-PFL honors and sophomore Mack Marrin as PFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and honorable mention honors in 2014.

In his first season at Drake, he helped coach Eric Saubert to first-team All-PFL honors with 549 yards on 47 catches with two touchdowns. During that season, the Bulldogs’ tight ends accounted for 40 percent of the team’s receiving yardage and 47 percent of the team’s catches.

Prior to returning to his alma mater, Cashmore spent four seasons as an assistant at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa. In those four seasons, he helped transform the Reivers from a first-year program in 2009 to an NJCAA National Championship in 2012.

During the national championship season, Cashmore coached the team’s defensive backs and special teams as the team recorded a sterling 12-0 record en route to the title with 10 Reivers earning All-America honors. During his first three seasons at IWCC, he coached the team’s running backs and also oversaw the program’s special teams in 2010 and 2011.

As a student-athlete, Cashmore lettered four seasons at Drake (2003, 05, 06, 07) and received a bachelor’s degree in math education in 2007. On the field, he set program records and led the Pioneer Football League in scoring with 108 points in 2006 and tied the single-game scoring record with 30 points in a contest at Jacksonville. He also ranked ninth nationally in the FCS in scoring that season while earning All-PFL honors.

Following his graduation, Cashmore spent a year in China teaching English through Drake’s Teach in China Program before joining the staff at IWCC.

Cashmore is married to the former Kara Engebrecht, a fellow Drake graduate and volleyball student-athlete. The couple have twins, Lydia and William. Cashmore's younger brother, Pat, was also a member of the Bulldogs’ football program.

Al Smith
Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers

Al Smith joined the Drake coaching staff for the 2014 season as linebackers coach and was promoted to defensive coordinator for the 2019 season. In addition to his coordinator position, he coaches the team’s linebackers and coordinates quality control for the program.

Prior to Drake he spent six seasons at St. Scholastica where he was the defensive coordinator his last two seasons.

In his first season as defensive coordinator, Smith's linebackers were led by fifth- year Zac Rujawitz who led the Bulldogs in total tackles with 68, including an impressive career-high 18 in the season-finale win over Davidson. Rujawitz was recognized for his outstanding final season by being named to the All-Pioneer Football League First Team. Fellow linebacker Andrew Shafis earned All-PFL honorable mention honors.

During the 2018 season, Smith's linebackers were instrumental in helping the defense be one of the best in the nation. The Bulldogs' defense ranked ninth nationally in scoring defense (19.1 ppg), ninth in total defense (296.0 ypg), sixth in rushing defense (96.8 ypg), 10th in interceptions (17 INT), 10th in tackles for loss (8.1 TFL/g) and 15th in defensive touchdowns (3). Kieran Severa earned All-PFL First Team honors while Conner Willis earned second team honors. Rujawitz and Tyler Terveer collected honorable mention honors.

Smith's linebackers helped the Bulldogs lead the PFL in total defense in 2017 as well as pass defense. Mike Maize was named to the PFL Second Team and Severa earned All-PFL honorable mention accolades. In 2016, Smith coached Taylor Coleman to his second All-PFL honor. Smith guided John Hugunin to earn third-team FCS STATS All-American, third-team AP All-American and first-team All-PFL honors in 2015. Hugunin graduated as Drake's all-time leader in career tackles.

In his first season at Drake, Smith helped Hugunin and Coleman to All-PFL honors as both finished the 2014 season in the top-10 in the league in tackles.

In his two seasons guiding St. Scholastica’s defense, the Saints boasted the top defense in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference while winning a pair of conference titles with two NCAA Division III playoff appearances.

Allen began his career at St. Scholastica in 2008, the program’s first season, as the team’s defensive backs coach. Three years later his work resulted in an undefeated season and conference title for the fledgling program.

He received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wingate University where he was a two-time team captain, all-conference selection and the team’s leader in tackles.

Al and his wife, Amber, have two sons, Allen, Jr. and Gabriel.

John Bloss
Defensive Assistant / Secondary / Recruiting Coordinator

John Bloss returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach for the 2017 season. He coaches the Bulldogs' defensive backs and serves as the program's recruiting coordinator.

Safety Will Warner has collected back-to-back All-Pioneer Football Legaue First Team honors in 2018 & 2019. Warner earned Associated Press FCS Football All-America First Team honors in 2018 after was second in the nation in interceptions with eight to also tie the Drake program record. He also led the nation in interception return yardage at 223 total yards.

In his first season guiding the defensive backs, Bloss coached three All-PFL selections, Jabari Butler, Kyrell Newell and Terry Wallen. Bloss' DBs helped the Bulldogs lead the PFL in pass defense with 199.7 yards per game.

Bloss returned to Des Moines after spend the last two years working as director of business development at Mission Kite String, a non-profit organization focused on raising local leaders in the country of Haiti.

Bloss spent the summer of 2016 working with the non-profit Josiah-Venture in Bulgaria, where he served as a huddle leader for their sports wilderness camp.

As a student-athlete, Bloss was a four-year starter from 2012-15 as a defensive back and recorded over 150 career tackles, three interceptions and 22 pass breakups. He received a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management in Dec., 2015.

Jackson Ostroski
Offensive Assistant / Tight Ends

Jerome Grey
Offensive Assistant / Running Backs

Grey joins the Drake University football coaching staff for the 2020 season after serving as a defensive back coach at Taylor University for the 2019 season.

Prior to Taylor, he was on the coaching staffs at Al Raby High in Chicago and Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Before his time as an assistant coach in the prep ranks, Grey served as a student assistant following his playing career at Wheaton College. He played running back at Wheaton and graduated with a degree in interpersonal communication in 2018.

PJ Hedrington
Defensive Analyst

PJ Hedrington joined the Drake University football coaching staff as a volunteer assistant defensive line coach for the 2019 season. Hedrington assists co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach, Willie Cashmore, with the Bulldogs’ defensive linemen.
 
Hedrington, who served as an assistant coach at several Iowa high schools and as the head coach at Shenandoah High School, is on the teaching staff at Des Moines Roosevelt High School as a GEARUP Iowa Advisor. He served as the Roughriders’ Interim Head Coach for the 2018 season. His high school coaching career includes stops as an assistant at Atlantic, Adair-Casey, and Kuemper Catholic.

Adam Gajo
Offensive Assistant / Wide Recievers

Adam Gajo joined the Drake football coaching staff as an offensive assistant in July, 2021 ahead of the 2021 season.

Prior to Drake, Gajo coached the running backs and wide receivers for four seasons at Rancho Bernardo High School, in San Diego, Calif.

Gajo brings a total of eight years of coaching experience on the offensive side of the football, at both the junior college and high school levels.

Gajo, a native of San Diego, graduated from Mira Mesa High School in 2002, where he played wide receiver. Gajo walked on at UNLV and later earned a full athletic scholarship with the Rebels. Following a career-ending foot injury, Gajo worked for the UNLV football program helping with film breakdown and recruiting materials. At UNLV, he worked with Drake’s offensive coordinator, Kirk Wherritt.

Gajo graduated from UNLV in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. In 2011, he earned his MBA from Ashford University.

Nate Thompson
Offensive Assistant / Offensive Line

Nate Thompson enters his first season as the offensive line coach for Drake football in 2022.

Thompson arrived in Des Moines after a two-year stint at Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash., from 2020-22, where he also served as the offensive line coach. Prior to Whitworth, he mentored the offensive linemen at high school  powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., from June of 2019 to February of 2020.

The Carmel, Ind., native graduated from Wheaton College in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and International Relations. Thompson was an offensive lineman for the Thunder from 2015-18.

Christian Nussbaum
Defensive Assistant / Defensive Line

CJ Butt
Defensive Assisant / Defensive Backs

Barney Munro
Special Teams Assistant