James Wagner - Varsity Head Coach
James Wagner - Varsity Head Coach

2024 Assignment: Head Coach, Defensive Coordinator

Current vertical jump: 24

Twitter/X: @CoachWagner31

Years coaching: 11 Seasons

Coach resume:

  • Gaylord High School - Assistant
  • Taylor University - Grad Assistant
  • Fossil Ridge High School - Assistant
  • Summit High School - Head Coach
  • T.C. West High School - Head Coach

Playing Experience:

  • 4 years @ Gaylord High School
  • 1 year @ Taylor University

Why you love coaching Titan Football: I love Titan football because of the opportunity to coach young men about a game that truly applies to life. Football is a tough, competitive, hard, but most of all fun team game to be apart of. It provides me the opportunity to give back to student athletes to be apart of something bigger than themselves.

Aaron Tillman
Aaron Tillman

2024 Assignment: Tight End/H Back/ JV Offensive Coordinator

Current vertical jump: N/A

Twitter/X: N/A

Years coaching: 10

Coach resume:

  • Kingsley- Varsity Defensive Backs/Wide Receiver/Co Defensive Coordinator,
  • Youth football coach

Playing Experience:

  • Northern Michigan University

Why you love coaching Titan Football: Developing players

Brant Wilson
Brant Wilson

2024 Assignment: Varsity Offensive Coordinator / QBs coach

Current vertical jump: 22 inches. Give or take.

Twitter/X: @CoachWilsonB

Years coaching: 16

Coach resume:

  • Gaylord High School - Head Coach/ Coordinator
  • Goshen High School Goshen, IN. Varsity Coordinator
  • Grand Rapids Northview - Varsity Coach
  • Caro High School Caro, MI - Varsity Coach.

Playing Experience:

  • MHSAA 1999 Academic All State

Why you love coaching Titan Football: I love helping these young men strive to attain their goals, and I love being around the group of guys overall.

Darren Frechette
Darren Frechette

2024 Assignment: Offense - Receivers

Current vertical jump: Better than Coach Smith

Twitter/X:

Years coaching: 31

Coach resume:

  • Sault Area High School

Playing Experience:

  • Sault Area High School
  • Olivet College

Why you love coaching Titan Football: Enjoy building connections with the players and coaches.

Eric Gordon
Eric Gordon

2024 Assignment: Linebackers Coach

Current vertical jump: 52

Twitter/X: @egordo43

Years coaching: 2

Coach resume:

  • West and only West

Playing Experience:

  • 3 year starter at TCW
  • 4 year starter at MSU
  • 1 year NFL

Why you love coaching Titan Football: I have titan pride, and love teaching young adults skills that I wish I knew at that age.

Jeff Skomp
Jeff Skomp

2024 Assignment: Freshman Assistant Coach / Varsity D-Line Coach

Current vertical jump: 24

Twitter/X:

Years coaching: 3

Coach resume:

  • Pop Warner Football assistant coach (2023)
  • West Middle School 8th grade boys basketball coach (2023)
  • YMCA 7th grade boys basketball (2022)
  • YMCA 8th grade boys basketball (2023)

Playing Experience:

  • Ann Arbor Pioneer High School 1993-1997
  • All SEC Team 1997
  • 2nd Team All SEC Team 1996
  • Saginaw Valley State University 1997-1999

Why you love coaching Titan Football: I love coaching Titan football because I get to be there for the kids as they push themselves, learn, and grow—both as athletes and as people. Watching them come together as a team and seeing their hard work pay off is one of the most rewarding feelings I know.

Jordan Stevenson
Jordan Stevenson

2024 Assignment: Freshman Offensive coordinator/ running backs coach

Current vertical jump: 8 inches

Twitter/X:

Years coaching: 4

Coach resume:

  • Northern Michigan University Football (Video Coordinator))
  • Norway-Vulcan Area Schools (Special Teams Coach)
  • Camden-Frontier Schools (JV Head coach)
  • Traverse City West Middle School (8th grade Offensive Coordinator)
  • Traverse City West Senior High (Running backs coach/Freshman Head Coach and offensive coordinator)

Playing Experience:

  • Traverse City West Senior High (4 years)
  • Captai - Beat Central in OT

Why you love coaching Titan Football: This is the best school, the best fans, the best band, the best community in the state. There’s nothing but love and Titan pride in this program!

Josh Nycz
Josh Nycz

2024 Assignment: Offensive Line

Current vertical jump: 42" at WMU, now prolly 20"

Twitter/X:

Years coaching: 10

Coach resume:

  • Macomb Lanse Creuse North - Varsity QB Coach
  • Charlevoix High School - Varsity Offensive Line Coach/Special Teams Coordinator
  • Central Lake High School- Head Football Coach
  • Gaylord High School - Varsity WR Coach
  • Traverse City West - JV Offensive Coordinator, Varsity Offensive Line Coach

Playing Experience:

  • East Detroit High School - All State Football, Basketball, Track
  • Western Michigan University Football and Basketball
  • St Mary's College Basketball

Why you love coaching Titan Football: James Wagner

Kelly Smith
Kelly Smith

2024 Assignment: Varity Special Teams Coordinator & Inside Linebackers/Defensive Line

Current vertical jump: Not as high as it once was.

Twitter/X:

Years coaching: 22

Coach resume:

  • 2002 Holland Christian 8th Grade DC / Defensive Line
  • 2003 Holland Christian 9th Grade DC / Defensive Line
  • 2004 Holland Christian 10th Grade DC / Defensive Line
  • 2006 Traverse City Central Varsity Defensive Line
  • 2007 Kingsley Varsity Defensive Line
  • 2008-2012 Traverse City West Varsity Defensive Line
  • 2013-2015 Traverse City West Varsity Inside Linebackers
  • 2016-2021 Traverse City West Varsity Special Trams Coordinator / Inside Linebackers
  • 2022 Traverse City West Defensive Coordinator / Inside Linebackers
  • 2023 Traverse City West Special Teams Coordinator / Inside Linebackers

Playing Experience:

  • Hamilton High School - All Conference, All Area Linebacker senior year
  • Hope College 95-99

Why you love coaching Titan Football: Football is the greatest game ever invented and gives so many opportunities to learn life lessons.

Ryan Olson
Ryan Olson

2024 Assignment: WR Assistant Coach, Freshman Assistant Coach

Current vertical jump: 25

Twitter/X: @Coach_ROlson

Years coaching: 10

Coach resume:

  • 2023-present: TC West Senior High, WR Position and Freshman Assistant Coach
  • 2021-2022: Glen Lake Middle School, Assistant Coach
  • 2014-2020: Marion Iowa, Youth K-6 Head Coach

Playing Experience:

  • WR
  • OLB

Why you love coaching Titan Football: I love helping kids push the boundaries of what they think they are capable of!

Dave Hendrix
Dave Hendrix

2024 Assignment: JV Head Coach

Current vertical jump: 9

Twitter/X:

Years coaching: 5

Coach resume:

  • East Middle School
  • West Middle School

Playing Experience:

  • Oxford High School 1988
  • Rochester College, Rochester Hills Michigan

Why you love coaching Titan Football: The best part of coaching Titan football is the life lessons and relationships.

Thiyo Lukusa
Thiyo Lukusa

2024 Assignment: JV offensive line

Current vertical jump: 3.5’’

Twitter/X:

Years coaching: 1

Coach resume:

  • N/A

Playing Experience:

  • Michigan State
  • University of Arizona

Why you love coaching Titan Football: Giving back to the community that raised me.

Tyler Perkette
Tyler Perkette

2024 Assignment: Defensive Coordinator JV, Defensive Backs

Current vertical jump: Maybe 30 ?!?

Twitter/X:

Years coaching: 4

Coach resume:

  • Glen Lake Defensive Backs

Playing Experience:

  • 3X Conference Champ Safety Winona State University. 200+ Career Tackles
  • All Conference RB, DB
  • Spec. Teams Player of the Year
  • Dream Team All Region Safety -Traverse City West.

Why you love coaching Titan Football: It’s work that gives you energy.

Dave Kenny
Dave Kenny

2024 Assignment: Freshman Head Coach

Current vertical jump: Approximately .003 centimenters

Twitter/X:

Years coaching: 37

Coach resume:

  • TCAPS since 1987. Football, Baseball, Basketball, Track.
  • Kingsley JV Defensive Coordinator 2001-02.
  • Freshmen Coach TC West 2008-2012
  • JV Coach TC West 2012-2016
  • Director of West Middle School Football 2017-2022.
  • Varsity Girls Softball Coach TC West 2019-2023

Playing Experience:

  • Elk Rapids High School

Why you love coaching Titan Football: I love kids

Jim Laurent
Jim Laurent

2024 Assignment: Everything, everywhere

Current vertical jump:

Twitter/X:

Years coaching: 11

Coach resume:

  • Grayling Schools
  • Traverse City Schools

Playing Experience:

  • Grayling High school
  • GVSU (football)

Why you love coaching Titan Football: