Exactly a week after its defensive coordinator bolted to Florida, UTEP has named a replacement.
In a press release, head coach Sean Kugler announced that Scott Stoker has been hired as his new coordinator. Stoker will replace Jeff Choate, who took a job with the Gators as special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach.
“Coach Stoker has an outstanding resume,” Kugler said. “He has been a successful defensive coordinator, an offensive coordinator and a head coach at the FCS level. His defenses are outstanding statistically, in particularly rush defense and pressuring the quarterback, and that’s what we intend on doing here. We are excited to have him here on our staff.”
Stoker spent the past four years at Sam Houston State as the FCS program’s defensive coordinator. He was the head coach at his alma mater, Northwestern State, from 2002-08.
The UTEP job will be Stoker’s first at the FBS level.
“It’s an exciting time here,” Stoker said. “It’s going to be a fast haul over the next couple of months before we get things started but I’m excited about being here.”
(Photo credit: Sam Houston State athletics)