The 2011 season will be Jeff Schmedding’s seventh year on the Eastern Washington coaching staff. He will coach safeties for the second year after coaching linebackers the previous two seasons. He will also continue as coordinator of EWU special teams and as video coordinator.

In 2010, he coached All-America safety Matt Johnson, who earned first-team All-Big Sky Conference honors after finishing the season with 105 tackles, five interceptions and eight passes broken up. Schmedding also groomed a pair of inexperienced players for the other safety position – sophomore Jeff Minnerly (honorable mention All-Big Sky) and freshman Allen Brown – as EWU won the NCAA Division I title. Eastern led the NCAA Championship Subdivision in interceptions with 26.

On special teams, junior Darriell Beaumonte earned first-team All-Big Sky Conference honors, senior Jesse Hoffman returned three kickoffs for scores and ranked seventh in the FCS (28.5 per return), and punter Cameron Zuber earned honorable-mention all-league accolades after ranking 29th nationally (40.3 yards per punt).

The linebackers he coached in 2009 included junior J.C. Sherritt, who was named to all six FCS All-America teams and was second in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award given to the top defensive player in the FCS. He set school and Big Sky records with 170 total tackles as he led the FCS with an average of more than 14 stops per game. Sherritt earned first-team All-Big Sky honors and senior Makai Borden earned honorable mention.

In 2008, a trio of Schmedding’s linebackers earned honorable-mention All-Big Sky Conference honors – Borden, Sherritt and Zach Johnson. In addition, return specialist Nicholas Ramos earned honorable mention for special teams play.

Schmedding coached safeties in 2007 – including two-time All-Big Sky performer Bryan Jarrett. He previously worked with linebackers (2005) and the secondary (2004) as a graduate assistant in his first two seasons at EWU.

He graduated in 2002 from Eastern with his bachelor’s degree in health education and a minor in physical education/coaching. He was a health and fitness teacher at University High School in Spokane Valley for two years, and coached football. He was defensive coordinator and coached linebackers for the Titans in 2002 and 2003.

While he was an EWU undergraduate, he also did his student teaching at U-Hi in 2001 and coached football. In 1999 and 2000 he coached the defensive line, and in 2001 he coached linebackers. The Titans were Greater Spokane League champions in 2000. He also helped coach track and field from 2002-2004.

Schmedding graduated in 1996 from University High School where he was a standout wrestler and football player. He was the runner-up at the State 3A Wrestling Championships in the 215-pound division.

He and his wife Kristine were married in July 2006. Their son, Jack Conrad Schmedding, was born on Oct. 27, 2009 – conveniently between EWU’s victories over Montana State on Oct. 24 and Portland State on Oct. 31.