Brown not wasting time making changes with UCA staff

CONWAY, Ark. — After a disastrous 6-6 season, Central Arkansas coach Nathan Brown isn’t wasting time making changes. Changes are coming and we are starting to find out what.

Some of it will involve some logical deductions after UCA released a statement that Brown is making some adjustments to his coaching staff following the 2024 season, including his return to the role of quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.

Brown, who just finished his seventh season as UCA’s head coach, was the Bears’ offensive coordinator for four years prior to taking over the program in December 2017. He is the UCA career leader in nearly every passing category from his time as a player for the Bears from 2005-2008. Ken Collums has been in the role of offensive coordinator for the last few years.

No announcement has been made about Collumns’ status. He has been a head coach (at Abilene Christian) for five seasons, so he has the experience for a lot of different areas.

“I’m excited about the future of our program and the direction it is going,” said Brown, whose injury riddled Bears finished 6-6 overall this season after being ranked in the FCS Top 25 for much of the season. “When every season ends, as a head coach, you evaluate your staff, the players and yourself as an entire program. And obviously we didn’t meet the standards this year that we set forth every single year for the UCA football program. And with that is the evaluation of what can make us better moving forward.

“I’ve been fortunate to be the head coach here at UCA for seven years, and one of the reasons I was fortunate enough to get that job was the success we had on offense and as an offensive coordinator and play caller. And putting us in a position to have a lot of success, not only within the conference, but obviously playoff bids and postseason play.”

Reading between the lines makes it pretty clear Collums will be doing something else. Brown, who had 10,558 passing yards and 100 touchdown passes during his playing career, plans to take over the daily operations of the Bears’ offense.

“I’m going to make some adjustments on the offensive side of the ball with the way we’re going to do things moving forward,” he said. “I’m going to assume the play-calling duties and also the offensive coordinator duties with day-to-day operations of that side of the ball and all that that entails in getting ready for a season and getting ready for a football game.

“And I will also assume coaching quarterbacks. I feel like I have an expertise in developing quarterbacks in that room and have had a lot of success with some of the top quarterbacks that have ever played in this program. And with taking over game-day play calling and offensive coordinator duties, I felt it was right and correct for me to also assume the quarterback coaching duties as well.”

Brown, a 2016 UCA Sports Hall of Fame inductee, coached three first-team All-Southland Conference quarterbacks while serving as offensive coordinator (Nathan Dick, Hayden Hildebrand, Wynrick Smothers), including the SLC Player of the Year (Hildebrand) and SLC Offensive Player of the Year (Smothers). Brown also coached four of the most prolific offenses in school history as offensive coordinator.

“I’m very excited about this transition,” Brown said. “Change can sometimes be hard, but sometimes change is necessary. And in this case I feel like it’s necessary. I feel like we got relatively stale over the last couple of years, and as the head coach it’s your job to steward a program the way you think it should be run to take it to another level. And I trust not only myself but the staff we’ll have in place on offense, as I take this enhanced role, to have success moving forward.

“Looking forward to entrenching myself back into the day-to-day operations of our offense. Everything will be out of my voice. And that’s something I feel like I’m good at, it’s something I’ve had success with in the past. And I’m looking forward to re-energizing myself as well. It’s tough with change, but it’s also necessary, and I’m excited about that.”

Brown said year-end evaluation is a constant part of the coaching profession.

“One thing that you do as a head coach is you’re evaluating every piece and aspect of your program, and that’s from top to bottom,” he said. “From myself, to coordinators, to assistants within your program, as well as your players. So there will be more staff realignment as we move forward, and we’re looking forward to putting the right pieces in place, coaches who are going to push our players to take another step in not only our UAC play but to have a chance in November and December to be a playoff-caliber team every single year.

“And that’s on both sides of the ball, including special teams, that I feel is necessary to make us better, to make us a contender every single year. There’s nothing more precious to me than the University of Central Arkansas football program, and because of that, I don’t take any changes lightly. But I do take changes seriously.

“Nothing gives me more joy than watching my alma mater succeed in the sport I was fortunate enough to play here at UCA.
I’m excited about this. It’s a new challenge. It will be the first time as a head coach that I’ve assumed these roles. It’s exciting and I’m looking forward to it. I’m going to surround myself with really talented coaches, and coaches that are going to give everything they have for our program.”

There are going to be other changes, too, and it appears one has already been decided, but not announced by the Bears yet.

Bear nation @UCA_Football I appreciate the way you all welcomed my family & I – will forever be thankful for the experiences & memories!

Players, I love you boys! Stand tall & keep striving for greatness no matter the circumstance – you all have made me a better man & coach 🖤 https://t.co/KFDR7SKE51

— Jamar Johnson (@coachjohnson126) November 24, 2024

Jamar Johnson was in his second year as the wide receivers coach and transfer portal coordinator for the staff.

Information from UCA Sports is included in this story.