MONTICELLO, Ark. – Gary Goff, who took the Valdosta State Blazers to the 2021 NCAA DII title game, has been selected as the 26th head football coach in Arkansas-Monticello history, Director of Athletics Hud Jackson announced today.
Coach Goff was formally introduced at a press conference on the UAM campus earlier this morning. The full press conference can be viewed on the UAMSports YouTube page here.
“We are really excited about the selection of Gary Goff as our 26th Head football coach here at UAM,” said Jackson. Gary comes to us with valuable experience that will help in the process of making UAM FOOTBALL competitive. Gary also understands the importance of community, culture, and academics. He understands that we have made huge strides within our Football program, catching up with facilities that will help him in his recruiting process to get quality student athletes in our football program. We are excited for his family, including his wife, Tiffany, and children, Tyler and Audrey, to become part of our Monticello community. It is a very exciting day for UAM athletics and UAM FOOTBALL. Eat’em up.”
Goff comes to Arkansas-Monticello from NCAA Division I McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where he served as head coach of the Cowboys from 2022 to 2024. Under his leadership, the Cowboys posted a 10-23 overall record and a 6-14 Southland Conference Record. In 2023, Goff coached sophomore linebacker Micah Davey, who was named an All-American by six different organizations, including first-team honors by Walter Camp and the AFCA. In his first season with McNeese, Goff’s team produced the Southland Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year in running back Deonta McMahon. And as a team, McNeese led the league and ranked 19th in the nation with 200.5 yards rushing per contest.
“My family and I are very excited and grateful for the opportunity to lead UAM’s football program,” said Goff. “I am beyond thrilled to work alongside an administration who is both supportive and actively working towards building future success for UAM athletics.”
Prior to his tenure at McNeese, Goff made a significant impact at Valdosta State, where he led the Blazers from 2019 to 2021, taking the program to its sixth NCAA National Championship appearance on December 18, 2021, and back-to-back Gulf South Conference titles. The Blazers’ 2020 season was not played due to COVID-19.
In 2021, the Blazers placed 17 players on the All-GSC team and led the NCAA in total offense for the season, averaging 527.2 yards per game, were second in rushing (267.0, 5th in NCAA) and third in passing (260.2, 30th in NCAA). Defensively, the Blazers led the league in passing defense (159.9). Additionally, VSU averaged 43.2 points per game (2nd in the GSC, 5th in the NCAA) while allowing just 22.7 points per game, ranking third in the nation.
Goff’s 2021 team included three Division II Conference Commissioners’ Association (D2CCCA) All-Americans – offensive lineman Ralph Singleton (1st team), linebacker Nick Moss (1st team), and defensive lineman Brian Williams (2nd team). Singleton also garnered first-team AP All-America honors while Moss earned AP second-team honors.
VSU also ranked No. 3 in the NCAA with 320 first downs made, seventh with four defensive TDs scored, seventh in 3rd-down conversion percentage (.500), fourth in red-zone offense percentage (.929), first in sacks allowed per game (0.15), and ninth in tackles for loss allowed per game (3.31).
In his first season with Valdosta, Goff led the Blazers to a 10-1 and 8-0 GSC record, earning him Gulf South Conference Co-Coach of the Year honors. The Blazers were ranked No. 1 nationally throughout the season and earned a berth to the second round of the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs, falling to Ferris State 35-38.
In his time with Valdosta, Goff’s teams won 14 of their 15 home games, and he would coach a league-best 13 All-GSC selections in 2019, as well as the GSC Offensive Player of the year and Harlon Hill finalist, and eventual GSC Offensive Player of the Decade, Rogan Wells.
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Gary Goff and his family to the University of Arkansas at Monticello,” said UAM Chancellor Dr. Peggy Doss. “Coach Goff brings an exceptional record of leadership, integrity, and competitive success, and he has demonstrated a remarkable ability to build strong, student-centered programs. His commitment to developing student-athletes both on and off the field aligns perfectly with the mission and values of UAM. We are confident that his energy, vision, and proven expertise will elevate our football program and inspire our entire campus community. We look forward to the exciting future he will help create for Boll Weevil Football.”
Goff went to VSU from NCAA Division II Tiffin University in Tiffin, Ohio, where he served as the Dragons’ head coach for eight seasons. In 2018, Goff had his best season at Tiffin, leading the Dragons to a 9-2 overall record and a 6-2 mark in Great Midwest Conference play, after starting the season 9-0. Goff had 16 of his Dragons named to G-MAC All-Conference teams in 2018, and Tiffin ranked as high as No. 15 in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 that season
In 2016, the Dragons were guided by Goff to their first winning season since the 2006 season as they went 8-3, with Goff earning Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Coach of the Year honors, the first in program history.
At Tiffin he had one of the top offenses in the country in 2016, averaging 434.5 yards per game, while his quarterback, Antonio Pipkin, was a Harlon Hill nominee and was named GLIAC Player of the Year. Pipkin tallied seven Tiffin career records and four GLIAC records, ranking 13th all-time in career total offense, 19th in total offense per game, 27th in career passing yards, and is only the third quarterback at the Division II level to ever accumulate at least 2,000 rushing yards and throw for 10,000 passing yards in a career. That season, Goff also had the program’s first Academic All-American, as 74 players finished the 2016 fall semester with a 3.0 grade-point average or higher.
Prior to Goff’s arrival in 2011, Tiffin was a combined 2-31 from 2008-2010.
Goff came to Tiffin after a highly successful 2010 season at West Virginia Wesleyan, where he was the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. There, he helped guide the team to a massive turnaround as it was 2-8 in 2009 and went 9-2 in 2010, tying for the most wins in school history. The team was ranked nationally for the first time and broke 12 offensive school records.
Prior to West Virginia Wesleyan, Goff coached Division I Princeton University, where he served as the pass game coordinator and receivers coach. He also served as co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach at New Mexico State for four seasons, helping lead the team to second nationally in passing offense and total offense.
The Aggies broke 21 offensive school records, while ranking 15th nationally in scoring offense. Goff coached the nation’s top receiver, two-time All-America selection Chris Williams, who would sign with the Cleveland Browns.
Goff has served as offensive coordinator for three teams, as well as offensive coordinator at Iowa Wesleyan University (2002-03) and coached at Southeastern Louisiana, helping it to lead the nation in total offense. He also had coaching stints at Woodstock (Ga.) High School and Cherokee (Ga.) High School.
Goff played for former Blazer head coach Hal Mumme and former offensive coordinator Mike Leach at Valdosta State and graduated in 1996. During his time in Titletown, Goff helped lead the Blazers to their first Gulf South Conference title in 1996 and the first two NCAA playoff seasons in program history in 1994 and 1996. Goff began as a walk-on for the Blazers in the spring of 1993 after transferring to VSU from the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D. He earned a scholarship, culminating in his being named a team captain in 1996. Goff and the Blazers went 35-13 during his career at VSU under Mumme, earning letters in 1995 and 1996. While at VSU, Goff and his teammates helped lay the foundation for where the VSU football program is today.
Goff earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from VSU and holds a master’s degree in education from Tiffin. Goff is a native of Picayune, Mississippi, and he and his wife, Tiffanie, have two children, Tyler and Audrey.
