Nick Davis (American football coach)
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Ottawa (KS) |
| Conference | KCAC |
| Record | 15–29 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | c. 1987 (age 38–39) Ashmore, Illinois, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Monmouth College (B.A. 2010) Ottawa University (M.Ed. 2011) |
| Playing career | |
| 2009 | Monmouth (IL) |
| Position | Defensive lineman |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 2010 | Michigan / Western Illinois (S&C intern) |
| 2010 | Ottawa (KS) (DB) |
| 2011 | Ottawa (KS) (LB / JV DC) |
| 2012–2021 | Rose–Hulman (ST/RB/DC/AHC/RC/LB) |
| 2021 | Ottawa (KS) (DC) |
| 2022–present | Ottawa (KS) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 15–29 |
| Tournaments | 0–1 (NAIA playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 KCAC Bissell Division (2022) | |
| Awards | |
| AFCA 35 Under 35 (2022) | |
Nick Davis is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas, a position he has held since 2022.
Early life and education
Davis is a native of Ashmore, Illinois. He attended Charleston High School before enrolling at Monmouth College in Illinois. Davis earned a bachelor's degree in physical education with a minor in communications in 2010. He later completed a master's degree in education curriculum and instruction at Ottawa University in 2011.
Playing career
Davis played college football at Monmouth College during the 2009 season. Listed at 6'4" and 270 pounds, he played along the defensive line for the Fighting Scots and earned Academic All-Conference honors.[1]
Coaching career
Early coaching career
In 2010, Davis began his coaching career as a strength and conditioning football intern at the University of Michigan and Western Illinois University. That same year, he joined the Ottawa University football staff, coaching defensive backs. In 2011, Davis coached linebackers and served as the junior varsity defensive coordinator. During his two seasons at Ottawa, he helped coach 10 All-Conference defensive players and three NAIA All-Americans.
Rose–Hulmal
Davis joined the coaching staff at Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology in 2012, where he spent ten seasons. Early in his tenure, he served as special teams coordinator, video coordinator, and running backs coach. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2014 and later elevated to assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator prior to the 2018 season, while retaining his defensive coordinator duties. Davis also coached the linebackers and oversaw the program's strength and conditioning.
Under Davis' leadership, Rose–Hulman fielded one of the nation's top defensive units. From 2015 to 2020, the Engineers led the nation in sacks. The defense led the HCAC in total defense in 2015 and scoring defense in 2016. In 2016, Rose–Hulman qualified for the NCAA Division III football championship playoffs for the first time in program history.
Davis' 2017 defense featured Associated Press First Team All-American Mike Riley, who led all NCAA football players in sacks during the regular season. The 2018 and 2019 teams combined for eight first-team All-HCAC selections. During the shortened 2020 season, four defensive players earned first-team All-HCAC honors.
Return to Ottawa
Davis returned to Ottawa University in 2021 as defensive coordinator. He was promoted to head football coach prior to the 2022 season.
As head coach, Davis led the Braves to a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Bissell Division championship in 2023 and an appearance in the NAIA football national championship playoffs. In 2025, Ottawa recorded the second-largest win turnaround in the nation. During his tenure, Davis has coached three NAIA All-Americans, one KCAC Bissell Division Defensive Player of the Year, and 65 All-KCAC performers. His teams have also produced a 1,000-yard rusher and 43 Daktronics Scholar-Athletes.
Honors
In 2022, Davis was selected to the AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute.[2]
Head coaching record
College
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Braves (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) (2022–2025) | |||||||||
| 2022 | Ottawa | 2–8 | 2–8 | ||||||
| 2023 | Ottawa | 6–6 | 5–1 | T–1st (Bissell) | L NAIA First Round | ||||
| 2024 | Ottawa | 1–10 | 1–4 | 5th (Bissell) | |||||
| 2025 | Ottawa | 6–5 | 4–1 | 2nd (Kessinger) | |||||
| Ottawa: | 15–29 | 12–14 | |||||||
| Total: | 15–29 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||