College football’s 2022 unsung heroes: Influential athletes, staff you probably don’t know

ATHENS, GA - APRIL 16: Georgia Bulldogs Strength and Conditioning Coach Scott Sinclair leads stretches during warmups before the Georgia Bulldogs G-Day intra-squad spring game on April 16, 2022, at Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA.(Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
By The Athletic College Football and more
Dec 2, 2022

Behind the scenes of every college football program are coaches, staff and athletes that elevate the on-field product, even if their work goes unnoticed. The Athletic identified these people, the most influential individuals in college football who you may have never heard of, and featured just what makes them so significant to their respective programs.

Advertisement

These are the college football’s 2022 unsung heroes:

Alabama — Jeff Allen, head athletic trainer

He’s the first person you see running onto the field when an Alabama player is hurt or slow to get up. He guides them into the sideline medical tent — the one he helped design and patent — that teams all across college football now use. Jeff Allen is more than just the head athletic trainer for the Crimson Tide. He’s one of the original staff members Nick Saban brought to Tuscaloosa when he got the job. Ask any Alabama player — current or former — and you’ll receive nothing but glowing remarks. He delivers a level of care that proves he values his student-athletes, no matter if it’s Tua Tagovailoa’s horrific hip injury at Mississippi State in 2019 or a role player. — Aaron Suttles

Jeff Allen and Thomas Fletcher (Gary Cosby / USA Today)

Arizona StateTrenton Bourguet, quarterback

Quarterback Trenton Bourguet began his college career in 2019 without a scholarship. He stayed the course. Then-coach Herm Edwards praised Bourguet’s intellect and said he’d one day make a great coach. In 2021, Bourguet earned a scholarship. He rose to No. 2 on the depth chart. Arizona State brought in two transfers — Alabama’s Paul Tyson and Florida’s Emory Jones. Bourguet stayed the course. This season Bourguet got his chance. On Oct. 8, Jones was injured in the first half against No. 21 Washington. Bourguet entered and led Arizona State to a 45-38 win. Three weeks later Bourguet led the Sun Devils to a win over Colorado. Ultimately, he was the team’s biggest bright spot in a 3-9 season, completing 71.1 percent of his passes for 1,490 yards and 11 touchdowns with six interceptions. — Doug Haller

Cincinnati — John Widecan, associate AD for football operations

Every program has that tenured employee who has been around longer than anyone else, burdened with the type of institutional knowledge and seniority that results in every unanswerable question getting dropped at their doorstep. For Cincinnati Bearcats football, that person is John “Wid” Widecan. Need to know where something is, how it works, or why it operates that way? Ask Wid.

Advertisement

Widecan is wrapping up his 32nd full-time season with the Bearcats. He started as a graduate assistant on Tim Murphy’s staff in 1989, suffering through a combined 2-19-1 record over two seasons before taking an administrative position in 1991. He was promoted to director of football operations in 2000 and has held the literal and figurative keys to the kingdom ever since. He has a hand in nearly every aspect of the team’s day-to-day scheduling and coordination, at home and on the road. Cincinnati football has experienced its share of transition in recent decades and is about to embark on yet another coaching and conference realignment. Fortunately for the Bearcats, Widecan has been a stabilizing constant through all of it. — Justin Williams

Clemson — Abe Reed, senior director of equipment/facility coordinator

Few people publicly know Abe Reed, Clemson’s senior director of equipment and facility coordinator, but Reed has played a crucial role with the football team, serving in his current position for 10 seasons. Reed graduated from Houston in 1997 and came to Clemson as a graduate assistant in 1998. He was hired full-time in 2000 and hasn’t left. Along with director of equipment Nick Yarid, Reed is responsible for all practice and gameday equipment and logistics, which ensures coaches can execute practices in the manner they’d like. He knows each player’s preference when it comes to equipment. — Grace Raynor

Florida — Nancy Scarborough, executive assistant

Shortly after graduating from the University of Florida in December 1995, Nancy Scarborough began working in Steve Spurrier’s office. When the Gators celebrated their first national championship the following season, she teased the head ball coach that it was no coincidence.

Two additional national titles and a string of SEC championship game appearances have highlighted Scarborough’s quarter-century of behind-the-scenes contributions. From practice schedules to travel rosters, recruiting itineraries to tailgate planning, she has become the program’s most reliable problem-solver, the connective tissue as an executive assistant for head coaches Urban Meyer, Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain, Dan Mullen and now Billy Napier. Her job requires candor and confidentiality, and each departing coach has vouched for Scarborough to their successor.

“She’s organized and calm, and in that role you have to be because it’s hair on fire all the time,” said Steve McClain, the senior associate AD who has been a colleague throughout Scarborough’s tenure. “She keeps a lot of problems off the coach’s desk.”

Advertisement

After Napier was hired last December, Scarborough’s longstanding relationships with boosters and athletic staffers made for a smooth transition. “I feel grateful that he had the trust to keep me on,” she said. “That’s not something I took for granted.”

Josh Thompson, who Napier brought aboard as the new director of football operations, needed only a few days to realize Scarborough’s value: “She’s the glue of the building.” — G. Allan Taylor

Georgia — Scott Sinclair, strength and conditioning coordinator

In an era when passing schemes get the attention, and for a program where recruiting gets most of the credit, it’s still toughness and physicality that may be Georgia’s secret sauce. Scott Sinclair is the man in charge of it. He has been the strength and conditioning coordinator all seven years that Kirby Smart has been head coach. Holdover players from the Mark Richt era said Smart’s most critical hire was Sinclair, who combines a positive approach with energy and competence. He’s a constant behind the scenes throughout the year, and players seem to enjoy working with him and working hard with him. — Seth Emerson

Iowa — Brian Ray, director of photography

From the hottest days in August to the coldest afternoons in November, Iowa athletic department’s director of photography Brian Ray regularly becomes the program’s most critical source of information. When practices are closed during training camp, Ray posts daily photo galleries. Fans and reporters scour the pictures for both the primary subject and the background players to determine who lines up with what unit. Ray essentially is on call 24 hours a day for all sports and shoots everything from live action to prospects on official visits to locker room celebrations. No one at Iowa is more vital in connecting external stakeholders with the department’s vision than Ray. — Scott Dochterman 

Brian Ray (Scott Dochterman / The Athletic)

LSU — Dr. DF Arnold, director of player development

The key to Brian Kelly’s first year at LSU was changing the culture and accountability, and the best person for that was Dr. DF Arnold. Arnold is a former football player with his own academic issues, turned author and speaker who has a specialty in working with young men on personal issues, academics and getting the most out of themselves. Multiple LSU players such as starting senior linebacker Micah Baskerville had issues staying on the field because of academic problems. Now, Baskerville is a star player and team leader. Those stories have been common when working with Arnold. — Brody Miller

Miami — Dennis Smith, Mario Cristobal’s right-hand man

Miami’s unsung hero is Dennis Smith, a former special teams coach at Louisiana Tech who has been Mario Cristobal’s right-hand man behind the scenes. A 2005 graduate of Miami and former assistant director of football operations in 2006, Smith followed Cristobal to his first head coaching gig at FIU where he helped him earn the top recruiting classes in the Sun Belt in 2011 and 2012. There isn’t a thing Smith isn’t involved with as far as Miami’s recruiting efforts, and whenever Cristobal goes anywhere he’s almost always with him. Miami’s 2023 recruiting class is ranked eighth in the 247 Composite team standings. If the Hurricanes are going to turn things around after a rough 5-7 season, Smith will play a huge role in it. — Manny Navarro

Michigan — Ben Herbert, strength coach

When Jim Harbaugh was selecting a coach to nominate for the Broyles Award, his first choice was Ben Herbert, the strength coach behind Michigan’s run of NFL Draft picks and freaky athletes. Herbert isn’t eligible for that particular award — the Wolverines nominated defensive coordinator Jesse Minter instead — but his role in Michigan’s success is undeniable.

Advertisement

“To me, Ben Herbert (is the) X-factor in our entire football program,” Harbaugh said. “The level of conditioning, the level of strength, the lesson of mental toughness, has been the center of it.”

Herbert brings the perfect blend of old-school discipline and cutting-edge science to Michigan’s weight room, Harbaugh said. All it took was one interview and a memorable handshake five years ago for Harbaugh to realize Herbert was the right person for the job.

“It’s unforgettable if anybody’s ever had a first handshake with Ben Herbert,” Harbaugh said. “He shakes your hand, kind of leans in, and it’s like he’s looking right through your entire soul.” — Austin Meek

Ben Herbert and Jim Harbaugh (Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)

Nebraska — Orah Garst, director of football creative and engagement

At the center of Nebraska’s constant campaign to appeal to fans and recruits via social media and online platforms stands Orah Garst. He also dabbles in coaching, serving in 2022 as an offensive quality control assistant. But his primary role since arriving at Nebraska from Baylor in 2019 involves direction of the team that creates captivating content to promote the Huskers. The work of Garst and his staff rivals the production value of material distributed by a movie studio. And it’s specific to the needs of Nebraska as a valued asset to assist in fundraising and indirectly in NIL ventures. Garst coached football at the Division III level. He played the drums in a Christian rock band. But he’s found his home in social media. — Mitch Sherman

Notre Dame — Brian Mason, special teams coordinator

Notre Dame has coaches who played at Ohio State, Clemson, Penn State and for the very school they’re leading. Yet the most influential assistant on Marcus Freeman’s staff played at Denison. A beehive of kinetic energy on the sidelines, Brian Mason turned Notre Dame’s punt block unit into must-watch television while making transfers click at punter and kicker. The Irish led the nation with seven blocked punts, smashing the single-season school record. Perhaps no assistant embodied what Freeman wanted to import to Notre Dame more, as Mason’s intellectual aggression gave the entire program an identity during a season when the Irish needed their special teams to deliver. Mason made sure that happened. — Pete Sampson

Ohio State — Kamryn Babb, receiver

Ohio State receiver Kamryn Babb had a memorable moment with a touchdown against Indiana on Nov. 12. That was much more than just one touchdown because Babb has meant more to Ohio State than most normal fifth-year seniors. A top-100 prospect out of high school, Babb suffered four ACL injuries in his career but worked himself back onto the field this year for his touchdown. His dedication to the game has rubbed off on the entire program. It’s why star quarterback C.J. Stroud asked coach Ryan Day if they could get him a touchdown at that moment. Babb will not be back next year, but his presence continues to be felt throughout the program. — Cameron Teague Robinson

Kamryn Babb (Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch-USA Today)

Penn State — Deion Barnes, defensive graduate assistant

Deion Barnes returned to his alma mater as a defensive graduate assistant in February 2020 and since then, PSU’s former defensive end has received rave reviews from players and recruits. Barnes went from playing in the NFL to coaching high school football at Northeast High School in Philadelphia. He’s helped give Penn State a better presence and more credibility when recruiting in the talent-rich region, the same city he calls home. The 29-year-old is viewed as an up-and-comer in the coaching ranks and without Barnes, PSU’s linemen wouldn’t have the guy many refer to as a big brother of sorts. — Audrey Snyder

Advertisement

USC — Bennie Wylie, strength and conditioning coach

USC strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wylie faced one of the most unique challenges in college football history over the past years. The Trojans brought in 19 new transfers this season and had 21 players transfer out in one of the most extreme examples of roster movement you’ll ever see. USC had struggled with culture for years, so establishing a new level of accountability and standards with so many new players and personalities was going to be difficult. But the Trojans have flourished in Year 1 under Lincoln Riley and have displayed a level of toughness they haven’t in several years, and a significant piece of credit has to go to Wylie. — Antonio Morales

South Carolina — Kim Fields, assistant to head coach/assistant director of operations

Shane Beamer started prepping for a head coaching job long before the Gamecocks hired him in December 2020. More than a decade ago, when he was still an assistant with the program, Beamer began assembling a binder full of thoughts and philosophies. Kim Fields, then an administrative assistant with South Carolina, was the one to help him with it. Years later, she’s still one of Beamer’s most trusted colleagues. Fields has been at South Carolina since 2005 and is currently the assistant to the head coach and the assistant director of operations. She held the same title under Will Muschamp before Beamer retained her. “You’re kind of in all parts of the program,” Fields said last year. “You’re doing a little bit of everything.” — Grace Raynor

Texas — Taylor Searels and Tyler Johnson, recruiting staff members

Constructing a top-five recruiting class requires, among other things, a robust recruiting staff, and Texas director of recruiting operations Taylor Searels and recruiting operations coordinator Tyler Johnson are a critical part of the Longhorns’ crew. Remember the impressive, lavish official visit Arch Manning and several other blue-chip recruits attended? Searels’ and Johnson’s planning and organization were vital to pull it off. From lodging to transportation to meals, to more minor details like the snacks that await recruits in their hotel rooms, they’re involved every step of the way. And it’s not a one-time thing, it’s year-round. In Texas, a fertile recruiting ground, prospects can visit at a moment’s notice, so they must always be ready to welcome recruits and their families to provide a memorable experience. — Sam Khan Jr.

TCUGunnar Henderson, receiver

Coming out of McAllen, Texas, Gunnar Henderson didn’t receive much recruiting attention. The 5-foot-9 slot receiver started his career in the FCS at Incarnate Word in San Antonio, spending two seasons there before walking on at TCU in 2021. After new coach Sonny Dykes’ arrival, Henderson earned a scholarship this spring, but has become more than just a feel-good story and has emerged as a valuable reserve. Henderson caught a 62-yard touchdown in TCU’s Oct. 1 win over Oklahoma and in the Horned Frogs’ thrilling 29-28 win over Baylor on Nov. 19, he made consecutive catches — including a 26-yard touchdown — in a key third-quarter drive that gave TCU its first lead that day. “I’ll remember this forever,” Henderson said. — Sam Khan Jr.

Gunnar Henderson (Kevin Jairaj / USA Today)

Vanderbilt — Kaelene Curry, director of mental performance

College football, in an idealistic world, is supposed to be about amateur athletes trying to excel on the field while getting a college education. Maybe at Vanderbilt, more-so than other programs, education is still the main emphasis. But playing SEC football and going for a degree is a grind that is unimaginable to those who haven’t been exposed to it. It’s taxing on mental health as the professionalization of this sport expands and expectations increase. Curry is basically the staff psychiatrist for the Vanderbilt football team, helping the Commodores football players through challenges they may face. She meets with them regularly and helps them cope with whatever turmoil they’re facing. You may not ever see her name or the difference she makes in the box score, but make no mistake about it: People like her, behind the scenes, do so much good for not only the sport but the athletes who play it. — Ari Wasserman

Virginia Tech — Michael Hazel, chief of staff

During Frank Beamer’s Hall of Fame career, nobody was as close to the Hokies coach as right-hand man John Ballein, the team’s long-time director of operations and general sounding board. Brent Pry has a similar consigliere in Michael Hazel, the Hokies chief of staff, who handles … well, just about every loose end in the program, from Tech’s media plan to new lighting for the locker room to the practice schedule to picture day directions. He even serves as another set of eyes during games to help Pry manage timeouts. “As important as my OC, DC and my strength hire,” said Pry, who brought Hazel with him from Penn State. “He’s right there next to those guys.” — Andy Bitter

Washington — Bart Fullmer, director of equipment operations

In the mid-1980s, Bart Fullmer responded to an ad in the University of Washington student newspaper: the football program was looking for equipment managers. He joined the staff full-time after graduating in 1988, and today he’s the director of equipment operations, overseeing equipment staff across the entire department while working with football on a daily basis. Fullmer was heavily involved in Washington’s 2019 switch from Nike to Adidas and is integral to the daily function of the program. As former coach Chris Petersen told The Athletic in 2018: “If I don’t show up one day, I know we’re going to practice, and we’re probably not going to miss a beat. If Bart doesn’t show up, there’s a good chance we’re not going out there.” — Christian Caple

Advertisement

Wisconsin – Riley Nowakowski, fullback

Wisconsin’s Riley Nowakowski describes himself as the type of player who gives his team “a body wherever they need me.” The redshirt sophomore walk-on from Milwaukee quickly has become a versatile utility player for the Badgers. He moved from outside linebacker to fullback last season, spent spring practice at tight end because of a depth shortage, and has been a key fullback contributor this season. Nowakowski played 90 offensive snaps and 116 snaps on special teams during the regular season. Although he hasn’t recorded a touch on offense, he has appeared in every game while giving Wisconsin flexibility because of his willingness to do whatever coaches ask of him. – Jesse Temple

(Top photo of Scott Sinclair, Georgia strength and conditioning coordinator: Jeffrey Vest / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Get all-access to exclusive stories.

Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.