Jason Shumaker is in his first season with Utah State’s football program as the Aggies’ special teams analyst.
Shumaker comes to Utah State after spending the previous five seasons at Idaho, where he served as the Vandals’ running backs coach, special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator.
In 2015, running back Elijhaa Penny, who is entering his second season in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, became the first Vandal since 2007 to rush for 1,000 yards.
Idaho’s special teams also excelled under Shumaker’s watch as the Vandals had a unit in the top-five of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) during the 2014, 2015 and 2016 campaigns. All-American punter Austin Rehkow led the effort, as he became Idaho’s first four-time first-team all-conference choice.
Shumaker also coached Cade Coffey at Idaho. Coffey was tabbed a USA Today Freshman All-American after finishing ninth in the country in punting in 2017.
Blocking punts became a trademark of Shumaker’s special teams as the Vandals were third in the FBS in that category in 2014 and were second in 2016.
Shumaker joined the staff at Idaho after serving one year as Arkansas’ Director of High School Relations. Prior to joining the Razorbacks’ staff, he spent seven years at small colleges ranging from Eastern New Mexico to Midland University.
Shumaker was hired as the head coach of Dana College in December of 2009 and served in that role until the school closed in June of 2010.
Prior to his time at Dana, he was at the University of Saint Mary at Leavenworth, Kan., for three seasons and was tabbed the 2008 KCAC Assistant Coach of the Year.
Shumaker went to USM from Eastern New Mexico, where he coached three All-Lone Star Conference players. Prior to his time at ENMU, he was a teacher and a coach at Rowlett, Texas.
Shumaker was born in Salina, Kan., and went to high school in Grand Prairie, Texas. From there, he attended Kansas, where he played fullback for the Jayhawks. He was a five-time Jayhawk Scholar and was on the Big XII Commissioner’s Honor Roll five times. Shumaker graduated from Kansas in 2003 with a degree in education and earned a master’s degree in sports administration from Eastern New Mexico University in 2007.
He is married to the former Kate Klepper. They have two children – a son, Davis (6), and a daughter, Elliette (5).