Daryl Daye enters his second season on the Buccaneer football staff. After spending time as ETSU’s defensive line coach in 2017, head coach Randy Sanders promoted Daye to Special Teams Coordinator in May 2018.
Last season, ETSU’s defense was one of the tops in the Southern Conference as the Blue and Gold ranked third in total defense (345.8). The Bucs also ranked third in the league in pass defense (172.5) and fourth in pass defense efficiency (131.9). As a unit, the Bucs held the opposition to 10 points or less four times, while holding Robert Morris (three points) and VMI (six points) without a touchdown. In the win over Robert Morris, the Blue and Gold totaled eight sacks and three forced turnovers, marking single-game highs since the program was reinstated in 2015.
Individually, Nasir Playerearned first team all-SoCon honors, while Blake Bockrath was placed on the SoCon All-Freshman Team and earned Freshman All-American Honorable Mention by Hero Sports. Player led the team in tackles for loss (13.5) and sacks (7), while ranking third in tackles (67). Player’s seven sacks ranked fourth in Buccaneer single-season history, while his three-sack performance in the win over Robert Morris were tied for the 11th-most by an FCS player, and were the fourth-most in ETSU single-game history. Bockrath ranked second on the team in sacks (4.5) and tackles for loss (9.0) and fourth in tackles (57).
Daye brings over 30 years of coaching experience to Johnson City, including head coaching stints at Nicholls State (1999-2003) and Missouri Southern (2012-14), while being an assistant to Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey from 2010-11. Daye began his coaching career in 1986 at LSU, while making stops at Southern Miss (1989-90), Liberty (1991-98), Southern (2004-05), Missouri Southern (2006-09) and was most-recently the defensive coordinator at Northwestern State.
During his head coaching stints, Daye was named 2002 Southland Conference Coach of the Year at Nicholls State – where he had the Colonels in contention for conference titles in 2002 and 2003. Daye’s Nicholls State squad broke 32 offensive school records in 2002, while leading the country in rushing. In 2002, Nicholls State posted seven wins, which ranks fifth most in single-season program history. Daye coached four All-Americans and nine all-conference players during his time at Nicholls State.
At Missouri Southern, Daye turned around a program as he totaled a 17-15 record in three years. Daye directed the 2013 team to a 7-3 mark – the school’s best season in 20 years – including a road win at Division II power, ninth-ranked Pittsburg State. In his first season, Daye doubled the Lions’ win total from the previous year as Missouri Southern went 6-5, marking its first winning season since 2007 and just the third in 20 years. Daye coached 27 all-conference players and three All-Americans at Missouri Southern – including defensive lineman Brandon Williams. Williams broke the school record for career sacks in 2012 and went on to be drafted in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.
Daye has coached under four NFL head coaches: Chan Gailey, Dave Wannstedt, Sam Rutigliano and Bill Ansparger, who was one of the NFL’s top defensive coordinators and LSU’s head coach when Daye came on staff with the Tigers after playing from 1981-85. As assistant to the head coach on Gailey’s Buffalo Bills staff in 2010-11, he helped coordinate operations, while assisting Wannstedt with the linebackers and on special teams. Daye coached for Rutigliano for eight seasons at Liberty.
Daye was part of the coaching staff for the 2011 Senior Bowl in Mobile.
Daye has also worked under head coaches Mike Archer at LSU, Curley Hallman at Southern Mississippi and Pete Richardson at Southern.
As a player and young coach at LSU, Daye was part of teams that played in the 1983 Orange Bowl, 1984 Sugar Bowl, 1985 Liberty Bowl, 1986 Sugar Bowl, 1988 Gator Bowl, 1989 Hall of Fame Bowl and the 1990 All-American Bowl. LSU won the Southeastern Conference championship twice, in 1986 and 1988, while Daye was at his alma mater. He played for coach Bill Arnsparger at LSU.