Jake Russell is the new head coach at Kentucky Christian, an NAIA school in Grayson, Ky.
He was previously the offensive coordinator at Union College, a rival of KCU's in the Mid-South Conference. Russell fills the vacancy created when KCU head coach Corey Fipps took the same job at MSC rival Pikeville last month.
Kentucky Christian played its new head coach twice last season, winning both times. The Knights opened with a 38-13 win on Feb. 13, then closed the year with a 49-35 victory on April 10.
"I couldn't be more excited to accept the head coaching position of the Kentucky Christian University football team," Russell said. "I believe NAIA college football is one of the greatest ministries that exists, and that KCU has all the resources for this football ministry to accomplish great things both on and off the field."
A standout high school quarterback, he was named the Offensive Newcomer of the Year as a freshman at Eastern Kentucky. He then spent the next three years at Kentucky as a member of the Wildcats' football and baseball teams before concluding his collegiate career at another Kentucky MSC school, Campbellsville. There, he was named a two-time NAIA All-American and the MSC and NAIA player of the year.
After some time in the Professional Development League in southern California, Russell returned to Kentucky as the quarterbacks coach at Union College before being promoted to offensive coordinator. He spent 2019 as the quarterbacks coach at Webber International before returning to Union College last year.
Russell inherits a Knights program that went 6-2 during the spring season.
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