by staff–10 Feb ’21
University of Wyoming head football coach Craig Bohl announced the addition of new offensive line coach Derek Frazier to the Cowboy coaching staff on Wednesday. Frazier most recently was the assistant offensive line coach with the New York Jets of the the NFL.
“We are certainly excited about Derek Frazier joining Cowboy Football,” said Bohl. “He has a long history with Wyoming Football. His father was a great player here, and Derek spent many afternoons in War Memorial Stadium as he was growing up. He is really a loyal Cowboy fan.
“Derek enjoys a great national reputation and has coached at both the collegiate and professional levels. There is no doubt he is going to do an excellent job moving our offensive line forward as we continue to make great progress with our offense this offseason.”
“I want to say that I am very excited and humbled to be a part of Coach Bohl’s staff and represent the strong tradition that is Wyoming Cowboy Football,” said Frazier. “I know first hand what Cowboy Football represents, by growing up and following the program with my mom and dad, as well as being on the other sideline. I went to many Wyoming bowl games with my parents and many Cowboy Joe events. I’m fired up to get started.
“This opportunity is a chance to work with tough young men, who play hard-nosed football in a great culture that Coach Bohl has instilled.
“Having been around the program for so many years because of my family’s connection to Wyoming, it is very special to now be part of that tradition. Not only did my dad play here, but my uncle, Jeff Frazier, played here.”
His father, Tom Frazier, was co-captain of Wyoming’s 1966 team that posted a 10-1 record and defeated Florida State, 28-20, in the Sun Bowl. The Cowboys finished the season ranked No. 15 in the nation, and Frazier was a First Team All-WAC end.
Derek Frazier grew up in Fort Collins, Colo., where he played at Rocky Mountain High School. He went on to play center at Northern Colorado for former Wyoming head coach Joe Glenn and was the starting center on UNC’s 1996 NCAA Division II National Championship team. Frazier was selected as his team’s Most Inspirational Player as a senior in ‘96.
After being a four-year letterman (1993-96) at Northern Colorado, Frazier began his coaching career as a high school coach in Juneau, Alaska at Douglas High School
He was the assistant offensive line coach for the New York Jets for the past two seasons (2019 and ‘20).
Prior to that, he spent four seasons at Central Michigan where he was the Offensive Line coach in 2015 and ‘16 before being elevated to Run-Game Coordinator/Offensive Line coach for the 2017-18 seasons. CMU appeared in three consecutive bowl games from 2015-17. The Chippewas faced Minnesota in the 2015 Quick Lane Bowl, played Tulsa in the 2016 Miami Beach Bowl and faced Wyoming in the 2017 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
The 2017 season saw Frazier lead an offensive line anchored by veteran J.P. Quinn — a Third Team All-MAC selection — that paved the way for Jonathan Ward to become CMU’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2014.
In addition, Frazier’s offensive line protected quarterback Shane Morris in the Chippewas’ no-huddle, uptempo scheme, helping the signal-caller to a memorable year in which he threw for 3,237 yards and 27 touchdowns. Morris’ yardage total was the seventh best for a single season in program history, and his 27 TD passes tied for the second best in CMU history.
In 2015 and 2016, Frazier led a unit that protected quarterback Cooper Rush, who developed into one of the very best to ever play for CMU, finishing his career second in program history in passing yardage (12,891) and touchdown passes (90).
Among Frazier’s top protégés during his time at CMU were two-time First Team All-MAC center Nick Beamish, along with Ramadan Ahmeti and Quinn.
Frazier spent three seasons as the offensive line coach at Colorado State where he helped lead a program that went from four victories in his first season (2012) to 10 in 2014. He helped CSU earn bids to the 2013 New Mexico Bowl, where they defeated Washington State (48-45) and the 2014 Las Vegas Bowl where they lost to Utah (10-45). The Rams went from the ninth-ranked offense in the Mountain West Conference in 2012 to the second-ranked in the MW in 2014. Frazier’s offensive line paved the way for the Rams’ Kapri Bibbs to rush for 1,741 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2013.
Two Frazier-coached offensive linemen from Colorado State, Ty Sambrailo and Weston Richburg, earned First Team All-Mountain West honors and Richburg was selected in the second round of the NFL draft by the New York Giants. He was one of several players that Frazier mentored who were drafted by an NFL team or signed professionally as a free agent.
Frazier coached at Fresno State from 2006-11. He served as the offensive line coach for the 2006-08 seasons and added the responsibility of run-game coordinator for the 2009-11 seasons. Frazier had previously been a graduate assistant coach at Fresno State in 2003 and 2004. During his years at Fresno State, Frazier was part of six bowl teams. The Bulldogs appeared in: the 2003 Silicon Valley Bowl, defeating UCLA (17-9); the 2004 MPC Computers Bowl, defeating Virginia (37-34); the 2007 Humanitarian Bowl, beating Georgia Tech (40-28); the 2008 New Mexico Bowl vs. Colorado State (35-40); the 2009 New Mexico Bowl against Wyoming (28-35); and the 2010 Humanitarian Bowl vs. Northern Illinois (17-40).
The Bulldogs dominated the line of scrimmage in consecutive bowl game victories over UCLA in 2003 and No. 18 Virginia in 2004. While at Fresno State, he helped develop All-American offensive lineman Logan Mankins, and Freshmen All-Americans Ryan Wendell, Kyle Young and Cole Popovich.
Frazier was a part of a Bulldog coaching staff whose offense ranked No. 5 in the NCAA in scoring offense and was one of the nation’s most efficient in third-down conversions and red zone efficiency. Fresno State produced consecutive 1,000-yard rushers Dwayne Wright and Bryson Sumlin each year and Fresno State ranked No. 15 in the NCAA in rushing offense with 228.0 yards per game. The Bulldog line paved the way to a single-game record 503 rushing yards vs. Hawaii in 2004.
Frazier was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Adams State College for two seasons (2001-02) where he also served as the weight throws coach for the Adams State track & field team
During the 2000 season, he was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Nichols College in Dudley, Mass. He led Nichols to a 7-3 record and its first-ever postseason appearance.
He spent one season as a high school offensive line coach in Juneau, Alaska at Douglas High School.
Frazier earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northern Colorado in 1997 and an MBA from Nichols College in 2000. He and his wife, Taryn, have a daughter, Katelyn, and a son, James.
Derek Frazier’s Year-by-Year Coaching History
Year School Position
2000 Nichols College (Mass.) Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line
2001-02 Adams State (Colo.) Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line
2003-04 Fresno State Graduate Assistant
2005 Northern Arizona Offensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator
2006-08 Fresno State Offensive Line
2009-11 Fresno State Run-Game Coordinator/Offensive Line
2012-14 Colorado State Offensive Line
2015-16 Central Michigan Offensive Line
2017-18 Central Michigan Run-Game Coordinator/Offensive Line
2019-20 New York Jets (NFL) Assistant Offensive Line
