Dave Warner joined the UTEP football staff as offensive coordinator in January, 2021.
In Warner’s first season as OC, the Miners averaged 393.0 yards of total offense in 2021, the most since the 2009 season.
UTEP averaged over 140 yards on the ground, led by Ronald Awatt’s 844 yards and six scores. Deion Hankins also rushed for six touchdowns in 2021, while gaining 458 yards.
The Miners averaged 252.5 yards passing per game, led by Gavin Hardison. The redshirt junior QB ranked third in Conference USA in passing yards per game (247.9), while tossing for 18 scores and 3,217 yards (fifth-most passing yards during a single season in program history). He was named honorable mention All-C-USA. Hardison was the first UTEP signal caller since 2009 to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season, while his TD tosses were the most since 2010. UTEP liked to air it out, ranking first in C-USA and third nationally in passing yards per completion (16.4).
Under Warner’s offense, Jacob Cowing produced career and program records during the 2021 season. Cowing’s career-high 1,354 yards receiving ranked second on the program’s all-time single-season list, while also being the first Miner since 2010 to gain over 1,000 in the air. Cowing’s eight 100-yard games was the most by a Miner since 1965. Cowing added seven receiving touchdowns and a 53-yard rushing score.
Justin Garrett also produced career numbers during the 2021 campaign. He set career bests in receiving yards (685), receptions (50), yards per catch (13.7) and touchdowns (four in his final season at UTEP.
Tyrin Smith, UTEP’s third option at WR, put up solid numbers. The transfer from Cisco College gained 570 yards on 33 receptions (17.3 avg.) and found pay dirt four times in his first season as a Miner.
UTEP’s starting tight end Trent Thompson scored four touchdowns, including a 51-yard score at the New Mexico Bowl. Thompson caught nine passes for 133 yards during the season.
Rey Flores, an El Paso product from Ysleta High School, gained 334 yards of all-purpose yards. The running back/wide receiver rushed for 130 yards and tallied 204 receiving yards on 13 catches (15.7 avg.). He added a two-point conversion at UAB.
UTEP ranked 18th nationally in time of possession (31:51). The Miners’ red zone offense (85.0 percent) ranked third in the C-USA.
Warner brought 36 years of coaching experience to the Sun City after spending the previous 13 seasons on the offensive staff at Michigan State. Warner has been a quarterbacks coach and/or offensive coordinator or passing game coordinator for 31 of his 36 seasons as a college assistant.
Warner is in his third tour of duty with coach Dana Dimel. He served as the passing game coordinator and quarterback coach at the University of Houston from 2001-02, and the passing game coordinator at Wyoming in 1998.
During his time in East Lansing, Warner served in a variety of roles, including offensive coordinator/running backs coach (2013-18) and quarterback coach (2007-12, 2019).
During his time as the co-offensive coordinator at Michigan State along with Jim Bollman, the Spartans collected a 56-23 record (.709), won two Big Ten Championships (2013, 2015), appeared in five bowl games (2014 Rose, 2015 Cotton, 2017 Holiday, 2018 Redbox, 2019 Pinstripe) and earned a berth in the College Football Playoff (2015). MSU set numerous offensive team records and placed six players on the All-Big Ten First Team, including three position players of the year in the conference, in addition to generating eight NFL Draft picks on the offensive side of the ball.
Warner directed the most prolific offense in Michigan State history in 2014. The Spartans set numerous school records, including points (559), scoring average (43.0 ppg.), offensive touchdowns (70), total offense (6,510 yards; 500.8 ypg.), rushing touchdowns (44), rushing yards (3,057) and first downs (321). Michigan State's improvement in scoring offense (+13.6 points per game) and total offense (+115.3 yards per game) in 2014 ranked among the Top 10 increases among teams in the FBS.
In his only season at Cincinnati with Mark Dantonio, Warner mentored two starting quarterbacks in Dustin Grutza and Nick Davila. During the 2006 regular season, Grutza ranked fifth in the BIG EAST in both passing efficiency (123.9 rating) and total offense (168.1), while Davila orchestrated the offense in Cincinnati's 30-11 upset over then-No. 7 Rutgers on Nov. 18 as he completed 11-of-15 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown.
Before his time at Cincinnati, Warner coached wide receivers at Southern Miss in 2003 and 2004. He has also made stops as the passing game coordinator at Houston (2001-02), offensive coordinator at Connecticut (1999-2000), passing game coordinator at Wyoming (1998) and quarterbacks coach at Bucknell (1997).
Warner and Dantonio also coached together for four seasons at Kansas (1991-94), when Dantonio was the secondary coach for the Jayhawks. Warner spent nine total seasons as quarterbacks coach for Kansas (1988-96). Prior to KU, Warner spent four years on the staff at Kent State (1984-87), including the last two as quarterbacks coach.
A three-year letterwinner as a quarterback at Syracuse, Warner finished his playing career ranked seventh in career passing yards (2,593) and was a member of the 1979 team that won the Independence Bowl. After graduating in 1982, he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Orange, working with the quarterbacks and offensive backs.
Warner has coached in 16 bowl games, including victories in the 2014 Rose Bowl over No. 5 Stanford and the 2015 Cotton Bowl against No. 4 Baylor, in addition to an appearance in the 2015 College Football Playoff.
Warner earned a bachelor's degree in speech communications from Syracuse in 1982 and received a master's degree in physical education from the school in 1984.
Warner and his wife Leigh Ann have a son, Jackson. Warner also has a daughter, Alexandra.
THE WARNER FILE
YEARS AT UTEP: 1st. Joined the staff on Jan. 15, 2021, from Michigan State.
PREVIOUS COACHING EXPERIENCE: College - Graduate assistant at Syracuse (1982-83); running backs coach (1984-85) and quarterbacks coach (1986-87) at Kent State; quarterbacks coach at Kansas (1988-96); quarterbacks coach at Bucknell (1997); passing game coordinator at Wyoming (1998); offensive coordinator at Connecticut (1999-2000); passing game coordinator at Houston (2001-02); wide receivers coach at Southern Miss (2003-04); quarterbacks coach at Cincinnati (2006); quarterbacks coach at Michigan State (2007-12); offensive coordinator/RB coach at Michigan State (2013-18); quarterbacks coach at Michigan State (2019).
EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in speech communications from Syracuse in 1982; master's degree in physical education from Syracuse in 1984.
PLAYING EXPERIENCE: College - Three-year letterwinner as a QB at Syracuse (1979-81).
POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE: Player - 1979 Independence Bowl. Coach - 1992 Aloha Bowl, 1995 Aloha Bowl, 2003 Liberty Bowl, 2004 New Orleans Bowl, 2007 Champs Sports Bowl, 2009 Capital One Bowl, 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl, 2011 Capital One Bowl, 2012 Outback Bowl, 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, 2014 Rose Bowl, 2015 Cotton Bowl, 2015 College Football Playoff (Cotton Bowl), 2017 Holiday Bowl, 2018 Redbox Bowl, 2019 Pinstripe Bowl.
