FLORENCE, Ala. (April 2, 2026) – A national championship winner is returning home to the Shoals and to his alma mater.
 
On Thursday, University of North Alabama men's basketball head coach Tony Pujol made a splash with the addition of Drew Stutts as an assistant coach. Stutts is a Florence native and played locally at Mars Hill Bible School and Northwest Shoals Community College before finishing his career at UNA in 2011.
 
The former Lion has enjoyed tremendous success as a head coach since leaving the Shoals, spending a few years leading in-state programs at the high school level before accepting the head coaching job at Freed-Hardeman University in 2019.
 
In eight seasons leading Freed-Hardeman, Stutts finished with an impressive record of 174-52. In two of the last three seasons, the Lions finished No. 1 overall in the national rankings and won the NAIA National Championship. Stutts and company returned to Henderson, Tenn. with a red banner in 2023-24 and 2025-26.
 
"This is a special moment for North Alabama Basketball," said Pujol. "Drew Stutts is highly regarded in the Shoals community and is a well-respected basketball coach. What he accomplished as a national championship head coach at the NAIA level speaks volumes about his ability to build a winning culture, develop players and lead at a high level. Just as important, he understands this area. His ties to the Shoals and his love for UNA make this a perfect fit. Our program will benefit immediately from Drew's experience, energy and passion for North Alabama."
 
This season, Stutts led Freed-Hardeman to the greatest season in program history. FHU finished with a 35-1 record while winning the Mid-South Conference with a 12-0 record. The Lions defeated Campbellsville and Bethel to win the Mid-South Conference Tournament, then won six more games en route to the 2026 NAIA National Championship. On March 24, just over a week ago, FHU defeated Langston 76-71 in the championship final in Kansas City, Mo.
 
In 2024-25, the Lions finished 30-6 and made it to the NAIA Fab Four, falling in the national semifinals. The season prior, FHU celebrated its first national championship in 2023-24 with a 32-7 overall record and a 10-2 record in league play for a share of the Mid-South regular season championship.
 
In his first season in 2019-20, Stutts and the Lions won more games than the previous two years combined. The team finished with 18 wins and ranked among the top five teams in the nation in three-pointers per game (10.89). He built on that success with winning records in all eight seasons at the helm.
 
Entering this season, Stutts had coached four All-Americans, 10 All-Conference players, the 2022-23 MSC Defensive Player of the Year and the 2021-22 Freshman of the Year.
 
Stutts is the fastest coach to reach 100 wins in program history.
 
While it was a difficult decision to leave, Stutts is excited to return to his alma mater.
 
"I'm beyond excited to be joining the UNA basketball program," said Stutts. "I want to sincerely thank athletic director Dr. Josh Looney and head coach Tony Pujol for this incredible opportunity. Coming back home to the Shoals to coach at my and my wife Amanda's alma mater is truly a dream come true. I know without a doubt that God has had His hand in every step of this journey.
 
"I can't wait to get to work — bringing everything I've learned as the head coach at Freed-Hardeman University and helping build on the championship-level success Coach Pujol and his staff have established. The best is yet to come, and I'm fired up to be a part of it!"
 
Stutts graduated from UNA in 2011 with a degree in physical education. That degree was put to great use, as he began his coaching career immediately after college as an assistant coach at Mars Hill, where he helped lead the team to a 104-28 overall record and two AHSAA tournament semifinal appearances.
 
From 2011 to 2014, Stutts was the athletic director and head basketball coach at Corner School in Birmingham, Alabama, followed by being the junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant coach at Hewitt Trussville High School from 2014 to 2017. Before becoming head coach at Freed-Hardeman, Stutts was the head coach at Chester County, where he led the program to a 19-10 record and its first appearance in the Region Semifinals since 2004. The Eagles averaged 73 points per game in his one year at the helm, which was in the top 10 in the state of Tennessee for scoring average.
 
His wife, Amanda, is a nursing clinical instructor, and they have two sons, Roman and Deacon, and a daughter, Parker.
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.