A familiar face in Florence, Colby Ellis rejoined the UNA coaching staff in January 2026 as the wide receivers coach.
This is the second stint for Ellis at UNA, who spent three seasons with the Lions from 2020-22. This stint is his first working under Coach Brent Dearmon, who came one season after Ellis in 2023.
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"Bringing Colby Ellis back to UNA will greatly benefit UNA Football," said Dearmon. "His attention to detail in coaching wide receivers and in recruiting is unmatched. Colby has been a player and also coached at the Power Four level. Colby turned down other job opportunities for the chance to come back to Florence, Alabama and UNA."
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Like Bowen, Ellis also joins the staff from Oklahoma State where he spent last season as an offensive analyst. Ellis also spent his playing career at Oklahoma State from 2010-13 where he played defensive back, wide receiver and special teams. He was part of the 2011 Big 12 Championship team that went on to win the Fiesta Bowl.
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Prior to OSU, Ellis worked three seasons at the associate head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Nebraska-Kearney. Prior to his time at UNA, Ellis was also in the Cornhusker state working at Nebraska. He was an offensive graduate assistant working primarily with running backs.
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Other coaching stops for Ellis includes Missouri Southern State (2017), Northeastern Oklahoma State (2014 and 2016) and West Georgia (2015).
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"My wife and I are very excited to be back in the Shoals area and to be a part of the University of North Alabama football program," said Ellis at the time of his second hire. "I'm looking forward to hitting the ground running and developing our players on and off the field."
