Fresno State’s Jamar Cain hired as ASU’s defensive line coach

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Published Jan 19, 2019

Fresno State’s Jamar Cain hired as ASU’s defensive line coach

Hod Rabino • ASUDevils

Publisher

@DevilsDigest

Multiple sources informed Devils Digest that Jamar Cain, who interviewed with ASU over the weekend will leave Fresno State where he served as defensive line coach to assume the same position for the Sun Devils. The official announcement is expected to take place Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. Cain will replace Shaun Nua who left for Michigan.

Jamar Cain has been with the Bulldog program for two years serving as the assistant coach for the defensive line. Ironically, his last game of his tenure was against the Sun Devils last month in the Las Vegas Bowl, where Fresno State won 31-20.

In that postseason contest, Fresno State held ASU to 164 yards averaging 4.3 yards per carry, recorded and posting six tackles for loss and one sack. In his first season, Cain turned a struggling 123rd-ranked rushing defense in 2016 (247.4 ypg) and vaulted it to one that ranked 11th in 2017 (113.4 ypg). Fresno State also ranked third in the Mountain West in 2017 league in tackles for loss per game with 6.4, with the team’s top three players in tackles for loss being members of his group.

In 2018 Fresno State ranked fifth in their conference, 30th in the nation, in rushing defense with an average of 132.2 ypg and 3.7 yards per carry, and sixth in the league with 25 sacks.

Prior to arriving at Fresno State, Cain coached the previous three seasons at North Dakota State. And was part of the Bison’s fourth and fifth straight FCS national championships in 2014 and 2015. Cain helped in developing 2014 Buck Buchanan Award winner (best defensive player in the FCS) and consensus All-American Kyle Emanuel, who had 19.5 sacks and 32.5 tackles for a loss his senior year and was a fifth-round NFL draft pick.

Prior to NDSU, Cain was an assistant coach for defensive lines at Wyoming (2013), Cal Poly (2009-12), and Missouri State (2006-08). While coaching for the Cowboys, Cain was elevated to interim defensive coordinator under head coach, and current ASU offensive line coach, Dave Christensen eight games into the season. Cain was was also a defensive graduate assistant on Frank Solich’s staff at Ohio in 2005, and was the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Sacramento City College in 2004.

Cain graduated from New Mexico State in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in family consumer sciences. He will become ASU’s fifth defensive line coach hire in as many years. This group lost only one starter from 2018 in nose tackle Renell Wren and returns several linemen with considerable playing experience such as Shannon Forman, George Lea, Jermayne Lole, and Jalen Bates. ASU has also added Rivals250 four-star defensive end prospect Stephon Wright and fellow defensive end Amiri Johnson.