ALAMOSA — Adams State athletic director Katelyn Smith announced Tuesday that Levi Gallas will be the next head football coach.

“After a very thorough and competitive national search, we have found our next leader for Adams State football. We are so excited to have Coach Gallas rejoin the Grizzly family. His passion for the sport and the San Luis Valley is unmatched, and it was clear he was what we needed for this next era of Adams State football,” Smith said.

“I would also like to give a huge thank-you to Jeremy Capo of Collegiate Research Management for his help with the search,” she added.

“Adams State University has a long and rich tradition in college football, and I’m excited to be a part of it once again,” Gallas said.

Gallas has been the defensive coordinator at West Texas A&M, a Division II program in Canyon, Texas, for the past two seasons. During his tenure, the Buffaloes posted an 8-13 overall record and a 7-10 mark in Lone Star Conference play.

Gallas is no stranger to Adams State. As a player, he was an All-RMAC selection in both football and track. A linebacker on the gridiron, he was a two-time team captain and the team MVP in 2009. He attended Adams State from 2005 to 2010, earning a bachelor’s degree in human performance and physical education.

“When the opportunity presented itself, I simply thought, ‘there is no place like home,’” he said.

Before his time at West Texas A&M, Gallas spent six seasons coaching the defensive line and his final two seasons as the Defensive Coordinator at Nebraska-Kearney. In 2022, his final season there, the Lopers’ defense allowed just 18.7 points and 360.1 yards per game, holding seven opponents to fewer than 19 points. The team ranked third in the MIAA in scoring defense and first in pass efficiency defense with a 106.5 rating.

Kearney also limited opponents to a 54% completion rate, the second-best mark in the conference, while recording 10 interceptions and 52 pass breakups.

Gallas previously spent five seasons at Eastern New Mexico, where he coached special teams, defensive backs and the defensive line. During his tenure, the Greyhounds won 20 games and had 10 defensive or special teams players earn All-LSC honors. Eastern New Mexico led the Lone Star Conference in rush defense in 2014 and 2016 and ranked second in interceptions in 2015.

“My family and I are excited to be a part of the valley once again. Go Grizz,” Gallas said.

Gallas and his wife, Haley, have two children, Paxton and Oakley.