Chris Hawley tabbed as Nature Coast (Florida) head football coach

Hawley headed up the running backs at Wheaton College most previously

Nature Coast has hired Chris Hawley as its next head football coach / Wheaton College

A former collegiate running backs coach is headed to lead 'Running Backs U.'

Nature Coast has tabbed Wheaton College assistant Chris Hawley as the program's next head football coach. Hawley is no stranger to the Sunshine State as he spent four seasons on Bob Hudson's staff at East Lake High School.

"Time to make it Twitter official

Excited to be the Head Football Coach at Nature Coast Tech HS. Nice to be back home in Tampa Bay especially at one of the top programs in the area!

Thanks to everyone who's been praying for me and helping me through this process!"

Time to make it Twitter official

Excited to be the Head Football Coach at Nature Coast Tech HS. Nice to be back home in Tampa Bay especially at one of the top programs in the area!

Thanks to everyone who's been praying for me and helping me through this process! pic.twitter.com/h9julZdo9W

— Coach Hawley, M.A.Ed. (@CoachHawley) March 20, 2025

Hawley takes over for Rob Kazmier, who stepped down as the Sharks' lead man back in December after the season concluded. Kazmier went 14-9 with two playoff appearances in his two seasons at the helm.

Rob Kazmier steps down as Nature Coast head football coach

The Sharks have seen their fair share of talented running backs come through the program, including Rian Williams, Tevin Drake, Christian Cromer, Michael Weston and current NFL'er Matt Breida.

Down below is Hawley's bio on the Wheaton College's website:

Chris Hawley is entering his third season as Running Backs coach at Wheaton College in 2024. He will be entering the 19th season of his career in the fall. His first year at Wheaton saw running back Giovanni Weeks earn CSC Academic All-American Honors, as well as 1st team All-CCIW, 2nd team All-Region, and 3rd team All-American distinction. The running back group saw improvement in statistical categories and included a stellar performance by Cristian Carstens versus Carthage. In 2023 under Hawley's guidance, Weeks was named a unanimous First Team All-American, earning recognition from the Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, and D3football.com. The senior tailback also became Wheaton's all-time leader in career points, career touchdowns, career rushing yards, and career all-purpose yards and was named a First Team Academic All-American for the second time. Prior to Wheaton, Hawley spent four seasons at East Lake High School in East Lake, Florida where he developed the Quarterbacks and Running Backs. In his second season he helped lead quarterback Matt Trotto to 4th in the state of Florida in passing yards and touchdowns.Hawley spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons at Methodist University in North Carolina, where he led starting running back Montie Dears to break the single-game record for yards in a game and earn 2nd team all-conference honors. The group also improved significantly in yards per game and touchdowns per game under his leadership.Hawley served as an offensive quality control coach working with Quarterbacks and Receivers for three years at Florida Atlantic University under legendary coach Howard Schnellenberger. He spent a year coaching Tight Ends at Bridgewater College in Virginia under Mike Clark. He also spent two years as a graduate assistant at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee where he coached on both sides of the ball.He also has experience coaching at the high school level in Florida. He has coached the likes of the Griffin twins, Dante Fowler, and Sean Culkin, all of whom had significant NFL careers. Hawley has also had numerous players go on to sign for FBS schools and other scholarship levels. Hawley graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2010 with a degree in History and Political Science. Hawley earned his MA in Educational Leadership in 2014 from Wisconsin Lutheran. Hawley lives in Naperville with his wife Ashley, son Benjamin, and daughter Nora.

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