Joshua Eargle
Joshua King Eargle (born January 6, 1979) is an American football coach at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. Prior to Kansas, Eargle was the interim head coach and offensive coordinator at Austin Peay. Eargle was the head football coach at East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) from 2013 to 2015, where led his team to  the American Southwest Conference (ASC) championship in 2015. He was named the ASC Coach of the Year in 2015.

Early life and playing career
Eargle was born in Waco, Texas and grew up in Brownwood, Texas. He played football for the seven-time state champions Brownwood Lions. Considered one of the top defensive linemen in the state of Texas in 1996, he was named to the Texas Sportswriters 4A All-State team in 1996, the Defensive Player of the Year in District 15-4A and the All-District 15-4A Team as a defensive tackle. Starting his freshman season, Eargle was called up to the varsity during the Lions playoff run to the quarterfinals. His sophomore season, Eargle started both ways as a Tight End on Offense and Defensive End on Defense playing for Mark Bachtel. His junior season, Eargle continued being a stand-out player playing both ways as an Offensive Guard and Defensive End for W.T. Stapler and Steve Freeman. Eargle transferred to Sulphur Springs High School in Sulphur Springs, Texas to complete his high school campaign under the leadership of Head Coach Chuck King and the Sulphur Springs Wildcats. Playing both Offensive Guard and Defensive Tackle in 1996, he was credited with 69 total tackles, two pass interceptions. He had 12 tackles and 2 pass interceptions in the Whitehouse game, returned both interceptions for touchdowns. He helped lead team to state playoff bid in 1996. Joshua was recruited by Rip Scherer, then head football coach at the University of Memphis. He signed with Memphis after offers from Arkansas and Tulsa. As a Memphis Tiger, Eargle played on the Defensive Line before being moved to Offensive Guard. Eargle was exposed to some highly successful collegiate football coaches while at Memphis: Clay Helton, Randy Fichtner, Rip Scherer, Tommy West, Mac McWhorter, Rusty Burns, Dave Magazu, Russ Huesman, Rick Mallory, Charlie Coe, Tim Walton, and Joe Cullen. Eargle won the inaugural Top Tiger Award given by Head Coach Tommy West to the player who battled back from adversity or overcame difficult circumstances to return to the field.

Coaching career
The Texas native started his coaching career at the University of Southern Mississippi under head coach Jeff Bower. In his first year as a graduate assistant, he was a part of the 2003 Conference USA championship with a perfect 8–0 record. The Golden Eagles earned a bowl bid to the AXA Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee. The second season the Eagles notched a win in the GMAC Bowl. Eargle became the Offensive Line Coach at Ouachita Baptist University in 2005 before returning to Southern Mississippi as an Assistant Offensive Line Coach for the Golden Eagles as they won the Conference-USA East title and a victory in the New Orleans Bowl in 2006.

From there, Eargle was named the Recruiting Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Nicholls State shocked the football world in 2007 when the FCS Colonels knocked off FBS opponent Rice Owls 16-14. In 2009, Eargle took a quality control position at Louisiana State University under Head Coach Les Miles and Offensive Coordinator Gary Crowton, working directly with Greg Studrawa. During the season, the Tigers were ranked #4 in the country winning big matchups against Washington, Louisiana-Lafayette, Georgia, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Arkansas before being invited to the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Florida, January 1, 2010.

His versatility in playing both ways in high school and college provided opportunities being able to call plays on both sides of the football as a coach. Eargle would be named Offensive Coordinator at the University of Arkansas at Monticello before being named Defensive Coordinator at Hallsville High School in East Texas. Eargle helped lead the Bobcats to their first bi-district playoff appearance in five years.

In 2010, Eargle became defensive coordinator for the Southeastern Oklahoma State University. The Savage Storm's pass defense finished as the 11th best in the Division II and first in the Great American Conference. The overall defense finished 29th in the nation out of 156 programs and third in the GAC. After the 2010 season, Eargle notched a career total of 10 players earning first-team all-conference and 17 players earning an all-conference award. At every program he had coached for, at least one player had earned a first-team all-conference award.

The Texas native returned home as he was named head football coach at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas on January 22, 2013. He turned around a struggling program to win the American Southwest Conference Championship in his third season. He led ETBU to a 7-3 record with a 4-1 record in the ASC and received their first national ranking since 2004. Heading into the final week of play, ETBU was 23rd in the D3football.com poll, receiving votes in the AFCA national poll, and 10th in the NCAA regional poll. ETBU had their first winning season and defeated their first nationally ranked opponent (#8 Hardin-Simmons) in 10 years. Eargle was named the ASC Coach of the Year in 2015 for his efforts. At ETBU, Eargle had 5 All-Americans, and 30 All-Conference Players. Quarterback Josh Warbington and running back Kendall Roberson posted back-to-back All-American campaigns in 2014-15. Additionally, he had 30+ ASC All-Academic players, 17 All-ASC Honorable Mention, 4-1000 yard receivers, 4 All-Region Players, 2 Undrafted NFL Players. In total, ETBU established 50+ combined individual or team season records during Eargle's three seasons at the helm.

In 2016, Eargle became the Run Game Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach at Austin Peay State University. He helped to lead one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college football history. Prior to 2017 season, the Governors had just one win in four seasons. The Governors finished 8-1 in FCS play, 8-4 overall, tying the school record for eight wins in one season. With seven Ohio Valley Conference wins, it was the most conference wins in program history. The Governors were 3-0 against the league's other Tennessee-based teams to capture the Sgt. York Trophy for the first time in school history. Overall, the team finished second in the OVC, three of their losses to FBS schools. The running attack headed by Eargle ranked sixth in the FCS, averaging 258.8 rushing yards. Two offensive linemen, Kyle Anderton and Ryan Rockensuess, were named OVC All-Conference in 2017.

Prior to the Austin Peay vs. Morehead State game on September 15, 2018, Eargle was named Offensive Coordinator. In his first game as an Offensive Coordinator for APSU, Eargle’s offense set the OVC record for most points scored against a Division I Opponent in the school’s 78 to 40 victory over Morehead State. That game set a tone as the Governors continued to smash the offensive record books. For the season, the Govs set school records in yards per game (419), points scored (340) touchdowns scored (47), points per game (30.9), yards per play (6.19) and yards per rush (5.39). The Governors finished as the top rushing offense in the OVC and No. 16 in the FCS, averaging 237.5 yards per game on the ground. Third team AP All-Americans Kentel Williams led the FCS with 7.99 yards per carry, and the Govs finished 17th in the nation in rushing yards per carry (5.39). Additionally, the Govs led the OVC and finished 13th nationally in passing yards per completion (15.1). Eargle's Offensive Line finished top ten nationally and led the conference, allowing just nine sacks on the season. Under Eargle's tutelage, Williams earned First-Team All-OVC recognition and offensive linemen Byron Glass and Ethan Self were named Second-Team All-OVC.

Following the 2018 season, Eargle won a national online public vote for his work in raising awareness for his young daughter Landrey's fight against life-threatening illnesses she's been battling her entire life. The Rare Disease Champion award is presented by Uplifting Athletes to "a leader in the world of college football who has realized his or her potential to make a positive and lasting impact on the rare disease community." Eargle will accept this award as a part of the Maxwell Award Ceremony in March of 2019 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Personal life
Eargle met his wife, Kristen, while in college at the University of Memphis. After completing her journalism degree at Memphis, Kristen got her start in TV Sports Journalism as sports producer and fill-in reporter at WVUE FOX 8 in New Orleans. She became a sports reporter and anchor for WBRZ in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a sideline reporter for WHNO and COX Sports Television in New Orleans, Louisiana. During Joshua's tenure at ETBU in Texas, Kristen was hired by KLTV to be a morning show anchor and launch Good Morning East Texas Weekend in Tyler, Longview, Lufkin and Nacogdoches, Texas TV Markets.

Head coaching record