Will Plemons

Assistant Head Coach / Defensive Line Coach  • Fifth Year • Cal Lutheran '97

Recruiting Area: San Joaquin Valley

Will Plemons, who served three stints as an assistant coach at Fresno State, one under Jeff Tedford and the other two for Pat Hill, was hired on March 1, 2020 and coaches the defensive line. He was elevated to Assistant Head Coach in February 2023.

Plemons also has coached the defensive line at Sacramento State for three seasons and at Idaho State for one year.

A defensive line coach under Tedford in 2019, Plemons served two stints under Hill, as a graduate assistant from 2004-05 and as an assistant coach from 2008-11.

Plemons was a defensive line coach at Sacramento State from 2016-18 and was one of two assistants retained by Troy Taylor for the 2019 season until the opportunity to return to Fresno State arose.

During his tenure with the Hornets, Plemons coached a pair of first team all-Big Sky honorees, which included Ben Sorensen, a third team All-American named by the Associated Press who currently is playing in the Canadian Football League. With Sorenson leading the way, 2017 was a highlight season as Hornet defensive linemen combined for 32 of the team's Div. I-era record 43 sacks under Plemons' watch.

Plemons also coached at Sacramento State in 2007, guiding a unit which included first team all-Big Sky selections Mike Brannon and Dallas Mauga. Brannon was also an honorable mention All-American after recording 18.0 tackles-for-loss and 9.0 sacks.

The following year, he moved to Fresno State where he coached linebackers in 2008 before mentoring the defensive line from 2009-11. In 2010, the Bulldogs ranked ninth in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 2.85 sacks per game. That year, he coach Chris Carter and Logan Harrell to first team all-WAC honors and Carter was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Plemons spent the next four seasons as a defensive line coach in the Canadian Football League. He was on the staff of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for two seasons before shifting to the Toronto Argonauts prior to the 2014 season. While in Winnipeg, Plemons coached a defensive line which accounted for 74 of the team's 94 sacks in his two seasons.

Prior to his first stop at Sacramento State, Plemons coached the defensive line at Idaho State in 2006.

He graduated from Cal Lutheran in 1997 where he was a four-year starter for the Kingsmen and was a team captain and all-conference player. He started his coaching career at CLU as the tight ends and assistant offensive line coach before being elevated to the position of defensive line coach in 2002 and adding the recruiting coordinator title the following year. During his tenure, Plemons coached seven all-conference players, including a second team All-American.

He and his wife, Mary Beth, have four children: William Jr., Bear, Nadia and Anya.