Football | 3/2/2022 4:45:00 PM

Dixie State University head football coach Paul Peterson announced on Wednesday two new additions to his coaching staff for the upcoming 2022 season.
 
Peterson has named Shane Hunter as the program's new co-defensive coordinator, and has tabbed Billy Ray Stutzmann as the new wide receivers coach.

Hunter, who will also coach the safeties for the Trailblazers, will share defensive coordinator duties with current DSU linebackers coach Misi Tupe. Hunter replaces Justin Ena, who earlier this week was announced as the new defensive line coach at San Diego State, after he spent one season as the Trailblazers' defensive coordinator in 2021.
 
"Coach Hunter is a perfect fit for what we are building on defense," Peterson said. "Coach Tupe and Hunter compliment each other perfectly. Together they will help elevate our defense as we prepare for our second Division-I season."

Hunter comes to Dixie State after spending the last six seasons as a defensive assistant coach on then-head coach Bronco Mendenhall's staff at Virginia from 2016-21.

Hunter coached the inside linebackers from 2016-20, before moving over to the safety position last season. He helped lead the Cavaliers to the 2019 ACC Coastal Division title and to an appearance at the 2020 Orange Bowl.

While at Virginia, he mentored several all-ACC selections, highlighted by three-time first team all-ACC pick and two-time All-American Micah Kiser. Kiser led the ACC in tackles for three-straight seasons (2015-17), and in 2017 was presented with the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy (Academic Heisman) by the National Football Foundation.
 
Prior to his time at Virginia, Hunter served three seasons as a graduate assistant on Mendenhall's staff at BYU, where he worked with the defensive front seven and special teams. He also spent two seasons as defensive line coach at Snow College during the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
 
Hunter is a 2011 graduate of BYU, where he earned his degree in Exercise Science. He played middle linebacker for the Cougars from 2008-10, and he started all 13 games as senior, when he recorded 85 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery on his way to honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference honors.
He was also named to the Academic All-MWC team and was a member of the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society.

A native of Idaho Falls, Idaho, Coach Hunter and his wife, Carrie, are the parents of four children.

Stutzmann will replace Terrance Grant as DSU receivers coach this season. Grant had served in that capacity for three seasons before departing the program to move back to his native Texas with his family.

Stutzmann, who is the younger brother of new DSU offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann, comes to the DSU program after three seasons at the United States Naval Academy. In 2019 he was part of an offensive staff that not only saw the Midshipmen lead the nation in rushing, but also finish second nationally in average yards per catch (22.51 ypc) and seventh in passing efficiency (176.92).  

"Coach Stutzmann comes to us from Navy and will work our talented receiving corps," Peterson said. "Having played wide receiver in our new offensive scheme, he will help develop a great group of returning receivers."

Before returning to coaching on the mainland, Stutzmann was an offensive assistant coach at his alma mater Hawai'i in 2013, where he helped mentor stand-out receiver John Ursua, who led the nation in receiving touchdowns (16) and was fifth-nationally in receiving yards (1,343).
 
He also had coaching stints at Western New Mexico (2014) and at Emory & Henry (2015-17), where he coached both receivers and the secondary, and was the passing game coordinator in 2017.

Stutzmann played four at Hawai'i from 2009-13, where he caught 148 career passes for 1,845 yards and nine touchdowns, and graduated with his Bachelor's degree in Psychology in 2013. He was also a three-time all-state receiver at Honolulu's Saint Louis HS, where he played alongside 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.

Coach Stutzmann and his wife, Shanelle, are the parents of an infant daughter, Savannah.