DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis football head coach Tim Plough announced on Thursday, Feb. 26 the hiring of long-time collegiate coach Cody vonAppen as the newest member of the Aggie coaching staff with vonAppen set to take over the special teams unit heading into the 2026 season.
 
"We're always looking to improve our team every offseason and Cody and his wife Cindy are family to Christine and me," said Plough. "I've watched him mature into a fantastic football coach over the past decade. He comes from great coaching heritage, and his father is one of the true legends of this game and he's been around this game a long time.
 
"For us to be a championship program our special teams must embody the values of our pyramid and when Cody told me he wanted to be the guy to get that done I was so excited. He will bring the perfect balance of detail-execution-passion that we aim for in Shredville. I'm excited to watch him take what we give him and run with it this season and beyond."
 
With over 13 years of coaching experience at the collegiate ranks and a deep understanding of Big Sky football, vonAppen brings tons of experience to the special teams unit filled with incoming and returning talent poised for a big season.
 
"My wife and I could not be more excited to start this new chapter here in the Davis community," said vonAppen. "I have always had a tremendous amount of respect for the football program, coaching tradition, and student athletes here at UC Davis. The opportunity to join Coach Plough and his staff brings me joy and a sense of clarity. I am thankful for the opportunity and Go Ags!"
 
vonAppen comes to Davis after spending the previous five years at Cal Poly serving as an assistant coach before taking over the defense as the defensive coordinator ahead of the 2022 season, a role he held until the conclusion of the 2025 season. While under his command, the Cal Poly defense produced four first team All-Big Sky members and two All-Americans in Elijah Ponder and Mikey D'Amato.
 
Before landing in San Luis Obispo, vonAppen spent the 2019 season coaching the safeties/nickels as a defensive graduate assistant at Boise State and before that he had spent five seasons from 2014-18 working his way up from defensive graduate assistant to assistant coach in charge of the secondary at Northern Arizona.
 
A graduate of Western Oregon ('14), vonAppen played quarterback for the Wolves for two seasons after spending his first two years playing at Eastern Arizona College. Following his time under center, vonAppen began his coaching career at Western Oregon, holding roles as an assistant coach in charge of the quarterbacks and running backs before moving to Northern Arizona.
 
Among the Aggie staff, vonAppen takes his role among a growing group of experienced coaches following back-to-back seasons with deep runs into the quarterfinals of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. Last season's special teams coordinator, Taylor Chapatte, will slot back into his primary role as the tight ends coach, a role he held last year along with his duties in charge of the special teams.
 
ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS: UC Davis, the No. 2 ranked public university by the Wall Street Journal, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked No. 1 in Agriculture and Forestry as well as No. 1 in Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27.