Coach Plough Photo Gallery
Tim Plough, a former UC Davis quarterback and assistant coach, returned to his alma mater in to take on role of offensive coordinator under head coach Dan Hawkins. As the architect of the Aggies' offense the Big Sky's top-ranked unit the last two seasons, Plough was elevated to the position of associate head coach following UC Davis' inaugural FCS playoff appearance in 2018.
What started with the program's third victory against a FBS program in the team's 2018 season opener continued with program Division I-era records for overall (10) and conference victories (7) — benchmarks = that were achieved thanks to the Aggies' prolific offense.
With Walter Payton Award Watch List selections Jake Maier and Keelan Doss leading the way, UC Davis averages 322.8 yards of total offense, ranked No. 3 in the country and nearly 40 yards per game more than the league's second-ranked team. By averaging 488.9 yards of total offense per game, and 39.7 points per game, the Aggies' offense finished No. 7 and No. 8, respectively, in each category.
For his part, Plough received a "35 Under 35" award from the American Football Coaches Association in 2018, recognizing top collegiate football coaches under the age of 35.
During the 2017 season, his first on the sidelines since returning to Davis, the Aggies finished with the No. 1-ranked offense in the Big Sky Conference for the first time in program history, saw two players — wide receiver Keelan Doss and quarterback Jake Maier — earn spots on the Walter Payton Award Watch List (the FCS' version of the Heisman Trophy) and set over 20 new offensive records.??The 2008 Aggie graduate returned home after spending four seasons at Northern Arizona, where he mentored the Lumberjack aerial game to the country's No. 1 passing efficiency in 2015.
During his first tenure as a member of UC Davis' coaching staff, he served as a student assistant coach in 2008, then became the team's quarterbacks coach the following year. From 2010 through 2012, Plough was elevated to the position of passing game coordinator. During that span, he helped nurture Randy Wright into becoming the first UC Davis freshman to start at quarterback in a full decade.
Combining his redshirt season of 2003, four years as a letterwinner and another five on the staff, Plough spent a full decade as a part of UC Davis football, building relationships and experiences he still treasures. "I'm super-excited to be back," he said. "It's such an important part of my life, and part of my growth as a player and a coach."
"In my first go-round at UC Davis, I was still learning how to be a coach. I was super-fortunate to have guys like Bob Biggs, Mike Moroski and Jim Sochor mentor me for those five years. I used to meet with Coach Sochor weekly, just away from coaching. He helped me grow as a man during my post-college years. They gave me a great platform to do that."
In fact, Sochor was in attendance with then-head coach Bob Biggs and offensive coordinator Mike Moroski when Plough received the news that he would become the team’s play-caller at the young age of 25. When Plough’s coaching journey took him to Flagstaff, Arizona, as a member of the Northern Arizona staff, Sochor continued to serve as a mentor. The College Football Hall of Gamer drove out to NAU during the offseason, visit practices and even speak to the offensive group.
Furthermore, Plough had the opportunity to collaborate with another Sochor disciple: Washington head coach Chris Petersen. The UW staff made a trip to UC Davis to study the Aggie offense, then reciprocated by hosting Plough for two weeks in Seattle. Plough worked with Coach Pete to help the staff analyze and improve the Husky offense.
Plough became NAU’s receivers coach in 2013, holding that role for two seasons and guiding four players to All-Big Sky status. Third-team honoree Ify Umodo also signed a free agent contract with the Chicago Bears in 2015.
In his third season, Plough was promoted to offensive coordinator. Both the Lumberjack ground and passing game flourished under his leadership: first-team All-Big Sky pick Casey Jahn because just the 12th player in school history to surpass 1,000 rushing yards, while both quarterback Case Cookus and receiver Emmanuel Butler garnered All-America accolades. Cookus also garnered FCS Freshman Player of the Year distinction, helping Plough's offense rank No. 1 nationally in passing efficiency (180.18), seventh in scoring offense (39.3 ppg) and eighth in passing offense (303.2 ypg).
"Going to NAU got me away from what I had known," said Plough. "In the last few years, we have stumbled upon an offense that is new and that a lot of people don't run. We've had some success with it. I used a lot of the things I learned at Davis and then grew into my own."
That fall, NAU continued to rate among the country's top FCS offenses under Plough's tutelage, despite an early season injury to Cookus. The Jacks finished among the top 10 nationally in passing offense (318.8 ypg), fewest sacks allowed (0.73) and total offense (475.5). Overall, NAU posted a 28-17 record in Plough's four seasons on staff.
Formerly a football/baseball standout from San Diego, Plough lettered four years at UC Davis and earned the starting role as a senior. His 388 yards at Eastern Washington on September 15, 2007 ranked No. 16 in school history and third in the program's Division I era when he returned to his alma mater.
Plough earned his bachelor's degree in history from UC Davis in 2008, then added a master's in coaching education from Ohio University four years later. His wife Christine have two sons, Jackson (3) and Cam (1). Christine also graduated from UC Davis but had not met Tim at the time of the historic 2005 upset of Stanford. “She figured we would lose and went to Steve Miller Band concert instead,” says Plough, who claims to continue giving Christine a hard time about that decision.
"Probably one of the more attractive things, other than coming back to my alma mater, is the opportunity to work with Coach Hawk," Plough said. "He has such a great track record and so much success at a high level. For a young coach like me, to be able to learn from him and to watch someone come into a program to really reignite what we've done at UC Davis -- I just feel very fortunate to be part of that."
