Will Wagner is back for his third season with Henderson State as the team's assistant head coach, defensive line coach, and special teams coordinator in 2025.
In 2024, Wagner coached a defensive line that helped HSU finish top five in the GAC in yards and points allowed. The Reddies finished fourth in the league with 20 sacks and third with 12 fumbles forced. They also allowed the ninth-fewest passing yards in all of Division II at 139.6 per game. Henderson earned two GAC Special Teams Player of the Week Awards - one for Axel Robertson and one for Jody Easter. Robertson and Easter earned Second and Third Team All-GAC selections, respectively.
Taking over a cornerbacks position that was responsible for HSU being last in the GAC in passing defense in 2022 with 245.4 passing yards allowed per game, Wagner elevated that unit in 2023 to where the Reddies were only allowing 200.1 yards through the air per contest for ninth in the conference.
Under Wagner, cornerback Josh Brown was named Second Team All-Conference, serving as just the third cornerback/defensive back to receive All-GAC honors in the last four years. Doubling as special teams coach, Henderson also saw its first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2015 with Wagner on the headset.
Wagner brought 22 years of coaching experience at the college ranks to the Reddie staff. His most recent post prior to his transition to Arkadelphia was serving as West Texas A&M's assistant coach for the past three seasons where he coached several position groups, including outside linebackers, defensive backs and special teams.
In 2021, WTAMU held opponents to 19.6 points per game while the Buffs special teams averaged 53.8 yards per punt return. When opponents reached the red-zone, they scored a touchdown on just 57 percent (20-35) of their attempts.
Before that, Wagner was the head football coach at Angelo State from 2011-18, leading the Rams to an overall record of 48-41, one LSC Championship and one NCAA Playoff appearance.
In his final season in San Angelo, Markus Jones was named the winner of the 2018 Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year after leading the nation in tackles for loss by double digits. He also coached Jones, Justin Jackson and Fred Lawrence to All-American honors in 2017.
Wagner led the Rams to the inaugural LSC Playoff Championship in 2014 and to the program's first NCAA DII Playoff win since 1997. He was named the LSC and AFCA Regional Coach of the Year after leading ASU to nine wins, their most wins in more than a decade. They won six straight games during the season, including a 35-33 victory over Texas A&M-Commerce, giving the Rams their first championship of any kind since 1987.
His first coaching stint in college was with Northwest Missouri State, where he served 11 seasons as an assistant coach. He helped the Bearcats to 10 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association championships, seven national championship games and three national titles.
The Bearcats averaged 18 interceptions per season from 2004-10 under Wagner, with 12 of his defensive backs earning a combined 18 All-MIAA honors. He also mentored Myles Burnsides, a two-time All-American and 2008 National Defensive Player of the Year.
As a player, Wagner was an All-American defensive back at Hardin-Simmons, where he played from 1992-95 and earned selection to the Hardin-Simmons 20th Anniversary Team. During his career, he started in 47 games recording an American Southwest Conference record 23 career interceptions. He also set the program record for most interceptions in a single season with eight.
