The Sun Devils / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State University football will have an assistant football coach and student-athlete honored at the 38th Annual Scholar Athlete Awards Banquet hosted by the Valley of the Sun Chapter of the National Football Foundation on Saturday, April 6 at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort and Villas.
 
Sun Devil assistant coach (tight ends) Donnie Yantis will receive the 2019 Frank Kush “Lifetime Achievement” Coaching Award for his dedication and service to the game and its student athletes while defensive lineman Jordan Hoyt, a member of the 2018 senior class, was named a 2019 NFF Chapter Scholar-Athlete.
 
The 38^th Annual Awards Banquet will be a mid-afternoon affair, with a Reception/Auction/Raffle beginning at 12:30 p.m., followed by the formal awards program/dinner at 2 p.m.
 
Yantis has a long history of involvement as a football student-athlete, coach and advocate in the state of Arizona.
 
Yantis both played and coached football at Glendale Community College, then moved on to play at Southern Utah University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. Shortly thereafter, he took his first high school head coaching job at age 28 at Glendale High School and earned his Master’s Degree from Northern Arizona University. The next year he became the head football coach at his alma mater – Paradise Valley High School, where he coached for 14 seasons and compiled a record of 94-70. 
 
Yantis was the winningest coach in PV High School history, with nine playoff appearances in 13 seasons. During his tenure, Yantis twice received the Arizona Cardinals Coach of the Week and was twice named Republic North Phoenix Coach of the Year. Under Yantis’ direction at Paradise Valley, the offense broke every school record in both passing and rushing yards, first downs, and points scored. As a high school coach, Yantis produced 16 Division I athletes, 21 junior college athletes, and five Division II athletes. His teams earned the 5A Desert Valley Region Champion title on two occasions.
 
Coach Yantis was an active member of the Arizona Football Coaches Association, serving as a Board Member from 2000-09, where he played an integral role in maintaining the integrity of the sport of football across the state. 
 
Yantis’ college coaching career began when he started up the first NAIA college football program in the state of Arizona as the Head Football Coach at Arizona Christian University, where he remained for two seasons. During his first season as Coach of ACU in 2014, he was named the NAIA Independent Conference Coach of the Year. In year two of the program, Yantis was named Central States Football League (CSFL) Coach of the Year as he led ACU to a CSFL Conference Championship, going undefeated in the conference. He also received AFCA NAIA Region 5 Coach of the Year honors for his efforts.
 
Yantis is currently in his second season as assistant coach (tight ends) for Sun Devil Football, where he spent the prior two years as the program’s Assistant Athletics Director for football recruiting. 
 
Hoyt, who earned Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention honors last season, was named a 2019 NFF Chapter Scholar Athlete. He will be honored by the Valley of the Sun Chapter of the National Football Foundation for his excellence in academics. 
 
Hoyt earned a scholarship in 2018 after spending the previous two seasons as a walk-on. Hoyt appeared in six games his senior season. He recorded a tackle and forced fumble in ASU’s victory over UTSA on Sep.1. As a redshirt sophomore, Hoyt was named the Sun Devil Scout Team Player of the Year on defense while sitting out the season following his transfer.
 
The Valley of the Sun Chapter National Football Foundation and Fiesta Bowl Charities 2018-2019 Scholar Athlete Class: Nominated by their coaches, these football scholar-athletes represent over 250,000 students from 186 high schools in central and northern Arizona and were selected on the combined criteria of 40% academics, 40% football accomplishments, and 20% school and community citizenship and participation.