Adams stands with President David Johns during Adams’ 2019 induction into the Ferrum College Sports Hall of Fame.

Athletic Director John Sutyak has announced the hiring of alumnus Cleive Adams ’02 as the new football coach at Ferrum College.

“I am excited to welcome Cleive Adams back to Ferrum as our new head football coach,” said Sutyak. “It was critical that we identified someone who is of high character, that can positively mentor our current and future football student-athletes and who not only knows Ferrum, but embraces who we are and can effectively recruit and retain high level students and football players to the college. Cleive fits those traits and has a proven record of success in his tenure as the head coach at Averett. We are excited that he will be leading the Black Hats into the future and work toward our ultimate goal of competing for the ODAC championship.”

Prior to his stint at Averett, Adams served two stints as an assistant coach at Ferrum, from 2003 to 2004 and again from 2007 to 2013. During his second stint, Adams served as the Panthers’ defensive coordinator. He was an assistant football coach and special teams coordinator at fellow Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) member Washington and Lee University from 2005 to 2006.

“It’s an absolute honor to be named head football coach at Ferrum,” said Adams. “To be a part of a program with such a rich tradition represents an awesome opportunity. I’m looking forward to a new beginning with my alma mater and a productive partnership with the Ferrum Athletics department and campus community.”

A native of Radford, VA, Adams played football at Ferrum under legendary Coach Hank Norton in 1988 and 1989. After stepping away from school to start a family, he returned to Ferrum in the late 1990s to resume work on his degree, eventually earning a Bachelor of Science from Ferrum in recreation and leisure with a minor in psychology in 2002. In 2019, Adams was named to the Ferrum College Alumni Sports Hall of Fame.

Adams will succeed Rob Grande, who stepped down earlier this month to accept a position with the Iowa State University football coaching staff.

Ferrum College will hold an introductory press conference to formally announce Adams’ hiring on Wednesday, April 1 at 1:00 p.m. The event will be streamed live here.

Read more on the Ferrum College Athletics website.

Ferrum College Director of Athletics John Sutyak has announced the resignation of Head Football Coach Rob Grande, who has accepted a position with Iowa State University’s football program. Grande’s new title with the Cyclones will be Executive Offensive Analyst.

Grande served the past four seasons as Ferrum’s head coach, compiling a 23-17 record, including a 6-9 mark in Ferrum’s first two seasons of Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play. In 2018, Ferrum was the only team in the league to defeat ODAC champion and NCAA participant Randolph-Macon College, beating the Yellow Jackets in Ashland, Virginia.

“Coach Grande has been an extraordinary member of our coaching staff and of the Ferrum College community,” stated Ferrum College President, Dr. David Johns. “During his four years at the College, he has been a great mentor to his players, an active participant in campus life, was involved in the national search for our new athletic director, and he led us into our first two seasons in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. He is a respected leader among his peers at the College. We hate to see him leave, but wish him the very best with this new opportunity.”

Under Grande’s guidance, Ferrum has had an All-American in three of his four years as the head of the Panther program: defensive lineman Montel Lee in 2017, running back Brian Mann in 2018 and offensive lineman Jordan Patti in 2019. Mann is Ferrum’s first-ever student-athlete to earn both All-America and Academic All-America honors.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to be the head football coach at Ferrum,” said Grande. “The history, tradition, alumni, staff, and players have made this a great four years for me and my family. We look forward to a new chapter in our lives at Iowa State University and will always root for the Black Hats.”

Ferrum had 13 All-Conference selections in the ODAC in the past two seasons. In Grande’s first two seasons as head coach, Ferrum competed in the USA South Athletic Conference, earning 17 All-Conference honors and four Player of the Year awards, two each on offense and defense.

“I am extremely happy for Rob, and his family, for this tremendous professional opportunity,” said Sutyak. “Although I have only worked with Rob for a short time, I have appreciated his leadership and guidance within this department. Getting to know him during his time on the athletic director search committee and through the last month and a half in my time on campus, it is clear that Rob has had a profound impact on Ferrum football, his student-athletes and the entire athletic department. We’ve been fortunate to have him here and wish the whole family continued success.”

Ferrum Defensive Coordinator Marshall Doss has been named Interim Head Football Coach while the College conducts a national search. Sutyak and the College intend to move quickly in naming Grande’s permanent replacement.