Cody Grice, who served as an analyst at ULM for the last two seasons, enters his first season as defensive line coach.
A four-year letterman (2012-15) and two-time captain for Bowden at Akron, Grice was a student assistant at his alma mater in 2018, working with the defensive linemen. He also gained experience as the head strength and conditioning coach at Firestone High School in Akron, Ohio, and defensive line coach at McKinley Senior High School in Canton.
A native of Akron, Ohio, Grice started a school-record 49 consecutive games at nose guard for the Zips and recorded 136 career tackles, with 24.5 resulting in losses (87 yards) including 8.0 sacks (42 yards). He also scored eight rushing touchdowns, four each as a junior and senior, as a short-yardage fullback.
Grice became a two-time All-Mid-American Conference selection, earning first-team honors as a junior and second-team recognition as a senior. In 2015, he anchored an Akron defensive unit that led the MAC in rushing defense and ranked No. 3 in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, allowing 92.9 yards per game. The Zips made their first-ever postseason bowl appearance in 2015 and finished with an 8-5 record, including a 23-21 victory over Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Grice closed out his career by producing 1.5 sacks in the bowl win over the Aggies.
The 30-year-old Grice earned his Bachelor of Science in organizational supervision from Akron in May 2018.
