After 21 seasons as the head coach at Northern Arizona University, Jerome Souers was named Southern Oregon's defensive coordinator on Jan. 22, 2020.
Souers finished his tenure at NAIA in 2018 as the Big Sky's all-time leader in conference victories. He compiled a 123-114 career record, making him the winningest coach in school history.
In 2003, Souers was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, presented to the top head coach at the NCAA Division I-AA level, after leading the Lumberjacks to their first Big Sky championship in 25 years and an appearance in the national quarterfinal round. In total, the Lumberjacks made five postseason appearances under his direction and went 85-77 in Big Sky play.
Prior to NAU, Souers coached at University of Montana for 12 seasons and was the defensive coordinator for the last eight of those. The Grizzlies posted winning records every year during his stay, earned seven playoff berths, advanced to two national title games and won a championship in 1995. During the title run, Souers' defense became the first in NCAA history to register back-to-back playoff shutouts.
Souers began his coaching career at his alma mater, North Eugene High, while attending University of Oregon, from which he graduated with a degree in physical education in 1983. He also made stops at Western Washington University and Portland State University.