Mark Hogan – Outside Linebackers/Special Teams Coordinator

Mark Hogan joined Scott Abell’s inaugural staff at Rice in December of 2024, reuniting with Abell after three seasons coaching the nickels at Charlotte.  He will coach the Owls’ outside linebackers and also serve as special teams coordinator.

He joined the Davidson coaching staff in 2018, coaching the Wildcats’ safeties and assisting with special teams. In his first season, he coached Dreylan Hines, the Pioneer Football League Co-Freshman Defensive Player of the Year and HERO Sports All-America freshman honorable mention honoree. in 2019, the Wildcats’ defense finished fourth in FCS in Total Defense, allowing 278.9 YPG, and 16th in Scoring Defense at 20.7 PPG. Both marks were top in the Pioneer Football League.

Prior to Davidson, Hogan served as defensive coordinator at Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte. He coached 3 defensive players who went on to see action in the NFL as rookies in 2024.

A 2012 graduate of Georgia State, Hogan played three seasons as an outside linebacker for the Panthers, leading the team in tackles during his tenure. He also played two seasons as an outfielder on the Georgia State baseball team. 

Following graduation from Georgia State, Hogan played a graduate year at Charlotte in 2013 during the 49ers’ first football season and scored the first touchdown in program history on an interception return. 

Hogan was the 49ers’ recipient of the Charlotte Touchdown Club Bronko Nagurski Scholarship and named to the All-Independent first-team defense. He finished his career with 234 tackles, 17.5 for loss, and four interceptions. 

Hogan returned to Charlotte in 2015-16 as a graduate assistant working with outside linebackers. 

He began his coaching career in 2014 as a graduate assistant at Texas State University, working with safeties and nickels.

HOGAN YEAR-BY-YEAR
2025-pr: Rice (Outside Linebackers/Special Teams Coordinator)
2023-24: Charlotte (Defensive Analyst/Nickels)
2018-22.: Davidson (Safeties)
2017: Ardrey Kell High (Defensive Coordinator)
2015-16: Charlotte (Defensive Graduate Assistant)
2014: Texas State (Defensive Graduate Assistant)

Ty Warren – Defensive Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line

Ty Warren joined Scott Abell’s staff in January of 2025 as the Owls’ defensive run game coordinator and defensive line coach. 

Warren joined the Owls after two seasons at SFA, where he was the Lumberjacks’ assistant head coach, defensive run game coordinator, and defensive line assistant. 

Warren joined the SFA staff in April 2023 and helped recruit the first two classes ranked among the top 10 at the FCS level. 

In 2024, SFA had one of the top defenses in the FCS, improving from 98th to sixth in scoring defense, 110th to 20th in rushing defense (118 yds per game), 40th to a tie for third in tackles for loss (92), 64th to fifth in third down conversion defense (29.2) and 37th to fourth in red zone defense (.676).  The Lumberjacks went from 3-8 to 7-5, with their five losses coming by a combined 32 points, closing with a 32-19 win over #11 Abilene Christian. 

A native of Bryan, Texas, Warren was a four-year letterman (1999-02) at Texas A&M as a standout on the Aggies’ Wrecking Crew defense under head coach R. C. Slocum and defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz. He was an All-Big Twelve honoree twice as NT and DE and was ultimately named to the Texas A&M Sports Hall of Fame.

He was the 13th player taken in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by New England and played in three Super Bowls with the Patriots, winning two, Including Super Bowl XXXVIII at NRG Stadium in Houston

He was named first-team All-Pro by the Pro Football Writers in 2007 and a team captain that same year.  He was honored with the Ron Burton Community Service Award and Boston Humanitarian Award and named to the Patriots’ All-Decade and All-Dynasty teams.  He concluded his career with two seasons with the Denver Broncos (2011-12).

He retired from the NFL in 2012 and began his coaching career in 2019 when he was named head coach and campus director at Somerville High School before joining the Detroit Lions through the William Clay Ford Minority Coaching Assistantship.  The following season, he joined head coach Matt Patricia as a defensive assistant, working with defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni and defensive line coach Bo Davis.

In the fall of 2021, he returned to his alma mater, interning under Dr. John Thornton at the Texas A&M University Coaching Academy & R.O.C.K. Program. He assisted and mentored young, inspiring graduates pursuing High School coaching opportunities. 

In addition to his time at SFA, Warren has continued to gain additional coaching experience in the spring professional leagues as well in NFL training camps through the league’s Bill Walsh Internship initiative.

Warren coached under Kevin Sumlin on the USFL’s Houston Gamblers in 2022, serving as the defensive run/pass rush game coordinator. Led by USFL Defensive Player of Year Chris Odom and All-USFL selections Domenique Davis and Tomasi Laulile, the Gamblers’ defense ranked the top in the USFL and all three players were signed to NFL training camps. 

That fall, Warren was with the New Orleans Saints as part of the Bill Walsh Internship initiative working under head coach Dennis Allen, and co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Ryan Neilson. 

In the spring of 2023, he was the co-defensive coordinator and d-line coach for the Orlando Guardians in the XFL where he drafted Caeveon Patton out of Texas State and developed him into an all-league selection who went on to earn a spot in the Atlanta Falcons’ training camp. 

Prior to the opening of SFA”s fall camp in  2024, Warren spent time under head coach Brian Daboll, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and defensive line coach Dre Patterson during the New York Giants training camp as part of the Walsh initiative. 

Warren and wife Kesha are parents to daughters Brionna, Brielle, Bailey, Brooklyn, Braylee, & Brilee (Angel

Kerry Cooks – Safeties

Kerry Cooks was named the Owls’ safeties coach in December of 2024 after originally coming to Rice prior to the 2024 season as a defensive assistant.

Cooks came to Rice from LSU where he coached the safeties after following head coach Brian Kelly to Louisiana in December of 2021 after spending two seasons as a defensive analyst on Brian Kelly’s staff at Notre Dame.

In his first season at LSU, Cooks helped the Tigers to a 10-win season and the SEC Western Division title. LSU’s pass defense ranked No. 4 in the SEC in 2022.

Cooks arrived at LSU after enjoying tremendous success as a player and coach. As team captain at Iowa in 1997, he earned All-Big Ten honors as a defensive back. He was selected in the fifth round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He played nine games for the Vikings in 1998 and later spent time on the Packers, Falcons, and Jaguars rosters.

As a coach, Cooks has helped teams earn bowl appearances 18 times in 20 years. He’s also been part of three College Football Playoff appearances with Oklahoma and the BCS National Championship Game with Notre Dame.

At Notre Dame from 2020-21, the Irish won 21 games and reached the College Football Playoffs in 2020. Cooks was also part of Kelly’s first staff at Notre Dame, joining the Irish in 2010.

Cooks served on Kelly’s staff at Notre Dame from 2010-14, coaching outside linebackers, cornerbacks, and defensive backs during that span. He was co-defensive coordinator for two years (2012-13).

Cooks coached defensive backs at Oklahoma for four years, also serving as assistant defensive coordinator for three seasons. During his four years in Norman, the Sooners claimed the Big 12 title each season and appeared in the College Football Playoff three times.

As defensive backs coach for the Sooners, Cooks’ secondary consistently ranked near the top of the Big 12 in several passing categories while seeing Tre Brown, Tre Norwood, Ahman Thomas, Jordan Thomas and Steve Parker all move on to the NFL.

As defensive backs coach at Notre Dame, the Irish boasted one of the nation’s top pass defenses, ranking No. 15 nationally in interceptions in 2014 and a No. 15 ranking for pass defense in 2012. The 2012 Notre Dame defense ranked No. 2 in the nation in yards per completion and allowed only 11 passing TDs all year, a figure that ranked sixth nationally. Notre Dame played in the BCS National Championship game that year.

Among the players Cooks developed into NFL Draft picks at Notre Dame include first-rounder Harrison Smith (2012) along with Robert Blanton (fifth round in 2012), Jamoris Slaughter (sixth round in 2013), Zeke Motta (seventh round in 2013), and Bennett Jackson (sixth round in 2014).

Other coaching stops for Cooks include Texas Tech (2019), five years at Wisconsin (2006-10) as the defensive backs coach and assistant special teams assistant, and one year as defensive backs coach at Minnesota (2005). He spent the 2004 season at Western Illinois coaching defensive backs and special teams after getting his start in as a graduate assistant at Kansas State in 2003.

In four years at Wisconsin, the Badgers won 38 games, appeared in four bowl games, and led the nation in pass efficiency defense in Cooks’ first season on staff in 2006.
Cooks, a native of Irving, Texas, and his wife Elvern are the parents of two daughters, Kerrington and Kenadee.

Jeremy Modkins – Cornerbacks

Jeremy Modkins was named the Owls’ cornerback coach in March 2023, coming to South Main after spending the 2022 season with the Minnesota Vikings as a defensive analyst.

In 2024 Modkins was able to rely on the same starting corners for all 12 games (Sean Fresch and Max Ahoia) and both enjoyed career years.  Fresch posted a career-high 52 tackles led the team with nine pass breakups and added an interception to tie for the team lead with 10 passes defended.  Ahoia was credited with 37 tackles and was second on the team with eight pass breakups.

In his first season with the Owls, Modkins saw Fresch continue to develop into a leader in the defensive backfield while senior Tre’shon Devones became one of the highest-ranked corners in the AAC according to PFF.

A former TCU standout, Modkins coached the cornerbacks for the Horned Frogs from 2018-21 after serving as a defensive analyst the previous four seasons.

The 2020 campaign saw Modkins coach Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson into a first-team All-American and the nation’s highest-graded cornerback in coverage. The previous year, in 2019, Jeff Gladney developed into a first-team All-Big 12 selection and a first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings. The 2019 season also saw TCU finish first in the Big 12 in total defense with a pair of true freshmen (Hodges-Tomlinson and Kee’yon Stewart) making starts at cornerback.

In his first season with the cornerbacks, Modkins coached Gladney and Julius Lewis into one of the nation’s top duos at the position. Gladney was a second-team All-Big 12 selection while teaming with Lewis to rank first and second, respectively, in the Big 12 in allowing the fewest receptions per coverage snaps according to Pro Football Focus.

Modkins was a second-team all-conference selection and TCU’s Defensive Most Valuable Player as a senior in 2005. He was a four-year letterman who made 35 career starts. He tied for third on the team his senior year with 67 tackles while adding three interceptions.

A Marlin, Texas, native, Modkins totaled a season-best 12 stops and a forced fumble in a 2005 victory over Utah to snap the Utes’ 18-game winning streak. He closed his career with five tackles, including one for loss, while forcing a fumble and breaking up two passes in the 27-24 EV1.net Houston Bowl win over Iowa State.

After earning his TCU degree in communication studies in 2005, Modkins signed a free-agent contract with the Cleveland Browns. He also played with the Green Bay Packers.

Following his playing career, Modkins returned to TCU as a graduate assistant for the 2007 and 2008 seasons, earning a master’s degree in liberal arts.

Modkins’ brother, Curtis, was also a TCU standout (1989-92) and has been a longtime assistant coach in the NFL. He is now the Denver Broncos’ running backs coach.

Modkins and his wife, Stephanie, have a daughter, Solvei.

Taylor Rauer – Rush Ends

Taylor Sauer is in entering his fifth season with the Owls and his first coaching the Owls’ rush ends.

He first joined the staff in 2021 as a quality control coach, working with the Owls’ safeties for a year before switching to linebackers.

Sauer made the move to the collegiate ranks after seven seasons of coaching at the high school level as the Defensive Coordinator at his alma mater, St. Vincent de Paul HS in Perryville, Missouri.

Michael Case – Assistant Defensive Line

Michael Case joined Scott Abell’s staff in February of 2025 as the assistant defensive line coach, where he will assist Ty Warren with the Owls’ defensive line.

Case joined the Owls from SFA where he worked with the secondary as a volunteer in 2023 and then as a GA in 2024 where he assisted Warren with the defensive line. In 2024, SFA had one of the top defenses in the FCS, improving from 98th to sixth in scoring defense, 110th to 20th in rushing defense (118 yds per game), 40th to a tie for third in tackles for loss (92), 64th to fifth in third down conversion defense (29.2) and 37th to fourth in red zone defense (.676). The Lumberjacks went from 3-8 to 7-5, with their five losses coming by a combined 32 points, closing with a 32-19 win over #11 Abilene Christian.

He began his coaching career at the Pop Warner level in Riverside, California after graduation from Riverside Poly High School in 2016 and then began coaching at Riverside Poly in 2017.

He moved on to John W. North HS in Riverside, where he coached quarterbacks and the offensive line as well as coordinated special teams for two seasons (2021 & 2022).

He graduated from California Baptist in 2023 with a degree in Kinesiology and earned his Master of Education from SFA the following year.

Justin McIntire – Assistant Linebackers

Justin McIntire joined the Owls in August of 2023 as a defensive graduate assistant and was promoted to assistant linebackers coach in February of 2025.

McIntire came to Rice after one season at Oceanside Collegiate Academy in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina where he served as the co-defensive coordinator and coached the defensive backs. The Landsharks reached the South Carolina 2A title game before falling to Abbeville, 35-20.

McIntire was a four-year letterman at Charleston Southern as a linebacker and was named to second team All-Big South by Phil Steele at the conclusion of the 2021 season. He was a team captain and totaled 155 tackles in his career. He came to Charleston Southern after one season at East Los Angeles College.

He was a two-time Big South All-Academic selection while majoring in Business Management/Sports Communication.