EASTERN WASHINGTON PRESS RELEASE
Five months into his tenure as Eastern Washington University’s quarterbacks coach, Bodie Reeder will also officially assume the role of offensive coordinator, head coach Aaron Best has announced.
Reeder has been interim offensive coordinator since June 7 when Fred Salanoa resigned and returned to be with his family in Hawaii.
Reeder spent the 2014-16 seasons working with quarterbacks at Oklahoma State University and working in offensive quality control. The former player and 2010 graduate of Eastern Illinois University previously was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Wisconsin-Stout from 2011-14. He previously spent two seasons as an assistant at his alma mater.
Longtime offensive line coach Aaron Best has been named the head coach at Eastern Washington/ by Brooks Nuanez
“He’s been an offensive coordinator and play-caller in prior years, so he was the right coach for the position,” Best, EWU’s first-year head coach, said in an EWU press release. “The level doesn’t matter – having the experience in that role is what is most important. He’s excited about the opportunity, and is very intellectual and is a fast thinker. The most important thing is that he’s calling plays through the quarterback’s eyes. He’ll be able to expand on his ideas from his prior stops to infuse our offense.”
“Bodie was a tremendous asset to our success at OSU,” said Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy. “He was very helpful in day-to-day game planning. His experience and work ethic have prepared him for this opportunity at Eastern.”
“It is an honor to be offensive coordinator at Eastern,” said Reeder. “This university is truly special. I can’t thank (athletic director) Bill Chavesand Coach Best enough for this opportunity. My wife (Ashley) and I look forward to immersing ourselves further in the EWU culture.”
Reeder was an assistant at Wisconsin-Stout for four seasons, and was offensive coordinator his last three. Besides coaching the team’s quarterbacks, he also taught kinesiology at the school. Among the players he coached was all-conference quarterback Hank Kujak.
He then moved on to Oklahoma State and its high-powered offense. The Cowboys played in bowl games all three of Reeder’s seasons there, including victories in the 2016 Alamo Bowl (defeated Colorado 38-8) and the 2014 Cactus Bowl (defeated Washington 30-22). The Cowboys also played in the Sugar Bowl following the 2015 season (lost to Mississippi 48-20).
The 2016 OSU team was 10-3 and second in the Big 12 with a 7-2 record. The Cowboys were ninth in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision in passing offense (323.9 per game) and 17th in scoring (38.6 per game).
Most recently, Reeder helped coach OSU quarterback Mason Rudolph, who was ranked seventh nationally in passing as a junior in 2016 with an average of 314.7 yards per game. He completed 63 percent of his passes for a total of 4,091 yards, 28 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
The previous season, Rudolph was 19th in FBS (290.0 per game), finishing with 3,770 yards, 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Quarterback J.W. Walsh accounted for 24 touchdowns (11 rushing, 13 passing) in 2015.
He coached in 2010 and 2011 as a graduate assistant at Eastern Illinois and worked with defensive backs.
Reeder began his college career at Wyoming, then transferred to Eastern Illinois where he had 3,741 passing yards, 23 touchdown passes, and 356 career completions in 30 games. The Panthers advanced to the NCAA playoffs in 2007 and 2009.
Reeder is a 2004 graduate of Mahomet-Seymour High School in 2004, and in his career passed for 6,582 yards and 67 touchdowns. As a freshman starter, Reeder and M-S finished 4-5. But the table was set for three straight playoff appearance as the Bulldogs compiled records of 6-4, 7-3 and 11-1 in his final three seasons.
He and his wife, Ashley, were married on Dec. 17, 2016.
