Joe Seumalo Named Defensive Tackles Coach
February 12, 2026 | Football
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Joe Seumalo will join the Oregon State football program as the Defensive Tackles Coach, Head Coach JaMarcus Shephard announced Thursday.
"Joe Seumalo has history here in Corvallis," Shephard said. "When you walk down the halls of the Valley Football Center, you see the faces all over the walls of players who have come and gone, and many of them are players that Joe coached. His connection with Polynesian players and ability to relate and develop all players makes him a valuable asset to our football program. We welcome Joe Seumalo back to the staff."
Seumalo was at the University of Pittsburgh during the 2025 season and coached the defensive line at the University of Arizona in 2024. He was an assistant coach, working with the defensive line, at Oregon State from 2006-14.
"I'm happy to be home," Seumalo said. "Four of my kids went to Oregon State and it's great to be back at a place we all love."
The appointment is contingent on the completion of all university hiring processes.
Seumalo joined the Arizona coaching staff in 2024 after serving as defensive line coach with the San Jose State Spartans since 2017. It was his second stint with the Spartans after serving as an assistant in 2005. He coached Viliami Fehoko (2022) and Cade Hall (2020) to Mountain West Defensive Player of the year honors.
Fehoko was also named to the Sporting News All-America Second Team, the PFF All-America Second Team, and the Phil Steele All-America Fourth Team. Fehoko and Hall were both named to the Mountain West First Team in 2022.
SJSU also led the Mountain West in sacks with 39 while playing in a conference low 12 games and finished fifth in the nation averaging 3.27 sacks per game in 2022.
Seumalo was an assistant coach at UNLV in 2015 and Arizona State in 2016.
During his nine years at Oregon State from 2006-14, Seumalo was rated one of the top recruiters in the Pac-12 Conference by Rivals.com and developed some of the school's best-ever linemen.
Defensive end Scott Crichton turned in his third consecutive stellar season in 2013, earning Pac-12 Second Team honors, was a member of four postseason awards watch lists and Sports Illustrated selected him honorable mention All-American. Defensive tackle Stephen Paea earned the Morris Trophy in 2010 for the second consecutive year as the Pac-12's top defensive lineman and was a consensus All-America selection.
The Beavers equaled the biggest turnaround in the nation in 2012 from the previous season and it was in large part to the play of the defensive line. Crichton earned Pac-12 First Team honors and tackle Andrew Seumalo, the son of Joe, landed on the Pac-12's Honorable Mention team. The Beaver defense held four opponents to under 10 points, the most since the 2000 season, finished second in the league for scoring defense (20.6 points) and nearly set the school record for fewest overall points allowed for a 13-game year.
In 2008, his Beaver defense was the only unit in the NCAA to hold an opponent (Pittsburgh) scoreless in a bowl game (Sun). The defense ranked second overall in the Pac-10 for fewest yards allowed per contest (312.0) and quarterback sacks (39), and fifth for yards lost (456) via tackles-for-loss. His 2008 team also featured two of the best defensive ends in the history of the program, Victor Butler and Slade Norris. Butler earned the Sun Bowl's MVP honor after making five tackles-for-loss, including four quarterback sacks. Butler's 21.5 tackles-for-loss overall in '08 set a school record and he matched the Beaver mark for sacks (12) and forced fumbles (4) for a season.
In 2007, the Beavers led the nation against the run (70.6), were fourth for quarterback sacks (3.4 per game), sixth for tackles-for-loss (8.2 pg) and eighth for total defense overall (306.2 yds p/g). The team accounted for more yards (537) lost via tackles-for-loss than any other team. Of the 13 teams the Beavers faced in 2007, 12 gained under their season average for rushing yards. All four of his starters on the Beaver defensive line earned Pac-10 postseason honors.
He also coached Dylan Wynn at Oregon State who was named a Freshman All-America Honorable Mention by College Football News in 2011 and a Second Team All-Pac-12 honoree in 2014. Wynn played two yeas in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and nine seasons in the CFL.
Seumalo arrived at Oregon State in 2006 after spending one year as the defensive line coach at San Jose State University. Prior to his stint in the Bay Area, he spent four years as the defensive line coach at Cal Poly University in San Luis, Obispo.
At Cal Poly, he was part of a coaching staff that molded one of the top Division I-AA defenses. In 2004, the nationally ranked Mustangs were third in the country for rushing defense and ninth in scoring defense yielding just 16.6 points per game.
One of his linemen, All-American Chris Gocong, led all I-AA players in quarterback sacks with 17.5 and was second in tackles-for-loss at 21.5. Gocong went on to finish second in the 2004 Buck Buchanan Award voting for the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision classification.
The 2003 Cal Poly defense was 24th nationally in rushing defense yielding 121.1 yards per game and was among the best pass rushing teams with 40 quarterback sacks. Overall, the Mustangs averaged 39 sacks a season in his four years.
Several players that Seumalo coached became NFL Draft picks, including Chris Cocong (2006, third round, Philadelphia Eagles), Victor Butler (2009, fourth round, Dallas Cowboys), Slade Norris (2009, fourth round, Oakland Raiders), Stephen Paea (2011, second round, Chicago Bears), Gabe Miller (2011, fifth round, Kansas City Chiefs), Obum Gwacham (2015, sixth round, Seattle Seahawks) and Viliami Fehoko (2023, fourth round, Dallas Cowboys).
A defensive lineman at the University of Hawai'i from 1985 through 1988, Seumalo was a Western Athletic Conference Second Team choice in his senior season. Seumalo went on to play in the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders and Ottawa Roughriders in 1989, the Edmonton Eskimos in 1994 and for the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe in 1995.
The 1995 graduate of Hawai'i began his coaching career in 1994 at Kaiser High School in Honolulu. He also served as a guest coach for the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League in 1996 and the Hawai'i Hammerheads of the Indoor Football League in 1999.
He moved to the college ranks in 1999 as a graduate assistant at Hawai'i, where he coached the defensive ends and assisted with the special teams.
Seumalo and his wife, Karen, have four sons – Andrew, Isaac, Noah and Levi, and one daughter – Jessi.
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
"Joe Seumalo has history here in Corvallis," Shephard said. "When you walk down the halls of the Valley Football Center, you see the faces all over the walls of players who have come and gone, and many of them are players that Joe coached. His connection with Polynesian players and ability to relate and develop all players makes him a valuable asset to our football program. We welcome Joe Seumalo back to the staff."
Seumalo was at the University of Pittsburgh during the 2025 season and coached the defensive line at the University of Arizona in 2024. He was an assistant coach, working with the defensive line, at Oregon State from 2006-14.
"I'm happy to be home," Seumalo said. "Four of my kids went to Oregon State and it's great to be back at a place we all love."
The appointment is contingent on the completion of all university hiring processes.
Seumalo joined the Arizona coaching staff in 2024 after serving as defensive line coach with the San Jose State Spartans since 2017. It was his second stint with the Spartans after serving as an assistant in 2005. He coached Viliami Fehoko (2022) and Cade Hall (2020) to Mountain West Defensive Player of the year honors.
Fehoko was also named to the Sporting News All-America Second Team, the PFF All-America Second Team, and the Phil Steele All-America Fourth Team. Fehoko and Hall were both named to the Mountain West First Team in 2022.
SJSU also led the Mountain West in sacks with 39 while playing in a conference low 12 games and finished fifth in the nation averaging 3.27 sacks per game in 2022.
Seumalo was an assistant coach at UNLV in 2015 and Arizona State in 2016.
During his nine years at Oregon State from 2006-14, Seumalo was rated one of the top recruiters in the Pac-12 Conference by Rivals.com and developed some of the school's best-ever linemen.
Defensive end Scott Crichton turned in his third consecutive stellar season in 2013, earning Pac-12 Second Team honors, was a member of four postseason awards watch lists and Sports Illustrated selected him honorable mention All-American. Defensive tackle Stephen Paea earned the Morris Trophy in 2010 for the second consecutive year as the Pac-12's top defensive lineman and was a consensus All-America selection.
The Beavers equaled the biggest turnaround in the nation in 2012 from the previous season and it was in large part to the play of the defensive line. Crichton earned Pac-12 First Team honors and tackle Andrew Seumalo, the son of Joe, landed on the Pac-12's Honorable Mention team. The Beaver defense held four opponents to under 10 points, the most since the 2000 season, finished second in the league for scoring defense (20.6 points) and nearly set the school record for fewest overall points allowed for a 13-game year.
In 2008, his Beaver defense was the only unit in the NCAA to hold an opponent (Pittsburgh) scoreless in a bowl game (Sun). The defense ranked second overall in the Pac-10 for fewest yards allowed per contest (312.0) and quarterback sacks (39), and fifth for yards lost (456) via tackles-for-loss. His 2008 team also featured two of the best defensive ends in the history of the program, Victor Butler and Slade Norris. Butler earned the Sun Bowl's MVP honor after making five tackles-for-loss, including four quarterback sacks. Butler's 21.5 tackles-for-loss overall in '08 set a school record and he matched the Beaver mark for sacks (12) and forced fumbles (4) for a season.
In 2007, the Beavers led the nation against the run (70.6), were fourth for quarterback sacks (3.4 per game), sixth for tackles-for-loss (8.2 pg) and eighth for total defense overall (306.2 yds p/g). The team accounted for more yards (537) lost via tackles-for-loss than any other team. Of the 13 teams the Beavers faced in 2007, 12 gained under their season average for rushing yards. All four of his starters on the Beaver defensive line earned Pac-10 postseason honors.
He also coached Dylan Wynn at Oregon State who was named a Freshman All-America Honorable Mention by College Football News in 2011 and a Second Team All-Pac-12 honoree in 2014. Wynn played two yeas in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and nine seasons in the CFL.
Seumalo arrived at Oregon State in 2006 after spending one year as the defensive line coach at San Jose State University. Prior to his stint in the Bay Area, he spent four years as the defensive line coach at Cal Poly University in San Luis, Obispo.
At Cal Poly, he was part of a coaching staff that molded one of the top Division I-AA defenses. In 2004, the nationally ranked Mustangs were third in the country for rushing defense and ninth in scoring defense yielding just 16.6 points per game.
One of his linemen, All-American Chris Gocong, led all I-AA players in quarterback sacks with 17.5 and was second in tackles-for-loss at 21.5. Gocong went on to finish second in the 2004 Buck Buchanan Award voting for the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision classification.
The 2003 Cal Poly defense was 24th nationally in rushing defense yielding 121.1 yards per game and was among the best pass rushing teams with 40 quarterback sacks. Overall, the Mustangs averaged 39 sacks a season in his four years.
Several players that Seumalo coached became NFL Draft picks, including Chris Cocong (2006, third round, Philadelphia Eagles), Victor Butler (2009, fourth round, Dallas Cowboys), Slade Norris (2009, fourth round, Oakland Raiders), Stephen Paea (2011, second round, Chicago Bears), Gabe Miller (2011, fifth round, Kansas City Chiefs), Obum Gwacham (2015, sixth round, Seattle Seahawks) and Viliami Fehoko (2023, fourth round, Dallas Cowboys).
A defensive lineman at the University of Hawai'i from 1985 through 1988, Seumalo was a Western Athletic Conference Second Team choice in his senior season. Seumalo went on to play in the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders and Ottawa Roughriders in 1989, the Edmonton Eskimos in 1994 and for the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe in 1995.
The 1995 graduate of Hawai'i began his coaching career in 1994 at Kaiser High School in Honolulu. He also served as a guest coach for the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League in 1996 and the Hawai'i Hammerheads of the Indoor Football League in 1999.
He moved to the college ranks in 1999 as a graduate assistant at Hawai'i, where he coached the defensive ends and assisted with the special teams.
Seumalo and his wife, Karen, have four sons – Andrew, Isaac, Noah and Levi, and one daughter – Jessi.
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
Introducing Oregon State Head Coach JaMarcus Shephard
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