Braxton Harris came to Howard Payne in January of 2017 after serving three seasons as Texas Lutheran University’s assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator.
Since at Howard Payne, Coach Harris has taken the Yellow Jackets from a 1-9 record to a 5-5 season in 2019. That season, he coached six ASC All-Conference players, had nine All-Conference selections in 2018 an increase from two in 2017. Harris also added a D3football.com All-American to the HPU ranks in defensive end and special teams player Brady Wade.
His Yellow Jackets have excelled in the classroom with 13 Academic All-Conference athletes in 2019, Ten in 2018 and seven in 2017.
Harris was also instrumental in the creation of the Strength and Conditioning Department at Howard Payne in 2018.
In his time at TLU, Harris helped guide a previously 0-10 program to a 25-5 record over three years and three consecutive conference championships (2013, 2014 and 2015).
Harris joined the TLU football coaching staff in 2011, coaching the defensive ends and linebackers while also serving as recruiting coordinator and special teams coordinator. In 2012, he coached the linebackers and again worked as the recruiting coordinator. In 2013, Harris coached a TLU defensive unit that contributed greatly to the team’s SCAC Championship and No. 6 national ranking in turnover margin - plus 1.6 per game.
Harris’ TLU defense forced 29 turnovers in 2013 and achieved a national ranking of 21st in that category. TLU was 23rd nationally in passes intercepted (17) and 35th nationally in fumbles recovered.
In 2016, Harris coached senior linebacker Darian Candler to a First Team All-SCAC selection for the second consecutive season. Candler led the SCAC this year with 120 total tackles and set the TLU DIII-era record for total tackles in a single season and broke the TLU DIII-era for career tackles for loss (44.0). Candler completed his collegiate career at No. 2 on the TLU DIII-era list for career tackles, with 289.
In 2016, Candler ranked 12th in all of NCAA DIII for total tackles, at 12.0 per game. He was 48th in solo tackles (5.7 per game) and 109th in tackles for loss (1.3 per game).
Harris was the position coach for SCAC Defensive Player of the Year Bradley Snowden, who started in three seasons and played in every game that TLU played the last four seasons. He collected 240 tackles and 20.5 tackles for loss in his career.
Harris came to TLU from Waco High School, where he served as the varsity safeties coach. Prior to his time at Waco High, Harris was the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at NCAA Division III power University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Harris started with the Cru in 2006 as a student assistant and recruiting coordinator and served as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator for the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons. In his four years on the staff with UMHB, the Cru won four ASC Championships, advanced to the NCAA Division III semifinals twice (2007 and 2008) and advanced as far as the NCAA Division III quarterfinals in 2006.
Coach Harris played as a quarterback at UMHB from 2003 to 2005 and was a part the NCAA Division III national finalist team of 2004.
Harris graduated from UMHB in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Education and with a Master in Education Administration in 2009.
Harris’s wife, Jennifer, is a neonatal intensive care unit nurse. Braxton and Jennifer are the proud parents of a son, Brooks, born in 2012 and twin sons, Fisher and Cooper, born in 2015.
