Bio

A former Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and NCAA Division II standout has joined the Ferris State University football coaching staff as the Bulldogs have announced the appointment of Grant Caserta as a new assistant coach.

Caserta, who starred on the college level as a four-year letterwinner at Saginaw Valley State University and has coached for the past eight years on the collegiate level, will serve as the Bulldogs' linebackers coach on the staff of FSU head coach Tony Annese. He officially began his duties at FSU on April 27.

He fills the void created by the departure this past fall of assistant coach Ryan Partridge, who joined the football coaching staff as the coordinator of high school recruiting on the NCAA Division I level at the University of Arizona.

"We're thrilled to land someone of Grant's caliber and look forward to having him as a key part of our staff moving forward," Annese said. "He was an exceptional player in the GLIAC and has gained considerable experience as a coach since his playing career ended. I believe he'll be able to develop great relationships with our student-athletes and be a tremendous asset to our program as we continue preparations for the 2021 season."

Caserta most recently has served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Illinois Wesleyan University the past two years. He joined the Titans' staff following four seasons as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Husson University in Maine. 

While at Husson, Caserta was tabbed as the 2017 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference Assistant Coach of the Year and he was a finalist for Football Scoop's NCAA Division III Coordinator of the Year honor in 2016 following a season in which his unit held opponents to under 200 yards per game.

During his tenure at Husson, the squad won three-straight ECFC Championships for the first time in program history and made three consecutive NCAA playoff appearances. The school's 2018 squad was ranked number six in the country in rushing defense under his watch.

Caserta also served as the linebackers coach at Maine Maritime Academy in 2014 and spent the 2013 season at his alma mater, Saginaw Valley State, where he was the program's graduate assistant linebackers coach and video coordinator.

A native of Holland, Mich., Caserta earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Saginaw Valley State in business administration. He was a four-year starter and three-year team captain under head coach Jim Collins on the collegiate level.

The three-time All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) linebacker was a CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team honoree as a senior. Additionally, he was named to the dean's list in each of his eight semesters while garnering GLIAC All-Academic Team laurels all four years.

On the prep level, Caserta was a two-time team captain for West Ottawa High School and finished his career as the school's all-time leading tackler with 423 in his career. The two-time all-state pick also competed in basketball and baseball and was a four-time Scholar-Athlete Award recipient. He played for his father, Jim Caserta, on the gridiron for three seasons on the varsity level at West Ottawa.

Caserta and his wife, Caitlin, are parents of two sons, Jameson and Justus, along with a daughter, Zoey.