Harold Etheridge begins his seventh season working with the Illinois State offensive line in 2025, in his second stint with the Redbird coaching staff.
The Redbird offense ranked second in the conference and No. 17 in the country in passing offense with 238.1 yards per game in 2024 and was No. 33 in the country in total offense with 402 yards per game. Much of that success was due to the team's efficiency on third down, as the Birds ranked No. 19 in the country in third down conversion percentage at 45.6 and ranked 10th in the country with 303 first downs overall. The offense line was also stout against the pass rush, allowing just 1.5 sacks per game which ranked No. 31 in the country.
The Redbird offensive line was one of the best in the MVFC in 2023, as the unit led by All-MVFC selection Hunter Zambrano allowed the fewest sacks in the MVFC with just 7 on the year, ranking the group in the top 5 nationally. ISU’s rushing offense also ranked third in the league with 197.5 yards per game on the ground, including a season-high 345 yards against Murray State and ranked third in the league in total offense with 433.5 yards per contest and third in scoring.
The Redbird offensive front dealt with injury early in the 2019 season that resulted in some shuffling up front, but once the group settled in they became one of the best units in the FCS. Led by consensus first-team All-American Drew Himmelman and MVFC Honorable Mention selection Adam Solomon, the offensive line was crucial in the success of All-American James Robinson who finished the season ranked No. 2 in the FCS in rushing yards and yards per game and sixth in rushing touchdowns.
Etheridge's offensive line unit, anchored by 2018 HERO Sports FCS Sophomore All-America First-Team selection and All-Missouri Valley Conference Second-Team pick Drew Himmelman, was a critical part in making ISU the third-best scoring offense in the conference. The offensive line led the way for James Robinson, who rushed for a league-leading 1,290 yards with 12 touchdowns and earned multiple All-America honors following the season.
A veteran coach with more than two decades of experience, Etheridge returned to Normal prior to the 2018 season after previously spending nine seasons as the offensive line coach for the Redbirds in the late 1990s. During that time, Etheridge helped the Redbirds earn a spot in the NCAA FCS playoffs in 1998, before winning the Gateway Conference title and reaching the FCS semifinal game in 1999. In 2000, he moved with former ISU head coach Todd Berry to Army and coached the Black Knights’ offensive line for four seasons.
Most recently, Etheridge spent four seasons at Georgia State after joining head coach Trent Miles’ coaching staff in 2013 as the offensive line coach and assistant head coach. Etheridge previously worked with Miles for three seasons at Indiana State (2010-12), helping the Sycamores post three consecutive winning seasons for the first time since the 1960s.
While at Georgia State, Etheridge’s offensive front blocked for record-setting quarterback Nick Arbuckle the last two seasons, helping him lead the Sun Belt Conference in passing and rank in the top 15 nationally both years. Etheridge also helped develop offensive tackle Ulrick John into a NFL prospect. John was selected in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
At Indiana State, Etheridge served as Miles’ offensive coordinator the last two years and his offensive line coach for three seasons. In two years as the Sycamores’ offensive coordinator, Etheridge produced one of the nation’s top rushers in running back Shakir Bell. A first-team All-American as a sophomore in 2011, Bell led the nation in rushing with 151.8 yards per game and tied for second in voting for the Walter Payton Award as the top player in the FCS. In 2012, Bell ranked sixth nationally in rushing (134.1 ypg) while earning second-team All-America honors.
Before going to Indiana State, Etheridge spent the previous two years coaching the offensive line at Washington State (2008-09) and one year in the same role at Northern Illinois (2007). During a three-year stint as the offensive line coach at North Texas (2004-06), Etheridge produced an offensive line that blocked for the nation’s leading rusher in 2004 in Jamario Thomas, who ran for 180.1 yards per game. The Mean Green won the Sun Belt Conference title and earned a berth in the New Orleans Bowl.
Etheridge began his coaching career in the high school ranks, first at Gallup (N.M.) High School (1983-86) and then Ballard (Ky.) High School (1987-88). From there, he moved to a collegiate position at Kentucky, serving as a graduate assistant working with offensive tackles in 1989-90. He worked under GSU’s first head coach Bill Curry in his second season at UK.
A native of Gallup, N.M., Etheridge was a four-year starting offensive guard for Western New Mexico (1979-82). He earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management from the school in 1982. Etheridge, who in 2001 published a book entitled “Coaching the Front Liners,” and his wife, Jeanne, are the parents of twins, Clayton and Eliza.
