Travis Stepps will begin his 10th season at UND in 2025 and his eighth year coaching the cornerbacks. Coach Stepps spent his first two seasons at UND with the safeties.
With Stepps' guidance, Devin Hembry earned First Team All-MVFC status and Avery Scott was named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team in 2024. Hembry defended just 1.0 passes per game, ranking him as the No. 2 pass defender in the conference. He also tied for No. 3 in the league in interceptions per game (0.3) and had a 92-yard pick-six in the 52-28 win over Idaho State. Scott was second on the team in interceptions (2) and recorded a 40-yard interception return for touchdown in the 72-35 victory against Murray State.
For the second consecutive season, Coach Stepps’ secondary was led by All-MVFC defensive back C.J. Siegel in 2023. Siegel tied for No. 3 in the MVFC for pass breakups with eight and was third on the team in solo stops with 28. He also recorded a 59-yard interception return in the 49-24 win over No. 6 North Dakota State and recovered a fumble in the 22-21 victory over Illinois State. Devin Hembry also had a breakout season, picking off a pass in the 36-33 overtime win over Indiana State and shutting down a Coyote drive in the red zone with an interception at No. 6 South Dakota late in the season.
Aided by the play of All-MVFC defensive back Siegel, the secondary had another successful season in 2022. Siegel finished the year as the No. 5 tackler on the team with 46 tackles, led the team and tied for No. 4 in the MVFC in pass breakups with eight and recorded two interceptions. He also racked up 79 interception return yards to sit No. 3 in the conference, highlighted by a 50-yard pick six in the 27-24 win at Northern Arizona early in the season. The emergence of All-MVFC Newcomer Edmund Ocansey also helped the UND secondary, with him starting the final eight games of the season and finishing No. 3 on the team in pass breakups with three to go with 20 total tackles.
It was another banner year in the secondary for Stepps and his group, finishing third in the conference and 27th in the nation with only 197.4 passing yards allowed per game. The defensive backs also helped the defense end the season third in the MVFC for total defense and fourth in scoring defense. Led by all-conference defensive back Evan Holm, who finished with 45 tackles and two interceptions.
He gained his full battery back in 2020-21 and boasted one of the top secondaries in the MVFC and nation to help the Fighting Hawks reach the FCS quarterfinal for the first time in program history. The starting duo of Holm and Siegel combined for 40 tackles, nine pass breakups, 1.5 TFLs, a sack, and a forced fumble to help the Hawks rank near the top in the nation in turnovers forced. Holm earned MVFC All-Conference honors and Siegel finished with only two allowed completions over 25-yards.
Despite the injury to Holm for most of the year, the defensive backs had another strong year under Stepps in the 2019 campaign. Redshirt freshman Siegel was named as an FCS Freshman All-American after leading all defensive backs in tackles, pass deflections, and interceptions. His 12 passes defensed ranked inside the top-50 among all defensive players in the FCS and cracked the top-10 among rookies. The two interceptions, both coming in a win over No. 12 UC Davis, tied for the team lead and were the first of his career.
With the return of Deion Harris to the lineup, the defensive backs were strong for UND in 2018, led by the emergence of Holm. The Edina, Minn., native finished with 46 total tackles, including 35 solo stops, to rank third on the team in both categories. Holm also finished with 10 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and a kick return for a touchdown. Harris concluded his strong UND career with 27 total tackles, seven pass breakups, and an interception.
In 2017, Senior Chuck Flowers emerged as one of the team’s top tacklers under Stepps’ guidance, finishing with 72 total tackles in his first season as a starter. Flowers, who also shared the team lead with two interceptions, also helped fill a void in the secondary that saw returning All-Americans Cole Reyes (three games) and Harris (zero games) combine to miss a majority of the campaign.
In his first season as the Fighting Hawks’ defensive backs coach in 2016, Stepps helped Reyes and Harris collect those All-America honors after the duo helped UND record 20 interceptions in 2016 -- a total that tied for second in the FCS. Reyes was also named the FCS ADA Defensive Back of the Year and Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year, helping a unit rank among the tops in the Big Sky in scoring defense (1st; 22.0 ppg), rush defense (91.3 ypg) and total defense (2nd; 355.2 ypg).
The Fort Scott, Kan., native arrived in Grand Forks following a 12-year stint at Southern Illinois, which included eight seasons under former UND head coach Dale Lennon. Stepps is also familiar with UND head coach Bubba Schweigert, who was the defensive coordinator at SIU for six of those seasons.
During his dozen seasons at SIU, Stepps worked with different defensive groups, including the linemen, outside linebackers and defensive backs. Under his watch, 13 SIU players earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors and Craig Turner and Korey Lindsey earned All-America honors.
In 2009, the Saluki defense was second nationally with 23 interceptions. Stepps’ defensive backs also returned 12 interceptions for touchdowns throughout his coaching tenure in Carbondale.
Prior to joining the Southern Illinois coaching staff, Stepps spent two seasons on the staff at Washburn University. As a player, he was a two-time All-American defensive back at Pittsburg State. He earned a bachelor’s degree in social studies and education from Pittsburg State and a master’s degree in sports management from Southern Illinois.
Stepps and his wife, Kristina, were married following the 2012 football season.
