First Season at Southeast
Brandon “Cherokee” Valeria is in his first season as the defensive backs coach, primarily working with the corners at Southeast.
Valeria was hired in March and was with the team during spring drills.
A native of Hilo, Hawai’i, Valeria comes to Cape Girardeau after spending the last year as Director of Football Operations at Cal Poly.
Prior to working at Cal Poly, Valeria spent three seasons as cornerbacks coach at Idaho State. He coached D.J. Clark of the Carolina Panthers during his time with the Bengals football program. Clark also earned All-Big Sky honors every year under Valeria’s tutelage, and ranked third all-time at ISU in career interceptions. Valeria was also the cornerbacks coach for two years at Central Washington, his alma mater.
Valeria had a player rank among the nation’s Top-30 in interceptions in four of the last five years dating back to his time at Central Washington. In 2005, the Wildcats won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference title after going 8-2 overall and undefeated in league play. Central
Washington’s defense ranked 11th nationally with both of Valeria’s corners earning First-Team All-Conference honors that year.
As a player, Valeria was a wide receiver at Central Washington from 1993-97, and helped lead the Wildcats to the 1995 NAIA National Championship. He graduated with a degree in biology in 1999 and was later inducted into the Central Washington Hall of Fame with the 1995 team in 2006.
Valeria has also coached in minor league professional football, in the high school ranks and with the Everett Hawks of the National Indoor Football League. He was named the 2004 Northwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year by Minor League Football News after helping lead the West Sound Saints to the NWFL title game.
Valeria has a son, Ayosgi Uwasa (which means “Last Warrior” in Cherokee), and a daughter, T’Kia Li (which means “Message from God”).
