Southeast Missouri State University Athletics

Jason Onyebuagu begins his first year as Southeast Missouri’s offensive line coach.

Onyebuagu spent the 2019 season in the same role at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. 

Before that, he worked three years on coaching staffs at North Carolina Central (2014-18), Syracuse University (2013) and the University of North Carolina (2011-12). His Syracuse stint ended with a win at the Texas Bowl, while the Tar Heels played in the 2011 Independence Bowl during his first year as a graduate assistant at North Carolina.

During his longest coaching stint at North Carolina Central, Onyebuagu worked as offensive line coach (2014), running game coordinator (2015-16) and co-offensive coordinator (2017-18) over a six-year period. He helped lead the Eagles to four-straight winning seasons (2014-17) in that stretch. 

Onyebuagu began his coaching career in 2010 as an assistant offensive line coach at his alma mater Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

As a player at Warren Central, Onyebuagu was part of three-straight consecutive state championship teams from 2003-05, and was named first-team all-conference each of those seasons. As a senior in 2005, he was tabbed Indiana’s Mr. Football Offensive Lineman. 

Onyebuagu then attended Northern Illinois University (2006-09), where he played in all 51 games of his college career. He played in three bowl games over that span. As a senior captain and member of the team’s Leadership Council in 2009, Onyebuagu earned First-Team All-Mid-American Conference honors as part of the league’s top rushing offense. He garnered Second-Team All-MAC accolades in both 2007 and 2008. 

Onyebuagu graduated from NIU in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies. He was invited to training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars and played for the Milwaukee Mustangs of the Arena Football League in 2011.