Southeast Missouri State University Athletics

Jerone Steckel sets to begin his fourth year as defensive line coach at Southeast Missouri.

In 2020 and 2021, Steckel coached his first All-Ohio Valley Conference performer in Bryson Donnell. A first-team selection, Donnell made five starts on the defensive line and was SEMO’s fourth-leading tackler with 41 stops. He added three tackles for loss, a sack and four quarterback hurries. Donnell also blocked a kick, forced a fumble and had one fumble recovery.

Steckel is a St. Louis native who was on Dave Steckel’s inaugural staff at Missouri State as a quality control assistant on the defensive side from January 2015 until July 2017. He also worked with the Bears’ defensive linemen during his first tenure in Springfield. 

Steckel then spent the 2017 season at Central Michigan University as a graduate assistant in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, where he worked with the defensive tackles. 

Steckel attended Oakville High School where he was a Suburban West all-conference pick his senior season. He then played two seasons at Ellsworth (Iowa) Community College where he was part of an 8-3 squad the ranked No. 14 in the NJCAA poll and played in the Graphic Edge Bowl. 

He finished his career at Eastern Illinois. Williams played in 12 games as a senior for the Panthers and brought down 38 ball carriers that year. Steckel was also roommates with Jimmy Garoppolo, now with the San Francisco 49ers.

Steckel was selected for one of the National Football League’s Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship Coaching positions in the summer of 2020. He worked with the Los Angeles Rams during OTAs and Training Camp.

Steckel earned his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Sports Studies from EIU in 2014 and is currently working on his master’s degree in the CMU leadership program.

He and his wife, Katlyn, have a son, Tatum.