Brett Arkelian - Football Coach

Brett Arkelian

Title:
Special Teams Quality Control
Email:
brettarkelian@mail.fresnostate.edu
Phone:
559-278-3015

Last Updated: January 29, 2024

Brett Arkelian joined the Fresno State coaching staff in February 2023. He is the Bulldogs’ special teams quality control coach and enters his second season with the Bulldogs in 2024.

Arkelian, a Valley native of Clovis and 2013 graduate of Buchanan High School, returns home after becoming the Director of Player Personnel at UC Davis. At Davis, Arkelian built recruiting boards and collaborated with the head coach and coordinators to align recruiting strategies with program's goals & objectives, organized a Junior Day with 300+ prospective athletes, and grew the recruiting department from 2 to 12 interns by the time of his exit.

During the 2022 season, Arkelian spent time as the special teams/offensive analyst coach at UC Davis. His duties in that position included building special teams meetings, diagrams, personnel, and game plans as well as overseeing the specialists practice schedule and development.

A former kicker & punter who's published The Kicker's Bible: Foundational Training & Secrets Used By Pro Specialists and creator and producer of his own Special Teams podcast, the "Iceman Kicking Podcast", Arkelian was a 4 year starter as a kicker / punter at the University of Tennessee at Martin and Lincoln University (PA).

Arkelian spent the 2021 season in the Atlantic Coast Conference at Virginia Tech. Learning from and working directly with two time Special Teams Coordinator of the Year (2008, 2018) James Shibest, Arkelian provided break downs, analyzed, and built comprehensive scouting reports on opponents while running all scout teams. In 2021, VT was #7 in the nation in ST Efficiency by ESPN during the regular season, finishing 1st nationally & in the ACC in Punt Return yards. Under Arkelian's tutelage, All-ACC Freshman punter Peter Moore (45.1 yds. ave.), kicker JP Romo (17 Made FG's), & snapper Oscar Shadley (Patrick Mannelly Award Semi-Finalist (Top Snapper in FBS)) all produced record years.

In the Spring of 2021, Arkelian was a Special Teams / Tight Ends Graduate Assistant coach at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Arkelian participated in Special Teams & Tight End meetings while coaching and grading all players. He was also in charge of all scout teams and postseason studies.

In 2020, Arkelian held the title of Special Teams Quality Control Coach at Marshall University in Huntington, WV. During the 2020 season, Marshall reached as high as #15 in the nation with a 7-0 record, while the special teams units ranked 1st in the C-USA & #5 nationally in Kickoff Defense and had all conference special teams players in All 1st team C-USA punt returner Talik Keaton and C-USA Honorable Mention long snapper Zach Appio.

Arkelian started his college coaching career at the University of Tennessee at Martin as the Special Teams & Safeties Graduate Assistant Coach in the Spring of 2018. Arkelian created training schedules for specialists to help increase explosiveness, core strength, and flexibility while analyzing kicking and snapping film.

A 4 year, 43 consecutive game starter from 2014-2017, Arkelian was a Kicker, Punter, Kickoff specialist who set three school records at Lincoln University, most notably his 80-yard punt in 2015. Arkelian was an All-Conference Rookie at LUPA who grad transferred to UTM.

Arkelian is a proud native of Clovis, California and 2013 graduate of Buchanan High School. He graduated from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania with a degree in History and a minor in Black Studies. He completed his masters in Secondary Education from the University of Tennessee at Martin 2018.