Levi Gallas, a former Grizzly and most recently defensive coordinator at West Texas A&M, is the new head football coach at Adams State. Gallas’ hire was announced Tuesday as he became the 24th head coach in the history of Adams State’s football program.
“We’re super excited and cannot wait to get him going,” said Adams State Athletic Director Katelyn Smith.
Gallas was an All-RMAC selection in both football and track during his student-athlete days at Adams State from 2005 to 2010. He played linebacker and was team captain and team MVP for the Grizzlies.
“When the opportunity presented itself, I simply thought, ‘there is no place like home,’” he said.
He returns to Colorado after working for the past two seasons as defensive coordinator at West Texas A&M, which lately has been showing up on the Adams State schedule. He is from Colorado and was a three-sport athlete at Chaparral High School in Denver and state high school pole vault champion in 2004.
He inherits a Grizzlies team that went winless in 2024 under fourth-year head coach Jarrell Harrison, who resigned from the position in November.
“His passion for Adams State stuck out, his passion for the San Luis Valley,” said Smith, who selected Gallas from a field of four finalists and more than 100 applicants.
Gallas has been a head high school wrestling coach and assistant football coach at Littleton High; a defensive and special team coordinator and defensive backs coach at Ponderosa High; a special teams, defensive backs and defensive line coach at Eastern New Mexico; a defensive coordinator at Nebraska-Kearney; and then his time at West Texas A&M.
Now he gets the Adams State head coaching job, the biggest opportunity yet in his coaching career. What will he do with it? Where will he go from here?
“My family and I are excited to be a part of the Valley once again,” Gallas said.
He, his wife, Haley, and two children, Paxton and Oakley, are expected to arrive in January. The new year looks promising.