Eastern Michigan Athletics
Football
Tate Omli
- Title:
- Assistant Coach/Pass Game Coordinator/Safeties
- Email:
- tomli@emich.edu
- Phone:
- 734.487.2160
Entering his fourth year at EMU is Tate Omli, who came to Ypsilanti after spending three seasons as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College. Omli will serve as EMU’s safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator.
Omli has college coaching experience at Hutchinson, Angelo State University, East Carolina University, and Murray State University, and previously served as a graduate assistant at EMU. As a player, Omli started his collegiate journey at Butler Community College, where he was a second-team NJCAA All-American in 2012. Omli then moved to the University of Northern Iowa.
Omli’s players made significant contributions in 2025. Bryce Llewellyn became the first EMU defensive back to earn all-conference honors since 2020. He led the defense with 103 tackles, including 42 solo stops, 61 assisted tackles, two interceptions, and 5.0 tackles-for-loss. His 8.5 tackles per game ranked 36th nationally and sixth in the MAC. He recorded career-high tackles in three games: 11 against Louisiana, 12 at Central Michigan, and 13 versus Ohio, with eight solo stops against Miami. Llewellyn was the first EMU defender with 100+ tackles since 2023, added 5.0 TFLs (including a career-best 1.5 against NIU), and had two interceptions against Louisiana and NIU.
Barry Manning contributed in a hybrid safety-linebacker role, totaling 73 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, two sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble. Jason Marshall finished third on the team with 64 stops, while Juan Salsa added 34 tackles and an interception.
Omli contributed to the development of safeties Cameron Smith and Quentavius Scandrett. Smith had a career season nearly across the board as he doubled his tackle count from the 2022 campaign (26) with 45 tackles in 2023. He also grabbed the first interception of his career, returning the ball 35 yards at Toledo, Nov. 8. Smith also recorded a career high seven tackles at Jacksonville State, Sept. 23. Like Smith, Scandrett also had a career season as he totaled 59 tackles from the secondary and intercepted two passes on the season. Scandrett also set a career high with 11 tackles against Western Michigan and was selected to wear the No. 0 jersey against Buffalo, Nov. 21.
A native of Brookville, Kan., Omli spent the past three seasons as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Hutchinson CC. Over his three seasons on the Blue Dragon sideline, HCC was 28-3 with two league titles, a Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) playoff championship, a national semifinal victory, two appearances in the national championship game, and one national championship (2020-21).
The 2022 Blue Dragons won the Jayhawk Conference championship and a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Playoff semifinal over Coffeyville before falling to Iowa Western in the national championship game. The Blue Dragons tied a single-season record for wins, going 11-1 this past season. Defensively, HCC allowed just 13.1 points per game while limiting opponents to just 265.7 yards per contest. Additionally, the Blue Dragons intercepted 18 passes and racked up four defensive scores.
The 2020-21 Blue Dragons gave Omli an exceptional experience in his first season at Hutchinson.
All Omli and the Blue Dragons did in 2020-21 was put together an undefeated season and won the NJCAA National Championship. The Blue Dragons limited opponents to 13.4 points per game (No. 1 KJCCC/No. 4 NJCAA), 258.6 total yards per game (No. 1 KJCCC/No. 10 NJCAA), 76.6 rushing yards per game (No. 1 KJCCC/No. 6 NJCAA), and 182.0 passing yards per game (No. 5 KJCCC/No. 15 NJCAA).
The 2021 Blue Dragon defense produced 12 all-conference players and five NJCAA All-Americans. Cornerback Roterius Torrence was named both the KJCCC and NJCAA Defensive Player of the Year.
The 2021 Blue Dragons improved mightily as the season went on. The team finished 9-2 with six-straight wins that included back-to-back shutouts in the Jayhawk Conference playoffs. The Dragons finished No. 3 in the final NJCAA rankings. The Blue Dragons also won the Salt City Bowl. The 2021 Blue Dragons allowed 17.9 points per game (No. 2 KJCCC/No. 9 NJCAA). Marquise Gilbert was a second-team NJCAA All-American as a defensive back, and Nadame Tucker was an honorable mention All-American at linebacker.
Before arriving at Hutchinson, Omli was the special teams coordinator and safeties coach at Murray State University (2018-19). While with the Racers, he coached five All-Ohio Valley Conference players.
In 2018, Malik Honeycutt became the 54th All-American at MSU when he was named First Team All-American by HERO Sports. Under Omli’s tutelage, Honeycutt turned in a 79-yard touchdown return that sealed a comeback victory over nationally-ranked Southeast Missouri State University. The following week, he took a punt 80 yards for a score against Austin Peay.
He spent the spring of 2018 as a graduate assistant at East Carolina University.
Omli previously spent two seasons in Ypsilanti as a graduate assistant working with the defensive backs. He helped the Eagles go to the 2016 Bahamas Bowl, the program’s first bowl game since 1987.
Omli began his coaching career in 2015 as a defensive graduate assistant at NCAA Division II Angelo State University, where he assisted with the safeties.
Playing his high school ball at Ell-Saline High School, Omli signed with Butler Community College and played with the Grizzlies in 2011 and 2012. Omli played on a pair of Jayhawk Conference championship teams, and the Grizzlies finished No. 2 in the final 2011 NJCAA Rankings. Omli was First Team All-KJCCC and a Second Team NJCAA All-American in 2012.
Omli graduated from UNI in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing. He received a master’s in sport management from Eastern Michigan in 2017.
Omli and his wife, Kristin, have two sons, Tucker and Tyson, and a daughter, Reese.
Omli has college coaching experience at Hutchinson, Angelo State University, East Carolina University, and Murray State University, and previously served as a graduate assistant at EMU. As a player, Omli started his collegiate journey at Butler Community College, where he was a second-team NJCAA All-American in 2012. Omli then moved to the University of Northern Iowa.
Omli’s players made significant contributions in 2025. Bryce Llewellyn became the first EMU defensive back to earn all-conference honors since 2020. He led the defense with 103 tackles, including 42 solo stops, 61 assisted tackles, two interceptions, and 5.0 tackles-for-loss. His 8.5 tackles per game ranked 36th nationally and sixth in the MAC. He recorded career-high tackles in three games: 11 against Louisiana, 12 at Central Michigan, and 13 versus Ohio, with eight solo stops against Miami. Llewellyn was the first EMU defender with 100+ tackles since 2023, added 5.0 TFLs (including a career-best 1.5 against NIU), and had two interceptions against Louisiana and NIU.
Barry Manning contributed in a hybrid safety-linebacker role, totaling 73 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, two sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble. Jason Marshall finished third on the team with 64 stops, while Juan Salsa added 34 tackles and an interception.
Omli contributed to the development of safeties Cameron Smith and Quentavius Scandrett. Smith had a career season nearly across the board as he doubled his tackle count from the 2022 campaign (26) with 45 tackles in 2023. He also grabbed the first interception of his career, returning the ball 35 yards at Toledo, Nov. 8. Smith also recorded a career high seven tackles at Jacksonville State, Sept. 23. Like Smith, Scandrett also had a career season as he totaled 59 tackles from the secondary and intercepted two passes on the season. Scandrett also set a career high with 11 tackles against Western Michigan and was selected to wear the No. 0 jersey against Buffalo, Nov. 21.
A native of Brookville, Kan., Omli spent the past three seasons as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Hutchinson CC. Over his three seasons on the Blue Dragon sideline, HCC was 28-3 with two league titles, a Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) playoff championship, a national semifinal victory, two appearances in the national championship game, and one national championship (2020-21).
The 2022 Blue Dragons won the Jayhawk Conference championship and a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Playoff semifinal over Coffeyville before falling to Iowa Western in the national championship game. The Blue Dragons tied a single-season record for wins, going 11-1 this past season. Defensively, HCC allowed just 13.1 points per game while limiting opponents to just 265.7 yards per contest. Additionally, the Blue Dragons intercepted 18 passes and racked up four defensive scores.
The 2020-21 Blue Dragons gave Omli an exceptional experience in his first season at Hutchinson.
All Omli and the Blue Dragons did in 2020-21 was put together an undefeated season and won the NJCAA National Championship. The Blue Dragons limited opponents to 13.4 points per game (No. 1 KJCCC/No. 4 NJCAA), 258.6 total yards per game (No. 1 KJCCC/No. 10 NJCAA), 76.6 rushing yards per game (No. 1 KJCCC/No. 6 NJCAA), and 182.0 passing yards per game (No. 5 KJCCC/No. 15 NJCAA).
The 2021 Blue Dragon defense produced 12 all-conference players and five NJCAA All-Americans. Cornerback Roterius Torrence was named both the KJCCC and NJCAA Defensive Player of the Year.
The 2021 Blue Dragons improved mightily as the season went on. The team finished 9-2 with six-straight wins that included back-to-back shutouts in the Jayhawk Conference playoffs. The Dragons finished No. 3 in the final NJCAA rankings. The Blue Dragons also won the Salt City Bowl. The 2021 Blue Dragons allowed 17.9 points per game (No. 2 KJCCC/No. 9 NJCAA). Marquise Gilbert was a second-team NJCAA All-American as a defensive back, and Nadame Tucker was an honorable mention All-American at linebacker.
Before arriving at Hutchinson, Omli was the special teams coordinator and safeties coach at Murray State University (2018-19). While with the Racers, he coached five All-Ohio Valley Conference players.
In 2018, Malik Honeycutt became the 54th All-American at MSU when he was named First Team All-American by HERO Sports. Under Omli’s tutelage, Honeycutt turned in a 79-yard touchdown return that sealed a comeback victory over nationally-ranked Southeast Missouri State University. The following week, he took a punt 80 yards for a score against Austin Peay.
He spent the spring of 2018 as a graduate assistant at East Carolina University.
Omli previously spent two seasons in Ypsilanti as a graduate assistant working with the defensive backs. He helped the Eagles go to the 2016 Bahamas Bowl, the program’s first bowl game since 1987.
Omli began his coaching career in 2015 as a defensive graduate assistant at NCAA Division II Angelo State University, where he assisted with the safeties.
Playing his high school ball at Ell-Saline High School, Omli signed with Butler Community College and played with the Grizzlies in 2011 and 2012. Omli played on a pair of Jayhawk Conference championship teams, and the Grizzlies finished No. 2 in the final 2011 NJCAA Rankings. Omli was First Team All-KJCCC and a Second Team NJCAA All-American in 2012.
Omli graduated from UNI in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing. He received a master’s in sport management from Eastern Michigan in 2017.
Omli and his wife, Kristin, have two sons, Tucker and Tyson, and a daughter, Reese.
| The Tate Omli File | ||
| Name: | Tate Omli | |
| High School: | Ell-Saline - Brookville, Kan. | |
| College: | University of Northern Iowa - Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing - 2014 | |
| Eastern Michigan University - Master’s degree in Sport Management - 2017 | ||
| Family: | Wife - Kristin; Sons - Tucker and Tyson; Daughter - Reese | |
| Coaching Experience | ||
| Year | School | Position |
| 2026-Present | Eastern Michigan University | Assistant Coach/Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties |
| 2023-25 | Eastern Michigan University | Assistant Coach/Safeties/Pass Game Coordinator |
| 2020-23 | Hutchinson Community College | Assistant Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers |
| 2018-19 | Murray State University | Assistant Coach/Safeties/Special Teams Coordinator |
| 2018 | East Carolina University | Graduate Assistant |
| 2016-17 | Eastern Michigan University | Graduate Assistant |
| 2015-16 | Angelo State University | Graduate Assistant |
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