Including a reunion of brothers, two new coaches with extensive coaching experience in the Big Sky Conference and beyond have joined the Eastern Washington University football program and were officially announced by head coach Aaron Best on Monday (Feb. 8).
 
Joining the Eagles as linebackers coach is Justin Ena, whose brother, Eti Ena, is EWU's defensive coordinator and defensive ends coach. The other hiring announced is Jeff Copp, who will coach EWU defensive tackles. They have a combined 33 years of coaching experience, and both are 2001 graduates of colleges in the West – Ena from BYU and Copp from Boise State.
 
With 13 years of collegiate coaching experience after a successful college and pro career as a player, Ena comes to Eastern with experience at EWU's fellow Big Sky Conference members Weber State (2014) and Southern Utah (2008-13). In all, he has coached four All-America linebackers during his coaching tenure after playing at BYU and in the NFL for Philadelphia and Tennessee.
 
Copp spent the past four seasons at FIU (Florida International University), most recently as co-defensive coordinator. He is a native of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and played college football at Boise State. His 20 years of coaching experience includes stints at Big Sky Conference members Northern Arizona (2016), UC Davis (2009-15) and Idaho State (2004). As a player and coach he's been on teams which have won three league titles and advanced to six bowl games.
 
 

More About Justin Ena . . .

 
Justin Ena comes to Eastern from Utah State where he spent the 2020 and 2019 seasons as inside linebackers coach, and the 2019 season as defensive coordinator. At the end of the 2019 season, Ena helped Utah State to its 14th bowl game all-time, including its eighth in the past nine seasons, as it played in the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl.
 
In 2019, Ena helped four defensive players earn All-Mountain West honors, including linebacker David Woodward, who was named to the first team. Ena also helped Utah State's defense force 24 turnovers (13 fumbles, 11 interceptions) to rank second in the MW and 15th in the nation. In fact, USU's 13 fumble recoveries were tied for fifth nationally and led the conference.
 
Previously, Ena spent four seasons at Utah from 2015-18, serving as the co-special teams coordinator for three of those years, and working with the linebackers all four seasons.
 
During the 2018 season, Ena helped Utah's defense rank among the top-20 in the nation in several categories, including fifth in rushing defense (101.8 yards allowed per game), ninth in tackles for loss (7.9 per game), 15th in total defense (315.1 yards allowed per game) and 16th in scoring defense (18.5 points per game allowed). Under Ena, the linebackers helped Utah rank in the top-30 in rushing defense in each of his four seasons there, including a No. 5 ranking in 2018 and a No. 6 ranking in 2015.
 
Individually, Ena coached Utah linebacker Chase Hansen to three All-America honors. In all, Ena coached two linebackers to all-Pac-12 honors in 2018 as Hansen was named to the first team and senior Cody Barton earned honorable mention honors. Barton was drafted in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks, while Hansen signed an NFL free agent contract with the New Orleans Saints.
 
Linebackers Gionni Paul (first team) and Jared Norris (second team) earned all-Pac-12 honors in Ena's first season with the Utes in 2015. Paul was a two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week as a senior. Norris is in his fourth season as an undrafted free agent with the Carolina Panthers.
 
As co-special teams coordinator at Utah, Ena's coverage units played a role in the Utes winning the NCAA net punting title in 2016, while the 2017 team finished fifth in the nation in net punting and the 2018 team ranked 15th. Furthermore, Utah had three kickers earn All-America honors in Ena's four years at Utah in punter Tom Hackett (2015), punter Mitch Wishnowsky (2016, 2017, 2018) and kicker Matt Gay (2017, 2018).
 
Prior to Utah, Ena was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Weber State in 2014 and a six-year assistant at Southern Utah from 2008-13, including the last four as the defensive coordinator. He was also SUU's special teams coordinator his first two seasons.
 
Southern Utah achieved NCAA FCS top-25 national rankings on both special teams and defense with Ena as a coordinator, including a No. 1 rank in net punting in 2009. The Thunderbirds also ranked No. 3 in punt return average and No. 6 in net punting in 2008, No. 9 in punt return average in 2009, No. 17 in scoring defense, No. 21 in total defense and No. 21 in run defense in 2010, No. 13 in sacks per game and No. 19 in pass defense in 2011, and No. 5 in turnover margin in 2012. The 2013 T-Birds finished second in the Big Sky Conference in total defense and third in scoring defense.
 
Individual honors during Ena's time at SUU included two-year All-America punter Trevor Ward and return specialist Nick Miller, the nation's leader in all-purpose yards in 2008. Other accolades went to All-America defensive tackle Cody Larsen and Freshman All-Americans Zak Browning (linebacker), and James Cowser (defensive end). Browning was the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year in 2012.
 
The Thunderbirds placed 12 defenders on the All-Great West Conference team from 2010-11, including 10 first-team selections. Tyler Osborne became SUU's first GWC Defensive Player of the Year in 2011.
 
Ena earned his bachelor's degree in history from BYU in 2001 with a minor in sociology. He also attended Harvard in 2006 in the school's business executive education program.
 
He was a three-year starter and three-time Mountain West all-conference linebacker for the Cougars, and played in the 2002 Senior Bowl. He played four seasons in the NFL, three with the Philadelphia Eagles and one with the Tennessee Titans, playing in 47 NFL games from 2002-05.
 
Ena has one son, Justice, and one daughter, Olivia. His cousin, Paul Ena, was a two-time All-Big Sky defensive end for EWU from 2009-12. His uncle and Paul's father, Tali Ena, was a standout running back at WSU (1976-79) and went on to play for the Seattle Seahawks.
 
Another Ena brother, Packy, is a high school coach at Kapolei High School in Hawaii and formerly played at Oregon State. The Ena brothers all attended and played high school football at Inchelium (Wash.) High School, leading the school to the State 1B Title in 1991. His name is pronounced "en-nuh."
 
 

More About Jeff Copp . . .

 
The fall 2020 season was Copp's fourth season at FIU. He coached safeties his first two seasons and then was co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach the last two years. Copp was the safeties coach his first two seasons at FIU.
 
Alongside Co-Defensive Coordinator Jerod Kruse in 2019, the Panther defense ranked 17th overall in the nation for passing yards allowed per game (195.0) and 23rd in pass efficiency defense. The Panthers had 12 interceptions to rank 31st in the country, and  Stantley Thomas-Oliver III was selected in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. 
 
His safeties in 2018 helped the Panthers rank second in C-USA and 11th nationally for total interceptions (17). Additionally, the 194.1 passing yards allowed per game in 2018 ranked as 30th overall in the country. The 2017 campaign saw Copp's defensive backs help the Panther defense hold opponents to 10 points or less four times. Panthers defenders recovered 11 fumbles to lead C-USA and rank 19th nationally.
 
Copp came to FIU after spending one season (2016) at Northern Arizona as the Lumberjacks' special teams coordinator. Prior to his stint at NAU, Copp coached at UC Davis for seven seasons. Copp joined the UC Davis football program as a safeties coach in 2009, before coaching the Aggies' defensive backfield and special teams from 2011-12. Copp coached the linebackers for three seasons from 2013-15.
 
UC Davis led all NCAA Div. I (FCS) teams in net punting (41.4 average) and kickoff returns (26.4 average) in 2012. Additionally, senior punter Colton Schmidt was named All-Big Sky Conference first team after averaging 44.5 yards per attempt, sixth-best in the FCS, and went on to become a starting punter for the Buffalo Bills.
 
His linebackers at UC Davis also excelled. Linebacker Steven Pitts earned All-Big Sky honorable mention accolades in 2013 after posting 74 tackles, a team-high 11.5 TFLs and four sacks for 35 yards in losses. He repeated All-Big honors in 2014.
 
Prior to joining the Aggies, Copp spent the previous four seasons as a safeties and special teams coach at Utah State under former FIU Defensive Coordinator Brent Guy. Prior to his tenure in Logan, Copp served as a defensive ends coach at Idaho State in 2004 and as a graduate assistant at Arizona State from 2001 to 2003.
 
Copp, a native of Idaho Falls, Idaho, played collegiately at Boise State, where he was named All-Big West as a defensive end. Copp also helped the Broncos to a pair of Humanitarian Bowl wins, over Louisville in 1999 and UTEP in 2000. Copp earned his bachelor's degree in health sciences from Boise State in 2001 then added a master's degree in higher education at ASU in 2003.