Aaron Prier has joined the Eastern coaching staff for the 2021 season as its running backs coach and community relations coordinator, EWU head coach Aaron Best announced on May 5, 2021. The hire came as a result of Kevin Maurice leaving EWU after the 2020-21 regular season for the position coaching running backs at New Mexico State.
Prier comes to Eastern from Idaho State where he was an assistant coach and played running back and wide receiver for the Bengals. He takes over a position group that includes seniors Tamarick Pierce and Dennis Merritt, who have combined for 2,839 rushing yards, 39 receptions and 43 total touchdowns in their careers through the 2020-21 winter/spring season.
“He has a proven track record playing and coaching multiple positions,” said Best. “The familiarity with the league and our program was an added bonus. His passion, energy and connectivity with student-athletes was obvious on so many levels. He’s a huge addition for our current student-athletes, future student-athletes and staff.”
In his first season with EWU’s running backs, Dennis Merritt ranked sixth in the nation with 15 rushing touchdowns which also led the conference, and averaged 71.8 yards per game with 933 on the year. Merritt would go on to earn second-team All-Big Sky honors. As a team, the Eagles rushed for an average of 155.2 yards per game.
Eastern closed the 2021 regular season with the best offense in FCS for the second time in the last three seasons, finishing the season first at 554.5 total yards of offense per game. The Eagles were also third nationally in passing (399.4) and second in scoring offense (44.0). The Eagles started the season 7-0 for the best start in program history.
Most recently, Prier spent the 2020-21 season coaching ISU inside receivers, tight ends and serving as recruiting coordinator. Before that, he was tight ends coach from 2017-19, and in 2016 was an ISU graduate assistant. In 2018, ISU junior tight end Austin Campbell earned honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference honors after catching five touchdown passes during the season.
Prier played for the Bengals from 2011-14, and received his degree from ISU in 2015 in business administration/business management. He earned his master’s degree in physical education/athletic administration in the summer of 2017.
He saw time at cornerback in the 2011 season then later that year moved to running back where he stayed much of the rest of his career. He also was a kick returner, earning a spot on the 2014 CFPA Kickoff Returner Award Watch List.
He played in a total of three games versus Eastern in 2011, 2013 and 2014. In 2011, he rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown and caught five passes for 19 yards and another score in EWU’s 45-15 win. In 2012 when EWU triumphed 55-34, he returned a pair of kickoffs for 38 yards with a long of 25, and also had a catch for five yards and a rush for one. As a senior, he moved to wide receiver and had a reception for seven yards against the Eagles before suffering a season-ending injury at Roos Field in a narrow 56-53 loss on Oct. 4, 2014.
Prier is formerly from Richmond, Calif., and graduated from Salesian High School in 2011.
He and his wife, Christal, were married in 2019 and they have one son, born in 2022.
