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Rice University Athletics
Football
Mario Magana Jr.
- Title:
- Defensive Graduate Assistant
Mario Magana Jr. joined Scott Abell's staff at Rice in the spring of 2026 as a defensive graduate assistant, working with the Owls' defensive backs after three seasons at Jackson State, where he coached the Tigers' cornerbacks and served as director of player personnel.
Magana joined the Tigers' staff in May 2023 and helped build one of the most productive defenses in the FCS under head coach T.C. Taylor, adding the title of director of player personnel in 2025 while continuing to coach the Tigers' cornerbacks.
In 2025, Jackson State won the SWAC East and ranked among the national leaders in three defensive categories, finishing fifth in first-down defense, 12th in third-down defense, and 13th in total defense. Magana's secondary was the strength of that group: Kam Sallis earned second-team All-SWAC honors, Frankie Dunn Jr. allowed the fewest yards per snap of any defensive back in the conference, former four-star recruit Khamauri Rogers ranked second in the SWAC in lowest catch rate allowed and KJ Chisholm tied for third in forced incompletions.
The 2024 season produced a SWAC championship and an HBCU national title behind a pass defense that ranked second in the FCS in passing efficiency defense, and ninth in passing yards allowed and yards allowed per attempt. Ke'Vric Wiggins Jr. was named an HBCU All-American and first-team All-SWAC after leading the conference with 12 pass breakups and adding three interceptions, and Robert McDaniel joined him in the SWAC's top 10 in passes defended while recording a team-high three interceptions, two of them coming in the SWAC Championship Game. Three members of that secondary continued their careers into pro football: McDaniel signed with the Washington Commanders as an undrafted free agent, spent his rookie season on the practice squad and returned on a reserve/futures deal in January 2026; Keydrain Calligan signed with the Houston Texans and is now on the Tennessee Titans' roster; and Cameron Smith, a shutdown safety on the national championship defense who finished his career at Marshall, earned a rookie minicamp invitation from the Kansas City Chiefs.
Magana's impact was immediate. In his first season on staff in 2023, Jackson State led all of Division I FCS in interceptions while ranking 11th nationally in turnovers gained and 28th in passing yards allowed. Jaheem Hazel led the SWAC with four interceptions that fall and went on to earn an HBCU Legacy Bowl invitation.
His responsibilities extended well beyond the defensive backfield. As director of player personnel, Magana oversaw all recruiting operations — visits, travel, staff assignments, organizational structure, and roster management — and worked alongside the general manager on player development and retention through housing, the program's NIL collective, and day-to-day player needs. He recruited California, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi.
The 2026 class showed the results of that infrastructure: Jackson State converted 28 official transfer portal visits into 25 commitments — a haul that included additions with Power Four and FBS experience — after signing nine high school and junior college prospects during the December early period while the Tigers prepared for the SWAC Championship Game. That body of work earned him a spot on Our Coaching Network's 30 Under 30 Coaches List in both 2023 and 2024.
Magana came to Jackson State from Central Missouri, where he coached cornerbacks on Josh Lamberson's staff as a restricted earnings assistant from December 2022 through May 2023. He served as the program's lead recruiter and evaluator of Iowa high school, Iowa junior college, and California junior college talent, taking charge of the defensive back board for the 2023 class across the transfer portal, junior college, and high school ranks and signing six mid-year junior college additions and five high school cornerbacks. Among the defensive backs he worked with that offseason was Wyryor Noil, an AP first-team Division II All-American who posted 23 pass breakups and six interceptions in 2023 before signing with the CFL's BC Lions.
He got his start with the Mules as a graduate assistant cornerbacks coach in May 2022, developing two first-year starters in his first season on the job. Diondre Glover earned Division II All-America and first-team All-MIAA honors with 22 tackles, two interceptions, and 17 passes defended — fifth-most in Division II — before transferring to UConn and eventually signing with the Green Bay Blizzard of the Indoor Football League. Jordan Scruggs graded out as the highest-rated cornerback on the roster, surrendering one touchdown and fewer than 50 yards across 592 snaps before transferring and going on to start at West Virginia. Magana was named to the Coaching Network's 30 Under 30 Graduate Assistant List for his work.
A four-year captain at William Jewell College from 2018-22, Magana was named the school's Comeback Athlete of the Year in 2021 and received the GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award that same season. He earned the Pee Wee Summers Award for Academic Excellence and was a finalist for the R.E. Bowles Award for Athletic Leadership in 2022, the same year he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in business administration. Magana also served as Student Senate President from 2019-22 and sat on the college's Diversity and Inclusion Task Force from 2021-22.
Magana is a native of Granada Hills, Calif.
Magana joined the Tigers' staff in May 2023 and helped build one of the most productive defenses in the FCS under head coach T.C. Taylor, adding the title of director of player personnel in 2025 while continuing to coach the Tigers' cornerbacks.
In 2025, Jackson State won the SWAC East and ranked among the national leaders in three defensive categories, finishing fifth in first-down defense, 12th in third-down defense, and 13th in total defense. Magana's secondary was the strength of that group: Kam Sallis earned second-team All-SWAC honors, Frankie Dunn Jr. allowed the fewest yards per snap of any defensive back in the conference, former four-star recruit Khamauri Rogers ranked second in the SWAC in lowest catch rate allowed and KJ Chisholm tied for third in forced incompletions.
The 2024 season produced a SWAC championship and an HBCU national title behind a pass defense that ranked second in the FCS in passing efficiency defense, and ninth in passing yards allowed and yards allowed per attempt. Ke'Vric Wiggins Jr. was named an HBCU All-American and first-team All-SWAC after leading the conference with 12 pass breakups and adding three interceptions, and Robert McDaniel joined him in the SWAC's top 10 in passes defended while recording a team-high three interceptions, two of them coming in the SWAC Championship Game. Three members of that secondary continued their careers into pro football: McDaniel signed with the Washington Commanders as an undrafted free agent, spent his rookie season on the practice squad and returned on a reserve/futures deal in January 2026; Keydrain Calligan signed with the Houston Texans and is now on the Tennessee Titans' roster; and Cameron Smith, a shutdown safety on the national championship defense who finished his career at Marshall, earned a rookie minicamp invitation from the Kansas City Chiefs.
Magana's impact was immediate. In his first season on staff in 2023, Jackson State led all of Division I FCS in interceptions while ranking 11th nationally in turnovers gained and 28th in passing yards allowed. Jaheem Hazel led the SWAC with four interceptions that fall and went on to earn an HBCU Legacy Bowl invitation.
His responsibilities extended well beyond the defensive backfield. As director of player personnel, Magana oversaw all recruiting operations — visits, travel, staff assignments, organizational structure, and roster management — and worked alongside the general manager on player development and retention through housing, the program's NIL collective, and day-to-day player needs. He recruited California, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi.
The 2026 class showed the results of that infrastructure: Jackson State converted 28 official transfer portal visits into 25 commitments — a haul that included additions with Power Four and FBS experience — after signing nine high school and junior college prospects during the December early period while the Tigers prepared for the SWAC Championship Game. That body of work earned him a spot on Our Coaching Network's 30 Under 30 Coaches List in both 2023 and 2024.
Magana came to Jackson State from Central Missouri, where he coached cornerbacks on Josh Lamberson's staff as a restricted earnings assistant from December 2022 through May 2023. He served as the program's lead recruiter and evaluator of Iowa high school, Iowa junior college, and California junior college talent, taking charge of the defensive back board for the 2023 class across the transfer portal, junior college, and high school ranks and signing six mid-year junior college additions and five high school cornerbacks. Among the defensive backs he worked with that offseason was Wyryor Noil, an AP first-team Division II All-American who posted 23 pass breakups and six interceptions in 2023 before signing with the CFL's BC Lions.
He got his start with the Mules as a graduate assistant cornerbacks coach in May 2022, developing two first-year starters in his first season on the job. Diondre Glover earned Division II All-America and first-team All-MIAA honors with 22 tackles, two interceptions, and 17 passes defended — fifth-most in Division II — before transferring to UConn and eventually signing with the Green Bay Blizzard of the Indoor Football League. Jordan Scruggs graded out as the highest-rated cornerback on the roster, surrendering one touchdown and fewer than 50 yards across 592 snaps before transferring and going on to start at West Virginia. Magana was named to the Coaching Network's 30 Under 30 Graduate Assistant List for his work.
A four-year captain at William Jewell College from 2018-22, Magana was named the school's Comeback Athlete of the Year in 2021 and received the GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award that same season. He earned the Pee Wee Summers Award for Academic Excellence and was a finalist for the R.E. Bowles Award for Athletic Leadership in 2022, the same year he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in business administration. Magana also served as Student Senate President from 2019-22 and sat on the college's Diversity and Inclusion Task Force from 2021-22.
Magana is a native of Granada Hills, Calif.
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