Travis Makauskas enters his second year at Grambling State University. He moves over to the defensive side of the ball where he is now the Cornerbacks coach after spending the previous year as the Graduate Assistant / Tight Ends coach.
Makauskas, who makes the transition from the DeBrartolo Coaching Team, volunteered in the spring at Grambling State and served as an Offensive Analyst/Slot Receivers Coach. During his time at Grambling State, he worked directly alongside Offensive Coordinator Mark Orlando and Wide Receivers Coach Quentin Burrell. Prior to his time at Grambling State, Makauskas was with Reedley College in California, where he coached cornerbacks and helped a pair of players earn All-Conference honors.
During the 2017-2018 season, Makauskas coached running backs at Hutchinson Community College. Not only did he help get the Blue Dragons to a bowl game, but he also helped numerous athletes continue their careers at the Division I level. A few notable running backs are B.J. Emmons (Florida Atlantic), DeShawn Waller (Alcorn State), Trey King (Texas Tech).
In his first season at Hutchinson Community College (2016-17), Makauskas coached the quarterbacks.
Prior to his time at Hutchinson Community College, Makauskas spent two years at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida.
A Jacksonville, Fla. native, Makauskas was the Gyrenes’ running backs coach in 2015 and was the receivers coach during the spring of 2016.
Makauskas started his collegiate football playing career at Bethel University where he was a wide receiver and kick returner on the 2011 conference championship team. After that season he transferred to Ave Maria University and was a three-year starter for the Gyrenes as a receiver and kick returner. In his playing career at Ave Maria, Makauskas was a five-time Sun Conference Player of the Week and first-team all-Sun Conference receiver in 2015.
He left the Ave Maria program as that program’s career leader in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, average yards per catch and total all-purpose yards.
