Tom Ross is in his second season as an assistant coach and the offensive coordinator at Fort Hays State in 2025. He also serves as the team's quarterbacks coach.
Fort Hays State had a total of seven offensive players earn All-MIAA selections in 2024, Ross' first season serving as the offensive coordinator. Running back Shane Watts and offensive lineman Josh Shaw that group headlined by earning first-team selections. Watts was an All-America Second Team selection by three organizations and eventually went on to sign with the New England Patriots of the NFL in the preseason of 2025.
As a quarterbacks coach, Ross helped Caleb Heavner to All-MIAA honors in 2024. Heavner set a new Fort Hays State record for pass completion percentage in a season at 70.2 percent. It was the second-best completion percentage in NCAA Division II that season.
Â
Ross came to FHSU from Morehead State University in Kentucky, where he spent four seasons over five years. He first served as a quality control assistant in 2019 before moving into a full-time roll serving as quarterbacks coach and director of video from 2020-2023. One of his quarterbacks at MSU, Mark Pappas, had 3,000-yard passing season, while setting a single-game school record for passing yards. MSU ranked sixth nationally in FCS for passing yards in 2021. Ross assisted with receivers in his first year at MSU while holding the role as an offensive quality control coach.
Â
A native of Gilbert, Ariz, and originally from Omaha, Neb., Ross was a four-year student-athlete and quarterback at Adams State University in Alamosa, Colo. He earned his bachelor's degree in business administration/marketing in 2015.
Â
